The Great Gatsby Vocabulary List #3 (Chapters 3 and 4)

The Great Gatsby Vocabulary List #3 (Chapters 3 and 4)

American Literature

The Great GatsbyVocabulary List #3 (Chapters 3 and 4)

  1. 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.”

  1. 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.”

  1. 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…

  1. 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.”

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

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