Slaughterhouse Five (Vonnegut)

soliloquize

talk to oneself

irony

incongruity between what might be expected and what occurs

covetous

immoderately desirous of acquiring something

sordid

morally degraded

unmitigated

not diminished or moderated in intensity or severity

piety

righteousness by virtue of being religiously devout

putrid

morally corrupt or evil

addle

mix up or confuse

pretext

a fictitious reason that conceals the real reason

ghastly

greusomely indicative of death or the dead

decrepit

lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality

resolute

characterized by quickness and firmness

clemency

leniency and compassion shown toward offenders

vertigo

a reeling sensation; a feeling that you are about to fail

balderdash

trivial nonsense

mosaic

design made of small pieces of colored stone or glass

extrapolate

draw from specific cases for more general cases

acrimonious

marked by strong resentment or cynicism

rarefied

of high moral or intellectual value

feign

give a false appearance of