Zeitoun by Dave Eggers Vocabulary List 1

Perplex Pouring a glass of orange juice, he watched these girls of his, perplexed (Eggers 7). Adjective Definition: completely baffled; puzzled

Misconstrue Kathy wondered if her husband, who did not have any gay friends or family members, might want to change the logo, to keep their message from being misconstrued (Eggers 12). Verb Definition: to wrongly interpret or falsely conclude (something)

Harried She was harried and exhausted and the trip had barely begun (Eggers 55). Adjective Definition: feeling stressed/strained as a result of consistent pressure Harry: Verb: to persistently harass or attack someone

Clamor Growing up in Baton Rouge, it was a crowded house, full of clamor and extremes (Eggers 58 59). Noun Definition: noisy shouting; consistent, loud noise Verb: to drive, force, influence, etc; to utter noisily

Exasperated Kathy liked to act exasperated, but Zeitoun's romantic side was central to why she loved him (Eggers 73). Adjective Definition: intensely irritated, annoyed Exasperate: Verb: to infuriate, irritate intensely

Refracted He was conflicted about what he was seeing, a refracted version of his city, one where homes and trees were bisected and mirrored in this oddly calm body of water (Eggers 96). Adjective Definition: distorted; misrepresented Verb: to spread/distort light as it passes through a medium; to distort

Incredulous They hardly had time to exchange incredulous looks when another boat came their way (Eggers 101). Adjective Definition: suspicious, disbelieving; unable or unwilling to believe something

Abrogated There was no excuse that could suffice. The man had abrogated a simple agreement (Eggers 139). Verb Definition: to repeal, revoke, or rescind a law or agreement; to break the terms of a contract

Mélange It smelled dirtier every day, a wretched mélange of fish and mud and chemicals (Eggers 155). Noun Definition: a mixture of some kind, often things that don't seem to fit together

Lethargic For the first time in decades, there was nothing to do. It would be a day of calm, of rest. He felt strangely lethargic (Eggers 78). Adjective Definition: sluggish, tired, unmotivated, inactive, apathetic