Vocabulary from the stories of Edgar Allan Poe

Aversion: noun Strong dislike Synonyms: hesitance, loathing, reluctance The bachelor had an aversion to getting married.

Docile: adj Easily managed, obedient, passive The dog was docile until the doorbell rang; then, he began barking.

Felicitous: adj Happy or delightful Her marriage was a felicitous occasion.

Homely: adj Plain or unattractive in appearance The girl was rather homely, but she had a wit and intellect that could not be matched.

Infamous: adj Having a reputation of the worst kind Vicious Notoriously bad Despite his literary genius, Poe’s infamous reputation sometimes overshadows his talent.

Loathe: verb To detest, hate, abhor The fact that I loathe your brother does not mean that we cannot be friends.

Sagacious: adj Wise, shrewd The sagacious freshman knew not to buy an elevator pass from the senior attempting a clever ruse.

Odious: adj Deserving hate or contempt stinkbug

Peevish: adj Obstinate, argumentative With a peevish gesture, Jane slammed the book shut.

Scrupulous: adj Very principled, upright, moral Careful and conscientious Having scruples (morals); doing the right thing The scrupulous police officer never took a bribe, and he ceaselessly tried to prevent crime.

Succint: adj Brief, concise, terse (short and to the point) Because her comments were succinct and to the point, the ceremony was brief.

Conceive: verb To form an idea Think The narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart” could conceive of no reason to hate the old man…except for his “vulture eye.”

Vex: verb Make (someone) feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried, esp. with trivial matters. Synonyms: annoy, irritate, irk, peeve, bother, pester The old man’s evil eye vexed the narrator to the point of murder.

Stifle: verb To make (someone) unable to breathe properly; suffocate Synonyms: choke, smother, suffocate, strangle Those standing in the street were stifled by the fumes of the massive fire.

Dismember: verb To cut off the limbs of a person or animal Johnny, in a fit of rage against his sister, dismembered her favorite Barbie doll.

Audacity: noun The willingness to take bold risks Rude or disrespectful behavior She had the audacity to sneak an eyeball into my soup!

Vehemently: adv. Showing strong feeling or emotion Synonyms: violent, intense, passionate, fierce He vehemently denied the accusations against him.

Gesticulate: verb Use gestures, esp. dramatic ones, when speaking or to emphasize one’s words To gesture wildly Dumbfounded by the crime that had just been committed, the victim gesticulated wildly in the direction that the criminal had run.

Mockery: noun An absurd imitation of something Ridicule Johnny stood behind the teacher, miming her words and making a mockery of the lecture she was giving.

Dissemble: verb To disguise or conceal one’s true motives, feelings, or beliefs His attempt to dissemble his feelings of contempt toward his boss fell short as Johnny had no poker face.