the great Gatsby vocab

Feign: (V.) -to imitate deceptively; to make believe; pretend. 

2. Infinite: (Adj.) -indefinitely or exceedingly large

3. Supercilious: (Adj.) -having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy. 

4. Conscientious: (Adj.) -meticulous; careful; painstaking; particular. 

5. Incredulous: (Adj.) -indicating or showing unbelief. 

6. Reciprocal: (Adj.) -mutual; corresponding; matching; complementary; equivalent. 

7. Wan: (Adj.) -of an unnatural or sickly pallor; pallid; lacking color. 

8. Complacent: (Adj.) -often without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied. 

9. Anon: (Adv.) -in a short time; soon. 

10. Intimation: (V.) -make known subtly and indirectly; hint. 


Chapter 2 

1. Contiguous: (Adj.) -connecting without a break; uninterrupted. 

2. Facet: (N.) -aspect; phase; side. 

3. Cower: (V.) -to crouch, as in fear or shame. 

4. Interpose: (V.) -to step in between parties at variance; mediate. 

5. Apathetic: (Adj.) -not interested or concerned; indifferent or unresponsive. 

6. Languid: (Adj.) -lacking in spirit or interest; listless; indifferent. 

7. Imply: (V.) -to indicate or suggest without being explicitly stated. 

8. Strident: (Adj.) -having a shrill, irritating quality or character. 

9. Deft: (Adj.) -nimble; skillful; clever. 

10. Clad: (Adj.) -dressed; covered. 


Chapter 3 

1. Permeate: (V.) -to pass into or through every part of; to penetrate through the pores; to be diffused through; pervade; saturate. 

2. Innuendo: (N.) -an indirect comment about a person or thing, esp. of a disparaging or a derogatory nature. 

3. Erroneous: (Adj.) -containing error; mistaken; incorrect; wrong. 

4. Vehement: (Adj.) -strongly emotional; intense or passionate. 

5. Cordial: (Adj.) -courteous and gracious; friendly; warm. 

6. Impetuous: (Adj.) -characterized by sudden or rash action, emotion, etc.; impulsive. 

7. Vacuous: (Adj.) -lacking in ideas or intelligence. 

8. Corpulent: (Adj.) -large or bulky of body; portly; stout; fat. 

9. Provincial: (Adj.) -having the manners, and viewpoints considered characteristic of unsophisticated inhabitants of a province; rustic; narrow or illiberal. 

10. Din: (N.) -a loud, confused noise; a continued loud or tumultuous sound; noisy clamor. 



Chapter 4

1. Knickerbocker: (N.) -any New Yorker. 

2. Fluctuate: (V.) -to change continually; shift back and forth. 

3. Sporadic: (Adj.) -appearing or happening at irregular intervals in time; occasional. 

4. Divine retribution: (N.) -punishment from a higher being for bad deeds or transgressions. 

5. Rajah: (N.) -a king or prince in India; a minor chief or dignitary. 

6. Elicit: (V.) -to draw or bring out or forth; educe; evoke. 

7. Valor: (N.) -heroic courage; bravery. 

8. Somnambulatory: (Adj.) -related to sleep walking. 

9. Denizen: (N.) -an inhabitant; a resident; one that frequents a particular place. 

10. Jaunty: (Adj.) -easy and sprightly in manner or bearing. 


Chapter 5 

1. Rout: (N.) -an overwhelming defeat. 

2. Suppress: (V.) -to do away with; abolish; stop. 

3. Innumerable: (Adj.) -very numerous; incapable of being counted; countless. 

4. Ecstatic: (Adj.) -subject to or in a state of ecstasy; rapturous. 

5. Reproach: (V.) -to find fault with (a person, group, etc.); blame. 

6. Serf: (N.) -a slave. 

7. Obstinate: (Adj.) -inflexible; stubborn; not yielding. 

8. Exult: (V.) -to show or feel a lively or triumphant joy; rejoice; be highly elated or jubilant. 

9. Hulking: (Adj.) -heavy and clumsy; bulky. 

10. Nebulous: (Adj.) -hazy, vague, indistinct, or confused. 


Chapter 6 

1. Laudable: (Adj.) -deserving praise; praiseworthy; commendable. 

2. Insidious: (Adj.) -intended to entrap or trick. 

3. Repose: (N.) -peace; tranquility; calm. 

4. Debauch: (N.) -an uninhibited spree or party. 

5. Antecedent: (N.) -a preceding circumstance, event, object, style, phenomenon. 

6. Ingratiate: (V.) -to establish (oneself) in the favor or good graces of others by deliberate effort. 

7. Perturb: (N.) -to throw into great disorder; derange; bother; annoy. 

8. Dilatory: (Adj.) -tending to delay or procrastinate; slow; tardy. 

9. Desolate: (Adj.) -barren or laid waste; devastated; deprived or destitute of inhabitants; deserted; uninhabited; solitary; lonely. 

10. Elusive: (Adj.) -hard to express or define; cleverly or skillfully evasive. 


Chapter 7

1. Lapse: (N.) -a slip or error, often of a trivial sort; failure. (V.) -to come to an end; stop. 

2. Insistent: (Adj.) -earnest or emphatic in dwelling upon, maintaining, or demanding something; persistent. 

3. Tentative: (Adj.) -unsure; uncertain; not definite or positive; hesitant. 

4. Abrupt: (Adj.) -sudden or unexpected. 

5. Tumult: (N.) -uproar; disorder; highly distressing agitation of mind or feeling. 

6. Portentous: (Adj.) -ominous, predictive of future bad events. 

7. Irreverent: (Adj.) -not respectful; critical of what is generally accepted or respected. 

8. Vicarious: (Adj.) -taking the place of another person or thing; acting or serving as a substitute. 

9. Rancor: (N.) -resentment or ill will; hatred; malice. 

10. Formidable: (Adj.) -of great strength; forceful; powerful. 


Chapter 8 

1. Humidor: (N.) -a container or storage room for cigars or other preparations of tobacco, fitted with means for keeping the tobacco suitably moist. 

2. Indiscernible: (Adj.) -cannot be seen or perceived clearly; imperceptible. 

3. Settee: (N.) -a seat for two or more persons, having a back and usually arms, and often upholstered. 

4. In cahoots: (Phrase) -in partnership; in league with; in conspiracy. 

5. Divot: (N.) -a piece of turf gouged out with a club in making a stroke. 

6. Garrulous: (Adj.) -excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, esp. about trivial matters. 

7. Incoherent: (Adj.) -without logical or meaningful connection; disjointed; rambling. 

8. Conceivable: (Adj.) -imaginable; believable. 

9. Forlorn: (Adj.) -desolate or dreary; unhappy or miserable, as in feeling, condition, or appearance. 

10. Laden: (Adj.) -burdened; loaded down. 


Chapter 9 

1. Pasquinade: (N.) -a satire or lampoon, esp. one posted in a public place. 

2. Derange: (V.) -to disturb the condition, action, or function of; to make insane. 

3. Surmise: (V.) -to think or infer without certain or strong evidence; conjecture; guess. 

4. Superfluous: (Adj.) -being more than is sufficient or required; excessive; unnecessary or needless. 

5. Elocution: (N.) -a person's manner of speaking or reading aloud in public. 

6. Unutterable: (Adj.) -unspeakable; beyond expression. 

7. Subtle: (Adj.) -difficult to perceive or understand. 

8. Orgiastic: (Adj.) - at the height of emotional excitement. 

9. Borne: (V.) -carried. 

10. Ceaselessly: (Adv.) -without stopping or pausing; unendingly; incessantly.