Raisin in the sun definitions

Act 1.1

exasperated: very annoyed and upset

oppress: to treat a group of people unfairly or cruelly and prevent them from having the same rights that other people in society have; to make someone feel unhappy, worried, or uncomfortable

meddle: to deliberately try to influence or change a situation that does not concern you or that you do not understand

raucous: impolite, noisy or violent

dogged (“dogged determination”): very determined to do something, even if it is very difficult

self-righteous: believing that your ideas and behavior are morally better than those of other people

futile: (of actions) useless, having no effect or achieving nothing

Act 1.2

indignant: angry because of something that is wrong or not fair

sober: not drunk or affected by alcohol; serious and calm

haphazard: not having an obvious order or plan

suppress: to prevent something from growing, developing, or working effectively

mutilate: to damage something severely, especially by violently removing a part

Act 2.1

exuberant: very energetic

sullen: angry and unwilling to smile or be pleasant to people

plaintive: used to describe something that sounds slightly sad (a plaintive voice, a plaintive sound, etc.)

monologue: a long speech by one person 

jubilant: feeling or expressing great happiness, especially because of success

Act 2.2

inclined (I’m inclined to…): likely or wanting to do something

daunt: to make someone feel slightly frightened or worried about their ability to achieve something, make less confident

melodrama: a story, play or film in which the characters show stronger emotions than real people usually do (overly dramatic)

Act 2.3

facetious: saying things that are intended to be clever and funny but are really silly and annoying

affirm: to state something is true; to publicly show your support for an opinion or idea

genuine: real and exactly what it appears to be; authentic

oblivious: not conscious of something, especially what is happening around you

Act 3.1

idealism:  the belief that you should live your life according to high standards and principles, even when they are very difficult to achieve

wrought: caused (very formal language)

grovel: to behave with too much respect towards someone to show that you are very eager to please them

flippant: showing or having a rude attitude of not being serious, especially by trying to be funny when most people expect you to be serious

martyr: a person who suffers very much or is killed because of their religious or political beliefs and is often admired because of it

retrogression: the act of returning to an older and worse state