The Great Gatsby Vocabulary Ch. 7B

Vulgar The joke he told was so vulgar, the radio station had to beep it. My mother wouldn’t let me see the movie because she said it was vulgar.

Vulgar Definition – (adj.) lacking sophistication or good taste; unrefined. Synonyms – tasteless; crass; tawdry

Morbid John is so morbid; always talking about death. I can’t watch the news anymore because I don’t like morbid things and it’s filled with death and disease.

Morbid Definition – (adj.) characterized by or appealing to an abnormal and unhealthy interest in death and disease. Synonyms – ghoulish; macabre; unhealthy

Contingency The district is preparing contingency plans to provide cover if the teachers walk out. The school has earthquake contingency plans in case of the big one.

Contigency Definition – (n) a future event or circumstance that is possible but cannot be predicted with certainty. Synonyms – eventuality; incident; happening

Abyss The ocean seemed like an abyss because I couldn’t reach the bottom. The Grand Canyon is not an abyss but it is still very deep.

Abyss Definition – (n) a deep or seemingly bottomless chasm. Synonyms – chasm; gorge; ravine

Tumultuous The tumultuous storm was beginning to lose some of its fury. They had a tumultuous relationship and they always fought.

Tumultuous Definition – (adj.) raising a great clatter and commotion; disorderly or noisy. Synonyms – loud; stormy; disorderly

Irreverent Terry was irreverent during the funeral as he kept texting his buddies.. Talking during the president’s speech is quite irreverent.

Irreverent Definition – (adj.) showing a lack of respect for people or things that are generally taken seriously. Synonyms – disrespectful; disdainful; scornful

Vicariously Since I’m married and can’t go out, I live vicariously through my single brother. I experienced what it was like being a soldier vicariously from watching the war movie.

Vicariously Definition – (adv.) experiencing something through another person. Synonyms – imagined; pretended; in proxy

Slander He was called a cheater by the newspaper and he sued them for slander. If the witch was acquitted, the accuser could also be sued for slander.

Slander Definition – (n) the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation. Synonyms – defamation; character assassination; calumny