The Chapel - Vocabulary

NB: the meaning given for each word is contextual meaning, that is to say it is the specific meaning of the word within the context of the story. Some of these words have other meanings not shown here.

Word	Part of Speech	Contextual Meaning	Example Sentence
arrogant	adjective	thinking highly of oneself	Rick was arrogant to think any girl would go out with him.
bedside manner	noun	behaviour by a medical professional towards an ill patient	At the new hospital the nurses were all friendly and had a great bedside manner.
benevolent	adjective	kind	The benevolent woman made dresses for the poor girls.
bewildered	verb - past tense	surprised; confused	John's new purple hair colour bewildered his classmates.
blushed	verb - past tense	became red in the face out of embarrassment	Lisa blushed when her father mentioned Chad's name.
breeding	noun	production of offspring	Breeding golden retrievers is a profitable profession.
brute	noun	a strong, violent person or animal	The brute beat up three kids on his way home from school.
cellophane	noun	clear wrapping material - usually for covering flowers or gift baskets	The florist wrapped the flowers in cellophane to protect them from the rain.
clambered	verb - past tense	climbed clumsily or with much effort	John clambered through the junkyard looking for a used steering wheel.
clutching	verb - progressive	holding very tightly	The bride was clutching the groom's hand so tightly his fingers turned purple.
collapse	verb	fall to the ground	The building will collapse as soon as the dynamite explodes.
compelling	adjective	strong and believable	The pregnant woman's husband had a compelling reason for speeding.
composure	noun	a relaxed appearance	She held her composure until after her husband's funeral.
concealed	past participle	hidden	The results of the vote were concealed in the envelope.
conceited	adjective	thinking highly of oneself	Jane is so conceited she voted herself for Prom Queen.
connubial	adjective	relating to marriage (outdated, formal)	The relatives were excited about Mark and Sally's upcoming connubial festivities.
creed	noun	a religious statement or belief	When we recite the creed everyone gets on their knees.
cremated	verb - past tense	burned a dead body to ashes	After they cremated my grandfather we had a service for his soul at the church.
discretion	noun	the keeping quiet of a secret or personal information	The receptionist must exhibit discretion when handling medical records.
diversified	verb - past tense	put money/effort into different things	The business college diversified into other programs including art and science.
dreading	verb - progressive	fearing, not wanting to do or happen	I am dreading moving day because there is so much to do.
dusky	adjective	darkish in colour	The sky turned a dusky blue before the storm hit.
established	adjective	recognized or known for a long time	The 50-year-old barbershop is a well established business in our community.
exertion	noun	use of a lot of energy	The marathon runner fainted out of exertion.
full term	noun phrase	40 weeks pregnant, ready to deliver a baby	My sister was supposed to be born premature but surprisingly my mother made it to full term.
galvanized	adjective	protected metal	We need some galvanized nails for building the basement.
gleaming	adjective	shiny, bright	The toothpaste promises a gleaming smile.
glistened	verb - past tense	shone in the sun	The freshly washed car glistened in the driveway.
hammock	noun	a bed that swings between posts	I napped outside on the hammock.
harsh	adjective	difficult, cruel	The child was given a harsh punishment for stealing the chocolate bar.
humiliate	verb	embarrass someone terribly	My father humiliates me when he tells the story about how I crashed the car.
indignation	noun	anger because of unfairness or a wrongdoing	I was full of indignation after getting a parking ticket in my own street.
indisputable	adjective	unable to be challenged	It was indisputable that it was my turn to do the dishes.
inquest	noun	research into a serious matter	The police began an inquest into why the murder may have occurred.
irony	noun	an opposite or very different result than expected	The irony of the marriage was that the couple used to hate each other.
jilted	past participle	cheated, treated unfairly	The jilted athletes were angry when they discovered that the winner had bribed the judges.
laden	adjective	loaded	The woman was laden with three children and two dogs.
layabouts	noun (informal)	lazy people	The layabouts were always skipping school and hanging out at the beach.
leering	adjective	looking at in a sexual way	The leering men distracted the cheerleaders on the field.
loathing	noun	severe hatred	My loathing for mathematics only increased after I failed the final exam.
mercilessly	adverb	showing no kindness or forgiveness	The bullies picked on Jordan mercilessly for the entire first year of high school.
misadventure	noun	an unexpected or unwanted happening	The hikers didn't foresee the misadventure of the avalanche.
mocking	verb - progressive	teasing, making fun of	When I was growing up my brother was always mocking my singing voice.
motive	noun	reason for doing something	The motive for the murder was jealousy.
mourned	verb - past tense	expressed sadness over a loss	We mourned for her death at the funeral.
nonchalantly	adverb	casually	The man who got hit was walking nonchalantly across traffic.
numb	adjective	frozen, having no feeling	After skiing all day our toes were numb.
pallid	adjective	pale	When her fever disappeared she was pallid as a ghost.
parched	adjective	dry from the heat	The grass was parched after the long dry winter.
pasty	adjective	pale in colour	My skin always looks pasty when I don't go to the tanning salon.
persistently	adverb	without giving up	Fiona persistently asked for a raise in her salary until her boss agreed.
pitch	noun	dark black substance used for waterproofing or making roads	We used the pitch on the roof to keep it from leaking.
pitching	verb - progressive	setting something up	We were pitching our tent when it started to rain.
plantation	noun	an area of land dedicated to a specific crop	The workers spent the whole day getting beans from the coffee plantation.
potholes	noun	holes in the road caused by overuse or weather	The potholes in my town are going to ruin my tyres.
prudently	adverb	without taking risks	My grandmother prudently keeps to the slow lanes on the highway.
prying	adjective	inquisitive	The prying neighbours asked if the pregnant couple was going to get married.
pundits	noun	Hindu scholars	The pundits went from door to door speaking about religion.
pyre	noun	a pile of wood where a body is placed for burning	The pyre was arranged before the service.
reproach	noun	criticism	There was little reproach over the lateness of the flight because of the bad weather.
ruefully	adverb	regretfully	I ruefully apologized for forgetting my father's birthday.
sardonic	adjective	disrespectful, cynical	The bartender threw out the man for making sardonic remarks to the waitress.
shrill	adjective	high pitched (in sound)	The shrill notes of the flute hurt my ears.
shrug	noun	gesture; lifting of the shoulders to show that you don't care or don't know an answer	The teacher asked another student after Mark answered the question with a shrug.
slats	noun	thin, narrow pieces of wood or other material	The dog poked his nose between the slats of the fence.
sprawling	adjective	spread widely	The sprawling ivy covers the front of the house.
squabble	verb	argue	My parents always squabble about whose turn it is to pay.
stench	noun	terrible smell	The stench in the kitchen reminded us that we forgot to dispose of the garbage.
stowed	verb - past tense	packed or stored tidily in an appropriate place	I stowed my winter clothes in the attic.
succulently	adverb	juicily	The watermelon was succulently ripe.
tenuous	adjective	weak or slight	He gave a tenuous excuse for his absence.
tethered	past participle	tied to a post	The tethered dog was barking in the yard.
treacle	noun	dark syrup	My sticky hands were covered in treacle from the tree.
treads	noun	marks left by shoes, cars or bicycle tires	I knew by the treads on the driveway that my parents had been home.
uncomplicated	adjective	simple	She finished the uncomplicated puzzle in no time.
unruffled	adjective	calm	Maria appeared unruffled even though she forgot part of her speech.
verdict	noun	decision by a judge in court	The people in the courtroom waited for the judge to announce the verdict.
verge	noun	piece of land alongside the road	I left the car on the road and walked along the verge to the closest gas station.
vulgarity	noun	rudeness	The street person expressed words of vulgarity after we refused to give him money.
wake (of a ship)	noun	disturbed water left by a ship	The surfers rode on the wake of the ship.
wheezing	verb - progressive	having difficulty breathing	I was wheezing in the forest because of my allergies.

Vocabulary Quiz >