Chapter 11 — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from Chapter 11

pneumatic (adjective)

Plump and curvaceous; literally relating to air or gas pressure, but used in the novel as a term of physical attraction.

soma (noun)

A government-issued drug that produces euphoria, hallucinations, and pleasant sensations without hangover; used for social control.

hypnopaedia (noun)

Sleep-teaching; the process of conditioning citizens by playing recorded messages during sleep to instill beliefs and behaviors.

commodification (noun)

The process of treating a person or thing as a mere commodity to be bought, sold, or consumed.

impresario (noun)

A person who organizes and manages public entertainments or performances; a promoter.

revulsion (noun)

A strong feeling of disgust or repugnance; an intense physical or emotional recoiling.

oblivion (noun)

The state of being completely forgotten or unaware; total unconsciousness.

conditioned (adjective)

Trained or accustomed to behave in a certain way through systematic repetition or psychological manipulation.

incomprehension (noun)

The inability to understand something; a complete failure of mutual understanding.

euthanasia (noun)

The practice of painlessly ending a life to relieve suffering; in the chapter, used metaphorically for Linda's slow chemical death.

titillate (verb)

To stimulate or excite someone in a superficially pleasurable way, especially through mildly erotic content.

epistolary (adjective)

Relating to or carried on by letters or written correspondence; a literary form using letters as a narrative device.

prescient (adjective)

Having or showing knowledge of events before they take place; remarkably foresighted.

reagent (noun)

A substance or agent used to cause a chemical reaction that reveals information about the other substances; metaphorically, a testing agent.

alienation (noun)

The state of being isolated or estranged from a group or activity to which one should belong.

Neo-Pavlovian (adjective)

Referring to advanced conditioning techniques based on Ivan Pavlov's principles of behavioral conditioning through stimulus and response.