1984 Flashcards
English 11
furtive
sly, cunning, tricky, dishonest
“He had procured a pen, furtively and with some difficulty.”
nebulous
confused; cloudy; not easily defined
“It happened that morning at the Ministry, if anything so nebulous could be said to happen.”
orthodox
customary or conventional
“In an intellectual way, Syme was venomously orthodox.”
heresy
unorthodox opinion
“Perhaps Withers had been suspected of heretical tendencies.”
drudge
slave-like worker
“Parson is a devoted drudge who helps the Party be stable.”
mutable
changeable, able or likely to change
“Newspeak, doublethink, the mutability of the past.”
myriad
countless; an indefinable great number
“The myriad windows of the Ministry looked grim.”
zealot
fanatic
“Some nosing zealot in the ministry might start wondering why he had been writing.”
pedant
one who excessively displays his learning
“Syme continued to speak with a sort of pedant’s passion.”
sanguine
optimistic and cheerful; confidently hopeful
“For the most part, the letter writers seem sanguine.”
vapid
flat; dull; lifeless
“A sort of vapid eagerness flitted across Winston’s face.”
posterity
future generations
“They were executed, and their fate was recorded in the Party histories, a warning to posterity.”
pugnacious
belligerent; warlike; ready to fight
“The old man straightened his shoulders pugnaciously.”
bourgeoisie
middle class; common
“They are lackeys of the bourgeoisie! Flunkies of the (negative connotation) ruling class!”
prevaricate
to be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information
“If you tell me any lies, or attempt to prevaricate in any way, or even fall below your usual level of intelligence, you will cry out with pain, instantly.”