To Kill a Mockingbird Flashcards
Malevolent
Having an evil or harmful influence or will.
(Adj) Malevolent (N) Malevolence
Mal
Harmful
(Prefix)
Erratic
Def: Lacking consistency and or uniformity
Synonym - irregular or unpredictable
Ex: The dog’s erratic way of walking led the animal control officer to believe it had rabies.
(Adjective) Erratic
Benevolence
Def: Good will or intention
Synonym - Generosity
Ex: The charity benefited from the millionaire’s benevolence.
(Adj.) Benevolent (N). Benevolence
Bene
Helpful or positive
Prefix
Melancholy
Def: Persistent sadness; gloom
Synonym: Sorrow
Ex: The melancholy teenager spent hours each day in his room and didn’t want to spend time with his friends.
Ex: A deep melancholy spread through the community when its members heard that their beloved mayor had died.
(Adj. and N) Meloncholy
Contentious
Def/Syn. - Argumentative
Ex: The contentious girl was told frequently that she’d make a good attorney.
(V) To Contend (Adj.) Contentious (N) Contention
Con
Against
Prefix
Nebulous
Def./Syn - Vague, hazy, unclear
Ex: I had a nebulous suspicion that my friend was angry with me because she was acting strangely.
Adjective
Articulate
Def: able to express oneself clearly and effectively
Ex: He made a great candidate for senator because he was articulate and could field reporters’ questions in a clear and understandable way.
Adjective
Oppressive
Def: Difficult to bear;weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
Syn: Burdnesome
Ex:The dictator’s laws that limited what citizens could read, write, or talk about were oppressive.
(v. = to oppress; n. = oppression; adj. = opressive)
Ascertain
Def: to make certain or precise through examination or investigation
Syn: Discover
Ex: In order to ascertain who was vandalizing his property at night, the store owner installed surveillance cameras in his parking lot.
(Verb = Ascertain)
Gravitate
Def: to be attracted by, or as if by, an irresistible force
Syn: Drawn Toward
Ex: People who live in foreign countries tend to gravitate toward things that remind them of home.
Verb
Inordinate
Def: exceeding reasonable or normal limits;out of the ordinary
Syn: immoderate
Ex: The man had spent an inordinate amount of time in the sun when he worked as a lifeguard in his youth, so his skin was wrinkled and damaged.
Adjective
In
Not
Prefix
Perplexity
Def: the state of being confused
Syn: Bewildered
Ex: As she struggled through the math problem, her perplexity was revealed by her furrowed brow and protracted sighs.
(Adjective - Perplexed Noun - Perplexity)
Unsullied
Unsullied - Adjective
Def/Syn: Unsoiled/Unstained
Ex: His academic record was unsullied by grades lower than A’s, and as a result, he was accepted to the college of his choice.
Unsullied - Adjective
Un
Prefix
Not
Prefix
Piety
Noun - Piety
Adjective - Pious
Def: Religous devotion to a god
Syn: Faith
Ex: She demonstrated piety at a very young age, so her family wasn’t surprised when she became a nun.
Noun - Piety
Adjective - Pious
Taciturn
Adjective - Taciturn
Def: Reluctant to speak
Syn: Silent
Ex: The teacher wished that the taciturn student would raise her hand and answer more questions because she was very smart and always had insightful answers.
Adjective - Taciturn
Imprudent
Adjective - Imprudent
Noun - Imprudence
Def/Syn: Unwise
Ex: It’s imprudent to ride a bike without a helmet because of the risk of serious brain trauma.
Adjective - Imprudent
Noun - Imprudence
Im
Prefix
Not
Prefix
Vapid
Vapid - Adjective
Vapidity - Noun
Def: Lacking liveliness or interest in terms of personality or intellect
Syn: Dull-witted
Ex: Anne was disappointed to find that her new next-door neighbor, who happened to be her age, was vapid and entirely uninteresting.
Vapid - Adjective
Vapidity - Noun
Predilection
Noun - Predilection
Def/Syn: A preference
Ex: John has a predilection for sweets, but his sister loves fried foods.
Eccentric
Adj. - Eccentric
Noun - Eccentricity
Def/Syn: Unusual; unconventional
Ex: Our eccentric neighbor likes to dress in traditional Scottish attire and wear a kilt when he goes out.
Concession
Noun - Concession
Verb - Concede
Def: An act of conceding; an acknowledgement or admission of something
Syn: Allowance
Ex: His mother made the concession that perhaps she was being too strict with her son when she grounded him for coming home five minutes late.
Foray
Noun - Foray
Def: A venture outside of someone’s familiar or usual surroundings
Syn: Out of the comfort zone
Ex: Our foray into the jungle on our guided tour of Costa Rica was the adventure of a lifetime.
Noun - Foray
Profound
Adj - Profound
Def: deep and meaningful; beyond the obvious
Syn: Heartfelt
Ex: Her favorite historical figure is Martin Luther King, Jr. because when she first heard his speech “I Have a Dream,” she thought his ideas were profound for the time period in which King lived.
Tyrannical
Noun - Tyranny/Tyrant
Adjective - Tyrannical
Def: Cruel exercise of power
Syn: Unjust
Ex: The employees all celebrated when their tyrannical boss retired and was replaced by a more reasonable leader.
Noun - Tyranny/Tyrant
Adjective - Tyrannical
