Chapter 1 — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from Chapter 1

apprehensive (adjective)

Anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen

distraught (adjective)

Deeply upset and agitated; very worried

transgression (noun)

An act that violates a law, rule, or code of conduct

palpable (adjective)

So intense as to be almost physically felt; easily perceived

nurturer (noun)

In the community, a person assigned to care for newchildren during their first year of life

newchild (noun)

An infant in the community who has not yet been assigned to a family unit

release (noun)

The community's term for the permanent removal of a citizen, presented as punishment or mercy

assignment (noun)

The lifetime job given to each twelve-year-old at the Ceremony of Twelve by the Committee of Elders

ritual (noun)

A ceremony or series of acts regularly repeated in a set precise manner

precision (noun)

The quality of being exact, accurate, and careful in expression or detail

dystopia (noun)

An imagined society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically totalitarian or environmentally degraded

foreshadowing (noun)

A literary device in which an author gives hints about events that will occur later in the story

conformity (noun)

Compliance with standards, rules, or laws; behavior that matches the expectations of a group

sameness (noun)

In the community, the foundational principle of eliminating all differences among citizens

interdiction (noun)

The act of prohibiting or forbidding something by authority