Prologue — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from Prologue

invisible (adjective)

Not able to be seen; in this context, socially unrecognized or ignored because of racial prejudice.

tangible (adjective)

Able to be touched or felt; real and concrete rather than imaginary.

disposition (noun)

A person's inherent qualities of mind and character; natural tendency or temperament.

ectoplasm (noun)

A supernatural substance supposedly exuded by ghosts or spiritual mediums; something ghostly or insubstantial.

hibernation (noun)

A state of inactivity and dormancy; the narrator uses it to describe his withdrawal from society as preparation rather than defeat.

compulsion (noun)

An irresistible urge to behave in a certain way, especially against one's conscious wishes.

irresponsibility (noun)

The state of not being answerable for one's actions; the narrator argues invisibility grants a dangerous freedom from social accountability.

ambivalence (noun)

The state of having mixed or contradictory feelings about something or someone.

phantoms (noun)

Ghosts or apparitions; things that appear real but have no physical reality.

boomerang (noun)

A curved throwing weapon that returns to the thrower; used metaphorically for something that comes back to its origin.

iridescent (adjective)

Showing luminous colors that seem to change when viewed from different angles.

covert (adjective)

Not openly acknowledged or displayed; secret or hidden.

subversive (adjective)

Seeking to undermine or overthrow an established system or institution.

paradox (noun)

A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true; a situation combining contradictory elements.

oratorical (adjective)

Relating to the art of public speaking, especially in a formal, eloquent manner.