Scarlet Letter Vocab

Question 1

Abdicate

Answer 1

fail to fulfill or undertake (a responsibility or duty)

Question 2

Providence

Answer 2

the protective care of God or of nature as a spiritual power.

Question 3

Solace

Answer 3

comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness.

Question 4

Inauspicious

Answer 4

not conducive to success; unpromising.

Question 5

Deportment

Answer 5

a person’s behavior or manners.

Question 6

Pillory

Answer 6

a wooden framework with holes for the head and hands, in which an offender was imprisoned and exposed to public abuse.

Question 7

Mien

Answer 7

outward manifestation of personality or attitude.

Question 8

Phantasmagoric

Answer 8

a sequence of real or imaginary images like those seen in a dream.

Question 9

Amenable

Answer 9

(of a person) open and responsive to suggestion; easily persuaded or controlled.

Question 10

Venerable

Answer 10

(in the Roman Catholic Church) a title given to a deceased person who has attained a certain degree of sanctity but has not been fully beatified or canonized.

Question 11

Dearth

Answer 11

a scarcity or lack of something.

Question 12

Inimical

Answer 12

tending to obstruct or harm.

Question 13

Somniferous

Answer 13

tending to induce sleep; soporific.

Question 14

Odious

Answer 14

extremely unpleasant; repulsive.

Question 15

Anitpathy

Answer 15

a deep-seated feeling of dislike; aversion.

Question 16

Zenith

Answer 16

the highest point reached by a celestial or other object.

Question 17

Torpid

Answer 17

mentally or physically inactive

Question 18

Erudite

Answer 18

having or showing great knowledge or learning.

Question 19

Scurrilous

Answer 19

making or spreading scandalous claims about someone with the intention of damaging their reputation.

Question 20

Loquacity

Answer 20

the quality of talking a great deal

Question 21

Vicisstude

Answer 21

a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant.

Question 22

Pathos

Answer 22

a quality that evokes pity or sadness.

Question 23

Abstruse

Answer 23

Difficult to understand

Question 24

Aesthetic

Answer 24

a set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, especially in art.

Question 25

Alleviate

Answer 25

make (suffering, deficiency, or a problem) less severe

Question 26

Ambiguous

Answer 26

(of language) open to more than one interpretation; having a double meaning.

Question 27

Ambivalent

Answer 27

simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings

Question 28

Amiable

Answer 28

having or displaying a friendly and pleasant manner.

Question 29

Quandary

Answer 29

a state of perplexity or uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation.