The Great Gatsby Vocabulary Definitions
| Chapter 1 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 7 |
| Chapter 2 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 8 |
| Chapter 3 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 9 |
Chapter 1
- Feign: (V) -to imitate deceptively; to make believe; pretend.
- Supercilious: (Adj.) -having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy.
- Conscientious: (Adj.) -meticulous; careful; painstaking; particular.
- Incredulous: (Adj.) -indicating or showing unbelief.
- Reciprocal: (Adj.) -mutual; corresponding; matching; complementary; equivalent.
- Wan: (Adj.) -of an unnatural or sickly pallor; pallid; lacking color.
- Complacent: (Adj.) -often without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied.
- Intimation: (V) -make known subtly and indirectly; hint.
- Infinite: (Adj.) -indefinitely or exceedingly large.
- Anon: (Adv.) -in a short time; soon.
- Contiguous: (Adj.) -connecting without a break; uninterrupted.
- Facet: (N) -aspect; phase; side.
- Cower: (V) -to crouch, as in fear or shame.
- Interpose: (V) -to step in between parties at variance; mediate.
- Apathetic: (Adj.) -not interested or concerned; indifferent or unresponsive.
- Languid: (Adj.) -lacking in spirit or interest; listless; indifferent.
- Imply: (V) -to indicate or suggest without being explicitly stated.
- Strident: (Adj.) -having a shrill, irritating quality or character.
- Deft: (Adj.) -nimble; skillful; clever.
- Clad: (Adj.) -dressed; covered.
- Permeate: (V) -to pass into or through every part of; to penetrate through the pores; to be diffused through; pervade; saturate.
- Innuendo: (N) -an indirect comment about a person or thing, esp. of a disparaging or a derogatory nature.
- Erroneous: (Adj.) -containing error; mistaken; incorrect; wrong.
- Vehement: (Adj.) -strongly emotional; intense or passionate.
- Cordial: (Adj.) -courteous and gracious; friendly; warm.
- Impetuous: (Adj.) -characterized by sudden or rash action, emotion, etc.; impulsive.
- Vacuous: (Adj.) -lacking in ideas or intelligence.
- Corpulent: (Adj.) -large or bulky of body; portly; stout; fat.
- Provincial: (Adj.) -having the manners, and viewpoints considered characteristic of unsophisticated inhabitants of a province; rustic; narrow or illiberal.
- Din: (N) -a loud, confused noise; a continued loud or tumultuous sound; noisy clamor.
- Knickerbocker: (N) -any New Yorker.
- Fluctuate: (V) -to change continually; shift back and forth.
- Sporadic: (Adj.) -appearing or happening at irregular intervals in time; occasional.
- Divine retribution: (N) -punishment from a higher being for bad deeds or transgressions.
- Rajah: (N) -a king or prince in India; a minor chief or dignitary.
- Elicit: (V) -to draw or bring out or forth; educe; evoke.
- Valor: (N) -heroic courage; bravery.
- Somnambulatory: (Adj.) -related to sleep walking.
- Denizen: (N) -an inhabitant; a resident; one that frequents a particular place.
- Jaunty: (Adj.) -easy and sprightly in manner or bearing.
- Rout: (N) -an overwhelming defeat.
- Suppress: (V) -to do away with; abolish; stop.
- Innumerable: (Adj.) -very numerous; incapable of being counted; countless.
- Ecstatic: (Adj.) -subject to or in a state of ecstasy; rapturous.
- Reproach: (V) -to find fault with (a person, group, etc.); blame.
- Serf: (N) -a slave.
- Obstinate: (Adj.) -inflexible; stubborn; not yielding.
- Exult: (V) -to show or feel a lively or triumphant joy; rejoice; be highly elated or jubilant.
- Hulking: (Adj.) -heavy and clumsy; bulky.
- Nebulous: (Adj.) -hazy, vague, indistinct, or confused.
- Laudable: (Adj.) -deserving praise; praiseworthy; commendable.
- Insidious: (Adj.) -intended to entrap or trick.
- Repose: (N) -peace; tranquillity; calm.
- Debauch: (N) -an uninhibited spree or party.
- Antecedent: (N) -a preceding circumstance, event, object, style, phenomenon.
- Ingratiate: (V) -to establish (oneself) in the favor or good graces of others by deliberate effort.
- Perturb: (N) -to throw into great disorder; derange; bother; annoy.
- Dilatory: (Adj.) -tending to delay or procrastinate; slow; tardy.
- Desolate: (Adj.) -barren or laid waste; devastated; deprived or destitute of inhabitants; deserted; uninhabited; solitary; lonely.
- Elusive: (Adj.) -hard to express or define; cleverly or skillfully evasive.
- Lapse: (N) -a slip or error, often of a trivial sort; failure. (V) -to come to an end; stop.
- Insistent: (Adj.) -earnest or emphatic in dwelling upon, maintaining, or demanding something; persistent.
- Tentative: (Adj.) -unsure; uncertain; not definite or positive; hesitant.
- Abrupt: (Adj.) -sudden or unexpected.
- Tumult: (N) -uproar; disorder; highly distressing agitation of mind or feeling.
- Portentous: (Adj.) -ominous, predictive of future bad events.
- Irreverent: (Adj.) -not respectful; critical of what is generally accepted or respected.
- Vicarious: (Adj.) -taking the place of another person or thing; acting or serving as a substitute.
- Rancor: (N) -resentment or ill will; hatred; malice.
- Formidable: (Adj.) -of great strength; forceful; powerful.
- Humidor: (N) -a container or storage room for cigars or other preparations of tobacco, fitted with means for keeping the tobacco suitably moist.
- Indiscernible: (Adj.) -cannot be seen or perceived clearly; imperceptible.
- Settee: (N) -a seat for two or more persons, having a back and usually arms, and often upholstered.
- In cahoots: (Phrase) -in partnership; in league with; in conspiracy.
- Divot: (N) -a piece of turf gouged out with a club in making a stroke.
- Garrulous: (Adj.) -excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, esp. about trivial matters.
- Incoherent: (Adj.) -without logical or meaningful connection; disjointed; rambling.
- Conceivable: (Adj.) -imagineable; believeable.
- Forlorn: (Adj.) -desolate or dreary; unhappy or miserable, as in feeling, condition, or appearance.
- Laden: (Adj.) -burdened; loaded down.
- Pasquinade: (N) -a satire or lampoon, esp. one posted in a public place.
- Derange: (V) -to disturb the condition, action, or function of; to make insane.
- Surmise: (V) -to think or infer without certain or strong evidence; conjecture; guess.
- Superfluous: (Adj.) -being more than is sufficient or required; excessive; unnecessary or needless.
- Elocution: (N) -a person's manner of speaking or reading aloud in public.
- Unutterable: (Adj.) -unspeakable; beyond expression.
- Subtle: (Adj.) -difficult to perceive or understand.
- Orgastic: (Adj.) - at the height of emotional excitement.
- Borne: (V) -carried.
- Ceaselessly: (Adv.) -without stopping or pausing; unendingly; incessantly.
