WORD

PART OF SPEECH AND DEFINITION

EXAMPLE SENTENCE FROM LITERATURE

approbation

n. official recognition or approval

His approbation laps me like a warm bath. - 

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

bellicose

adj. having or showing a ready disposition to fight

Honeybees become “wildly agitated and bellicose” on contact with it, perform frantic cleaning movements, and are near death within half an hour. - Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

contentious

adj. inclined or showing an inclination to dispute or disagree, even to engage in lawsuits

He became contentious and started making comments that were audible to the judge. - Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

crass

adj. (of persons) so unrefined as to be lacking in discrimination and sensibility

Even when it came to arguing about God’s existence, he kept coming back to those crass gambling Frenchmen. - Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife

discourse

n. an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic

For a week or so they spoke cautiously of what they’d seen, and then it faded out of the realm of the discourse they shared together. - Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel by David Guterson

fervor

n. Feelings of great warmth and intensity; the state of being emotionally aroused and worked up

I remembered the legend of how he had come to the college, a barefoot boy who in his fervor for education had trudged with his bundle of ragged clothing across two states. - Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

idyllic

adj. Suggestive of an idyll; charmingly simple and serine ; excellent and delightful in all respects

When most Lackses talked about Henrietta and Day and their early life in Clover, it sounded as idyllic as a fairy tale. - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

illicit

adj. contrary to accepted morality or convention

She whispered the word “fancy” like it was something illicit, as a smartly dressed couple in their fifties walked by. - When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

incongruous

adj. lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness

He was wearing a combat helmet, which looked incongruous with his fine sports clothes and Italian shoes. - The House of the Spirits: A Novel by Isabel Allende

lament

n. a cry of sorrow and grief; v. express grief verbally

But now she laments that she never did anything to stop them. - The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

litany

n. a prayer consisting of a series of invocations by the clergy with responses from the congregation ; any long and tedious address or recital

I spat a litany of things I’ll never repeat for the rest of my life, and he cowered and stared down into the dirt. - Tradition by Brendan Kiely

ostentatious

adj. intended to attract notice and impress others; tawdry or vulgar

“I couldn’t agree with you more, sir,” he assented briskly in a tone of ostentatious disapproval. - Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

piety

n. righteousness by virtue of being pious (showing reverence for a deity)

“Mr. Patel, Piscine’s piety is admirable. In these troubled times it’s good to see a boy so keen on God. We all agree on that.” - Life of Pi by Yann Martel

profound

adj. Situated at or extending to great depth; too deep to have been sounded or plumbed ; showing intellectual penetration or emotional depth

Simple physical movements and observations can have a profound effect on how we feel and think. - The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

reprieve

v. relieve temporarily ; n. A temporary relief from harm or discomfort

The man raised his hands above his head and folded them there, seeking reprieve. -The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

strident

adj. unpleasantly loud and harsh

So the weekends, destined to disappoint, are strident, sullen, sprinkled with bruises and dots of blood. - Jazz by Toni Morrison

sublime

adj. of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style

That rocky, misty summit, secreted in the clouds, was far more thrillingly awful and sublime than the crater of a volcano spouting fire. - Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

superficial

adj. of, affecting, or being on or near the surface

I lived at West Egg, the--well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them. - The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

vacillate

v. be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action

Jam could see a whole river of things in his face, currents shifting and swelling, vacillating from grief to fury. - Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

vehement

adj. marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react violently; fervid

Masondo could be a volatile fellow, and he was vehement in his assertions that no tigers had ever been found in Africa. - Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela