Lord of the Flies Unit 1 Vocabulary

morals: (n) 1. concerned with the judgment of the goodness or badness of human action and character

The Golden Rule, to treat others as you would like to be treated, is the center of my morals.

ethics (n) 1. moral principles, as of an individual

Stem cell research is a current ethical debated being argued on Capitol Hill.

hierarchy (n) 1. any system of persons or things ranked one above another Syn: pecking order; chain of command

In Biology, we are studying the hierarchy of all living things. (kingdom, phylum, order, class...)

anarchy (n) 1. a state of society without government or law; political and social disorder due to the absence of governmental control Syn: disorder; chaos; lawlessness

Anarchy ensued once the teacher left of the classroom. Books flew across the room, loud music blared from the computer, and students jumped on the desks.

enmity (n) 1. Deep seated hatred; State of being an enemy  Syn: hostility; hatred, antagonism

She felt enmity for her enemy.

chorister (n)  A singer or leader of a choir  Syn: choir member; singer

In college, I was a chorister in a choir that sang at the university’s chapel.

bastion (n)  A stronghold or fortification; similar to a stronghold  Syn: fortress; citadel

The bastion helped protect the city from its enemies.

hiatus (n) 1. A gap or interruption in a schedule; a break or pause Syn: lull

We all enjoy the hiatus a snow day creates.

tumult (n)  Commotion of a great crowd; disorder  Syn: uproar; commotion; clamor

The tumult of after-Christmas shoppers keeps me out of the stores and shopping online.

tirade (n)  A long angry or violent speech; a diatribe  Syn: outburst; rant; lecture

When I forgot to take out the garbage and the dog got into it and spread it all over the kitchen floor, my mom went on a tirade about my irresponsibility.

oppressive (adj)  Using power unjustly; burdensome  Syn: cruel; harsh; domineering

Many innocent people suffered under the oppressive rule of Sadaam Hussein.

inscrutable (adj)  Difficult to understand, mysterious  Syn: enigmatic; unreadable

He loved to keep people guessing. His thought process remained inscrutable.

tacit (adj)  Not spoken; implied by actions or statements  Syn: unspoken; implicit

Management gave its tacit approval for a casual Friday by wearing casual clothes themselves.

Lord of the Flies Unit terminology 2

blatant (adj)  Totally or offensively obtrusive; very obvious  Syn: obvious, barefaced, deliberate

I knew she had told me a blatant lie about eating the rest of the chocolate cake because there was frosting all over her face.

taboo (n)  Excluded or forbidden from use or mention  Syn: forbidden, banned, unmentionable

In the movie Footloose, dancing was taboo until the teens banded together to get the town to approve a high school prom.

sinewy (adj)  Lean and muscular; stringy and tough  Syn: wiry, lean

If I worked out for 2 hours a day, I could be sinewy too!

malevolent (adj)  Having an ill will or wishing harm to others; malicious  Syn: spiteful, wicked, mean

His failures made him malevolent toward those who were successful.

ludicrous (adj)  laughably and obviously absurd; foolish  Syn: absurd, ridiculous, preposterous

It is ludicrous to call a cottage a mansion.

ineffectual (adj)  Insufficient to produce an effect; useless  Syn: incompetent, weak, useless

I have always found my mother’s cure- all for common colds (gargling with salt water) to be an ineffectual remedy.

jeer (v)  to abuse vocally; taunt or mock  Syn: boo, heckle, laugh at

Because the crowd jeered the new comedian off the stage, he started to cry.

inarticulate (adj)  Incomprehensible; unable to speak with clarity  Syn: mumbling, incoherent

With his mouth stuffed, he could utter only inarticulate sounds.

clamor (n)  A loud outcry; great expression of discontent  Syn: shouting, screaming

The clamor of the little girl’s birthday party at McDonald’s forced me to leave the restaurant.

mutinous (adj)  Unruly; engaged in or involving revolt against authority  Syn: rebellious, disobedient

When the ship’s captain cut off the men’s supply of whiskey, the men became mutinous and insubordinate.

crestfallen (adj)  disappointed; upset

After reading the winning Powerball numbers in the newspaper, I was crestfallen to see I had not matched even one of them.

impervious (adj)  Incapable of being penetrated or affected.  Syn: solid, resistant

The coat is impervious to rain.

Lord of the Flies Unit 3 Terminology

Glower (v)  Look at or stare angrily or sullenly  Syn: glare, frown, scowl

The woman glowered at the man who whistled at her as she walked down the street.

Rebuke (v)  To criticize sharply; check or repress  Syn: scold, reprimand

The mother rebuked her little boy for taking the candy from the grocery store.

fervor (n)  Great intensity of emotion  Syn: passion, enthusiasm

When I heard the fervor in her voice, I knew she was serious about moving to Alaska.

corpulent (adj)  Excessive, obese

Saunter (v)  To walk at a leisurely pace; stroll  Syn: amble, mosey

Unfortunately, most students saunter to class when they should hustle.

compel (v)  To force or drive; exert a strong, irresistible force on  Syn: force, coerce

After seeing the commercial for the new Carne Asada Steak Taquitos at Taco Bell, I was compelled to purchased some.

luminous (adj)  Emitting light; full of light  Syn: glowing, radiant

Of all the places I have been, Colorado has by far the most luminous sunrises.

parry (v)  Deflect or ward off; avoid  Syn: dodge, evade, elude

When asked about their personal life, many celebrities parry the question with a clever reply.

quaver (v)  Tremble, or speak in a trembling voice  Syn: shake, waver

My voice quavered as I began to address the entire school body.

talisman (n)  An object with magical power  Syn: charm, mascot, juju

The Monkey’s Paw is a play about a talisman thought to grant its keeper three wishes. While the wishes may come true, they are not always happy.

acrid (adj)  Unpleasantly sharp or bitter, esp. in a taste or smell  Syn: pungent, bitter, harsh

Although my mom swears that vinegar is great to clean things like coffee pots, I never could stand its acrid smell.

Cordon (n)  A line of people or ships stationed to guard  Syn: barrier, barricade, ring

The police cordoned off the street when there was a robbery in the area.