Part VI - Chapter V — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from Part VI - Chapter V

mirthful (adjective)

Full of gladness, amusement, or high spirits; cheerful and lively in manner.

sensualist (noun)

A person devoted to the gratification of the senses and physical pleasures, especially to excess.

indiscretion (noun)

A lack of prudence or good judgment; a careless action or remark that reveals something meant to be kept secret.

condescending (adjective)

Displaying an attitude of patronizing superiority; showing that one considers oneself more important or intelligent than others.

suppliant (adjective)

Making a humble and earnest plea; expressing entreaty or supplication with a sense of urgency and submission.

overweening (adjective)

Showing excessive confidence, arrogance, or presumptuousness; immoderately proud of one's own abilities.

paltry (adjective)

Insignificantly small or worthless; petty and contemptible in amount or importance.

galling (adjective)

Annoying, humiliating, or irritating, especially in a way that causes bitter resentment.

inscrutable (adjective)

Impossible to understand or interpret; mysterious and impenetrable, resisting analysis or explanation.

contorted (adjective)

Twisted or bent violently out of normal shape; distorted in a way suggesting pain or extreme emotion.

barricade (verb)

To block or defend with an improvised barrier; to shut oneself in behind an obstruction for protection.

unbending (adjective)

Firm, resolute, and unwilling to yield; rigid in purpose or determination.

pedlar (noun)

A person who travels from place to place selling small goods; a peddler or itinerant merchant (archaic spelling).

patroness (noun)

A woman who gives financial or other support to a person, organization, or cause; a female patron or benefactress.

propagande (noun)

In 19th-century Russian usage, ideological persuasion or the promotion of progressive social and political ideas, often in intimate discussion.