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Catcher in the Rye, Vocabulary WordsName: ______

Period: ______

Vocabulary List

1. Innumerable: countless; very numerous. Example: There are innumerable biological species yet to be discovered.

2. Sarcastic:pertaining to sarcasm; cutting, ironical. Example: Teachers are strongly discouraged from making sarcastic remarks.

3. Qualms: misgivings; uneasiness about the judiciousness of one’s action. Example: “Do you have any particular qualms about leaving Pency?”

4. Undertake: to take upon oneself, as with a task, performance, etc. Example: She volunteered to undertake the job of answering all the mail.

5. Incognito: without revealing one’s identity. Example: To better understand the challenges his subjects faced daily, the king would travel through his country incognito.

6. Harrowing:extremely disturbing or distressing. Example: The car accident was an emotionally harrowing experience for Nancy, though she did not get physically injured.

7. Folly: foolishness; lack of understanding or sense. Example: “And every problem created by human folly can be met by human wisdom.”

8. Unscrupulous:unrestrained by scruples or principles; unethical; unprincipled. Example: Huff says his biggest concern now is unscrupulous contractors who prey on their customers’ naiveté.

9. Immaterial: of no essential consequence; unimportant; irrelevant. Example: Larry had neglected to read the report and, as a result, his suggestions at the meeting were immaterial to the problem at hand.

10. Bourgeois: capitalist, middle-class, having political or social attitudes influenced by private-property interests; conventional. Example: During the 1960s, many young people rejected the bourgeois values of their parents and adult society and moved to communes.

11. Digress:to deviate or wander away from the topic or purpose in speaking or writing. Example: Holden often digresses from the topic, as is made evident by Salinger’s stream-of-consciousness writing style.

12. Psychoanalyze: to analyze or treat psychological disorders through sessions that encourage the patient to talk freely about his/her personal experiences and feelings. Example: One would need to psychoanalyze Holden in order to figure out his hidden emotional issues.

13. Composition: the product created by combining parts or elements to form a whole; manner in which something is composed; structure. Example: The students were told to write a 500-word composition about a memorable childhood experience.

14. Chiffonier: a high chest of drawers or bureau, often having a mirror on top. Example: I keep my clothes in a chiffonier in my bedroom.

15. Sadistic: deriving pleasure or sexual gratification from inflicting pain on another. Example: The ancient Romans appeared to enjoy watching sadistic forms of entertainment, in which humans were sometimes ripped apart by wild animals.

16. Ostracize: to expel or exclude from a community or group by comment consent. Example: “The whole team ostracized me the whole way back on the train.”

17. Nonchalant: having an attitude marked by unconcern or indifference. Example: George had always pretended to be cool and nonchalant towards Jackie, carefully hiding the intense feelings he had for her.

18. Rile: cause annoyance in; disturb; Example: “You couldn’t rile him too easily.”

19. Putrid: in a state of decay; foul. Example: The inspector opened the door, and gagged at the putrid smell of the rotting corpse.

20. Pacifist: someone opposed to violence as a means of settling disputes. Example: Some pacifists moved to Canada rather than serve in the Vietnam War, believing it to be totally unjustified.

21. Blasé: indifferent to or bored with life; unimpressed, as or as if from an excess of worldly pleasure. Example:

Penny was an enthusiastic and conscientious student, whereas her sister’s attitude toward school was very blasé.

22. Boisterous: rough and noisy; noisily jolly or rowdy. Example: The boys in the class were very boisterous and the teacher could not be heard over them.

23. Sacrilegious: the violation or profanation of anything sacred or held sacred. Example: During the French Revolution, anti-clerics would sometimes commit sacrilegious acts, such as destroy religious statues and relics and disinter bodies of saints.

24. Pedagogical: related to the art or science of teaching; instructional. Example: Many trendy pedagogical practices are actually just versions of old-fashioned tried-and-true methods.

25. Tiff: a petty quarrel; a slight fit of annoyance, bad mood. Example: Bonnie was in a bad mood after the tiff she had earlier with her boyfriend, but felt much better when he called her to apologize.