Vocabulary Guide for Edgar Allan Poe's “William Wilson”

for assessment on friday

appellation

A name or title.

(the city fully justifies its appellation “the Pearl of the Orient.)

mantle

A cloak or loose outer garment, often worn over other clothes.

(She draped a heavy velvet mantle over her shoulders to ward off the evening chill.)

countenance

A person·s face or facial expression.

He managed to keep his countenance through the ordeal.

prodigious

Remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree.

She tackled the prodigious task of reorganizing the entire office in one day

equivocal

Open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous or unclear.

She was known for her equivocal language, often using words that could be interpreted in multiple ways

sagacious

Wise or shrewd; showing good judgment.

The sagacious leader guided her people through the challenging times with remarkable foresight and wisdom

petulant

 Childishly sulky or bad-tempered.*

Her tone was petulant and angry, and she refused to listen to reason

supererogation

Doing more than is required or expected.

While most employees only work their required hours, Maria's habit of staying late to help her coworkers is a constant example of supererogation.

inscrutable

Impossible to understand or interpret; mysterious.

Her inscrutable smile left everyone guessing her true emotions. 

perverseness

A deliberate desire to behave in an unreasonable or unacceptable way.*

The perverseness of the universe seemed to work against her, thwarting her every effort to succeed

reverie

A state of being pleasantly lost in one·s thoughts; a daydream.

I was deep in reverie and didn't hear my name being called

visage

The face, especially with reference to shape, features, or expression.

His face lost its passive visage and revealed his horror and disgust

iniquity

Immoral or grossly unfair behavior; wickedness.*

abhorrence

 A feeling of repulsion; disgusted loathing.*

the thought of marrying him filled her with abhorrence

phantasm

A figment of the imagination; an illusion or ghost.

the cart seemed to glide like a terrible phantasm

impetuosity

Acting or done quickly and without thought or care.*

She'd warned him against hasty decisions and impetuosity

despotism

Absolute power or control, often exercised in a cruel or oppressive way.

This places limits on governments and reduces the likelihood of tyranny and despotism

incumbent

Necessary as a duty or responsibility.

the present incumbent will soon be retiring

audacity

Boldness or daring, often with disregard for rules or consequences.

First she betrayed him, then she had the audacity to show up and rescue him.

anomalous

Deviating from what is standard, normal, or expected.

palpable

Able to be touched or felt; easily perceived or obvious.

She'd sensed a palpable fear among members of the Task Force.

vexation

The state of being annoyed, frustrated, or worried*

Isly bit her lip in vexation as tears poured down her cheeks

ennui

A feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement; boredom. *

A brief surge of pure joy was quickly supplanted by his more usual ennui

obstreperous

Noisy and difficult to control. *

The next day, he remembered nothing but feeling remorseful — he knew from experience that he was a mean, obstreperous drunk

imbibe

To drink (especially alcohol); or to absorb ideas or knowledge.

Most of these are soft skills that can't be taught or imbibed overnight.

She imbibed vast quantities of coffee

repugnance

Intense disgust or aversion.*

she tried to hide the repugnance she felt at the sight of him

temerity

Excessive confidence or boldness; audacity.

Above all, she has a breathtaking fearlessness, and the talent to back up her temerity.

chimerical

Wildly fanciful; unrealistic or imaginary.*

His plan to win the lottery by wishing for it was chimerical

perusal

The action of reading or examining something carefully.

Please find the report for your perusal

gesticulation

A dramatic gesture used instead of or in addition to speaking.

The coach was gesticulating at his team to play faster. 

abeyance

A state of temporary disuse or suspension.

The new park project is in abeyance until the city can find more funding

expostulate

To express strong disapproval or disagreement.*

The parents expostulated with their son about his irresponsible choices

obliquity

Deviation from moral or proper conduct; indirectness or slant.*

reprobate

A morally unprincipled person; often used to describe someone beyond hope of salvation.*

The drunkard was a notorious reprobate in the town. 

infallible

 Incapable of making mistakes or being wrong.

She has an infallible memory for names

pertinacity

Stubbornness or persistence in holding to a belief or course of action.*

The child's pertinacity in trying to build the tower, even after it fell multiple times, showed her strong will to succeed

malevolence

The state or condition of having ill will or wishing harm to others.*

The old woman's eyes flashed with pure malevolence as she plotted her revenge. 

taciturn

Reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little.

My shy brother is a taciturn person who rarely speaks.

lurid

Gruesome or sensational; often used to describe shocking or vivid details.*

She told a lurid tale of betrayal and violence to the investigators. 

duplicity

 Deceitfulness; double-dealing*

His duplicity was revealed when he was caught telling two different stories to his boss and his coworkers