1. Things Fall Apart Vocabulary

2. arduous (adj.) “It was a brief resting period between the exacting and arduous planting season and the equally exacting but light-hearted month of harvests.” (pg. 34) Definition: full of hardships; difficult Synonyms: troublesome, trying, exhausting Antonyms: easy, simple

3. audacity (noun) “Of his three wives Ekwefi was the only one who would have the audacity to bang on his door.” (pg. 76) Definition: reckless boldness or daring; willingness to challenge others Synonyms: courage, bravery; nerve Antonyms: fear; modesty, courtesy

4. benevolent (adj.) “But it was really not true that Okonkwo’s palm- kernels had been cracked for him by a benevolent spirit.” (pg. 27) Definition: charitable; intending to help others Root: bene - good or well Synonyms: generous, kind, giving Antonyms: malevolent, selfish, hurtful

5. capricious (adj.) “ But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness. It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic…” (pg. 13) Definition: unpredictable, impulsive Synonyms: flighty, fickle, mercurial Antonyms: consistent, predictable

6. derision (noun) “The Lord shall have them in derision.” Definition: ridicule; mockery Synonyms: scorn, disrespect, insult Antonyms: flattery, compliment

7. effeminate (adj.) “At the beginning of their journey the men of Umuofia talked and laughed about the locusts, about their women, and about some effeminate men who had refused to come with them.” Definition: having feminine traits; delicate Synonyms: womanly, dainty, maternal Antonyms: manly, masculine

8. esoteric (adj.) “ The house was now a pandemonium of quavering voices: Am oyim de de de de! filled the air as the spirits of the ancestors, just emerged from the earth, greeted themselves in their esoteric language.” Definition: understood by or meant for a select few; mysterious Root : eso - within Synonyms: private, secretive Antonyms: obvious, common, known

9. exacting (adj.) “Yam, the king of crops, was a very exacting king.” (pg. 33) Definition: rigid or severe in demands or requirements Synonyms: demanding, challenging, rigorous Antonyms: giving, mild

10. feign (verb) “…Nwoye would feign annoyance and grumble aloud about women and their troubles.” (pg. 52) Definition: to fake or to imitate deceptively Synonyms: to pretend, deceive Antonyms: to be honest; to reveal

11. harbinger (noun) “At first, a fairly small swarm came. They were the harbingers sent to survey the land.” (pg. 56) Definition: somebody or something that foreshadows a future event Synonyms: omen; messenger, herald

12. improvident (adj.) “Unoka…was lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow.” (pg. 4) Definition: lacking foresight, failing to think about the future Roots: im - not Synonyms: thoughtless, careless, shortsighted Antonyms: attentive, careful, cautious

13. incipient (adj.) Okonkwo’s first son, Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness.” (pg. 13) Definition: beginning or developing Root: in – into, upon Synonyms: budding, evolving, starting Antonyms: dying, withering; mature

14. miscreant (adj. or noun) “A sudden fury rose within him and he felt a strong desire to take up his machete, go to the church and wipe out the entire vile and miscreant gang.” Definition: depraved, villainous, or base Root: mis – bad, badly Synonyms: corrupt, wicked, or unprincipled Antonyms: good, moral, wholesome

15. poignant (adj.) “But he and Nwoye had become so deeply attached to each other that such moments became less frequent and less poignant.” (pg. 34) Definition: intense; emotional, sentimental Synonyms: powerful; touching, moving Antonyms: calm, numb, unaffecting

16. voluble (adj.) “Tortoise was very happy and voluble as he flew among the birds, and he was soon chosen as the man to speak for the party because he was a great orator.” Definition: characterized by a ready and continuous flow of words Synonyms: talkative, prolix, chatty Antonyms: speechless, tight-lipped, reserved