First They Killed My Father Vocabulary

Agrarian [adjective] “Of or relating to fields or agriculture; characteristic of farmers or their way of life…” [The agrarian landscape stretched before them, luscious rolling farm land.]

Capitalist [noun] “A supporter of a capitalist economic system founded on the principle of private ownership as contrasted with government-owned wealth...” [The rich capitalist counted his money and reveled in the abundance of his vast private wealth.]

Denigrate [verb] “To belittle or harshly criticize; to defame…” [The frustrated parent tried to not denigrate their child as they spoke to them concerning teenage irresponsibility and juvenile apathy.]

Forage [verb] “To wander in search of food or supplies...” [The majestic creature foraged in the snow for food, straining to survive the harsh winter.]

Heinous [adjective] “Extremely wicked; deeply criminal; shockingly and hatefully evil; abominable...” [The Nazis were guilty of extremely heinous crimes against humanity during the Holocaust.]

Impoverished [adjective] “Reduced to poverty; poor; represented by few species or individuals...” [The impoverished child had to beg for food on the street to survive.]

Indoctrination [noun] “State of being taught a doctrine, belief, or principle...” [The television routinely gives its viewers an indoctrination, teaching watchers various cultural messages.]

Infiltrate [verb] “To enter a group or organization in order to spy on the members…” [The secret agent went undercover to infiltrate the criminal organization.]

Juxtapose [verb] “To place side by side, often for comparison…” [Seeing the candy store juxtaposed with the weight loss center was a strange and amusing sight.]

Permeate [verb] “To spread or diffuse through; to penetrate and saturate...” [The Western culture has fully permeated throughout most of Japanese society.]

Sarong [noun] “A loose garment made of a long strip of cloth wrapped around the body that is worn by men and women...” [The elegant woman strolled on the beach in her sarong.]

Saunter [verb] “To walk with a leisurely gait or pace; to stroll in an idle fashion...” [The errant student, Cole Kenefsky, sauntered down the school hallway on his leisurely way to class - not caring how late he arrived.]

Sinewy [adjective] “Lean and muscular; tough and stringy...” [The volleyball player went for the ball, relying on her sinewy arms to have enough strength to project the ball back over the net.]

Somber [adjective] “Extremely serious or gloomy in mood or expression…” [The dog sat dejected with a somber look on its face.]

Youn [noun] “A term used by Cambodians to refer to Vietnamese individuals” [During the Vietnam War, many Cambodians regarded Vietnamese soldiers, or youns, with disdain and distrust.]

Zealous [adjective] “Ardently devoted; overly enthusiastic...” [The zealous Star Trek fans anxiously awaited the opportunity to don their specially-made costumes and hit the town.]