Chapter 1 — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from Chapter 1

prostrate (adjective)

Lying face down; completely overcome or helpless

ostracize (verb)

To exclude from a group or society

retrospective (adjective)

Looking back on or dealing with past events or situations

digressive (adjective)

Tending to depart from the main subject or course of argument

cynical (adjective)

Distrustful of human sincerity or integrity; bitterly disillusioned

phony (adjective)

Not genuine; fraudulent or insincere

Bildungsroman (noun)

A novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education

colloquial (adjective)

Used in ordinary or informal conversation; not formal or literary

allusion (noun)

An indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance

alienation (noun)

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

unreliable narrator (noun phrase)

A narrator whose credibility has been seriously compromised, whether through bias, limited knowledge, or deliberate deception

contempt (noun)

The feeling that a person or thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn

forfeit (verb)

To lose or be deprived of something as a penalty for wrongdoing or neglect

irony (noun)

A literary device in which words or events convey a reality different from appearance or expectation