The Grapes of Wrath Vocab

Power words from The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

apprehensive

worried over possible misfortune

baptism

Christian ceremony signifying spiritual cleansing and rebirth

belligerent

hostile; or one already engaged in a fight or war

complacent

content (unworried and satisfied) - often to a fault

contempt

lack of respect, often accompanied by a feeling of dislike or disgust

cultivate

enhance growth or development

culvert

pipe or other enclosed channel that carries runoff water beneath a road or sidewalk

exhort

urge strongly

gravely

in a serious or solemn manner

implement

tool or other useful object

listless

lacking energy and normal enthusiasm

ominous

threatening (foreshadowing bad things to come)

ostracism

the act of excluding someone from a community or group

pauper

someone who is very poor

parole

conditional early release from imprisonment

perplex

confuse

proprietor

owner of a business

protrude

stick out from

repress

hold back

restive

uneasy, impatient, and difficult to control

reverent

with feelings of deep respect and admiration

squatter

someone who lives in an unoccupied place without the legal right

sullen

showing a gloomy or bad mood

vagrant

someone who has no regular home or job

wizened

thin and wrinkled — typically from age or illness