American Literature
The Great GatsbyVocabulary List #3 (Chapters 3 and 4)
- Florid 53(49)adj. Very ornate, flowery
Syn. Elaborate; fancy
Ant.Plain
“I had expected that Mr. Gatsby would be a florid and corpulent person in his middle years.”
- wan 53 (49)adjUnnaturally pale, as from physical or emotional
distress
Syn.Pallid ashen, listless
Ant.Rosy, ruddy, strong
“ ‘Nowyou’re started on the subject,’ she answered with a wan smile.”
- convivial 55( 50)adjwelcoming, merry ; festive
Syn. Genial, gregarious, sociable
Ant.Sedate, staid, stolid, hostile
When the Jazz History of the World was over, girls were putting their heads on men’s shoulders in a puppyish, convivial way, girls were swooning backward playfully…
- dissension 56 (52)noundifference of opinion; disagreement
syn.Dissent, discord, opposition
ant. Agreement, consent, harmony
Even Jordan’s party, the quartet from East Egg, were rent asunder by dissension.”
- caterwauling 60 (56)verbmaking a shrill, discordant sound that offends the ears; howl syn. Shriek, wail, howl ant. Silent, whimper, dulcet
The caterwauling horns had reached a crescendo and I turned away and cut across the lawn toward home.
- Subterfuge 63 (59)noundeceptive stratagems or devices syn. Trick, ploy, ruse ant. Honesty, candor
She was incurably dishonest. She wasn’t able to endure being at a disadvantage and given this unwillingness, I suppose she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she was very young in order to keep that cool, insolent smile turned to the world.
CHAPTER FOUR
7. melodious 67 (63)adjtuneful; producing melody or a sweet sound
Syn. musical, harmonious, dulcet; euphonious
Ant. discordant, harsh, cacophonous
“I have forgotten their names—Gloria or Judy or June, and their last names were either the melodious names of flowers and months or the sterner ones of the great American capitalists…:
8. punctilious 68 (64)adjstrict or exact in the observance of the
formalities or amenities of conduct or actions
Syn. proper, precise, meticulous, scrupulous
Ant. careless
This quality was continually breaking through his punctilious manner in the shape of restlessness. He was never quite still; there was always a tapping foot somewhere…”
9. conservatory 68 (64)nouna place where things are preserved; an
institution where students are taught
the arts, most commonly music or drama
Syn. greenhouse; glasshouse; academy
Sitting down behind many layers of glass in a sort of green leather conservatory, we started to town.
10. disconcerting 69(65)verbTo cause someone to feel uneasy or confused
Syn. disturbing, perplexing, distressing
Ant. soothing, calming, comforting
And then came that disconcerting ride. We hadn’t reached West Egg village before Gatsby began leaving his elegant sentences unfinished and slapping himself indecisively on the knee.
11. incredulous 70 (69)adjUnwilling to believe; showing disbelief
Syn.Skeptical; doubtful; unconvinced
Antcredulous;gullible
“With an effort I managed to restrain my incredulous laughter.”
12. unfathomable 82 (78) adjDifficult or impossible to understand;
incomprehensible
Syn. inscrutable, enigmatic, obscure
Ant. believable, clear, straightforward
She used to sit on the sand with his head in her lap by the hour, rubbing her fingers over his eyes and looking at him with unfathomable delight.”
13. Façade 85 (81) nouna superficial appearance or illusion of something
Syn. pretense, veneer
Ant. open, honesty
We passed a barrier of dark trees, and then the façade of Fifty-ninth Street, a block of delicate pale light beamed down into the park.