'the Blind Assassin' Vocabulary Words

Front 1

Erstwhile (adj.)

Back 1

someone/something who in teh past was a friend or supporter, but now no longer is

Front 2

Venal (adj.)

Back 2

open to persuasion by corrupt means, like bribery; characterized by corruption

Front 3

Lugubrious (adj.)

Back 3

extremely mournful, sad, gloomy

Front 4

Enervating (adj.)

Back 4

weakening to someone’s physical mental, physical, or social vitality

Front 5

Adroit (adj.)

Back 5

displaying physical or mental skill

Front 6

Recalcitrant (adj.)

Back 6

stubbornly resisting authority/control of another

Front 7

Propitiatory (adj.)

Back 7

designed to appease or win favor

Front 8

Detritus (noun)

Back 8

debris/discarded materials; could be rock fragments

Front 9

Compunction (noun)

Back 9

feelings of shame and regret about doing something wrong

Front 10

Chignon (noun)

Back 10

a knot or roll of hair, worn at the nape of the neck

Front 11

Lithe (adj.)

Back 11

flexible and supple in body movement; graceful

Front 12

Lurid (adj.)

Back 12

horrifying or shocking; very intense brightness or glowing; a pale complexion

Front 13

Diaphanous (adj.)

Back 13

delicate or gauzy, so that it’s transparent; fragile or insubstantial

Front 14

Epoch (noun)

Back 14

a significant period in history

Front 15

Subterfuge (noun)

Back 15

something designed to deceive

Front 16

Mastication (noun)

Back 16

something chewed or ground into a pulp

Front 17

Arduous (adj.)

Back 17

difficult and tiring; demanding

Front 18

Implacable (adj.)

Back 18

impossible to pacify or reduce in strength or force

Front 19

Provisional (adj.)

Back 19

relating to Irish Republican Army faction; temporary or conditional

Front 20

Perfunctory (adj.)

Back 20

done routinely, without though, attention, or genuine feeling

Front 21

Munificence (noun)

Back 21

generous giving

Front 22

Laud (verb)

Back 22

to glorify somebody or praise someone highly

Front 23

Avidity (noun)

Back 23

great eagerness or greed for something

Front 24

Miasma (noun)

Back 24

a harmful or poisonous fume; nasty atmosphere

Front 25

Perfidious (adj.)

Back 25

guilty of treachery or deceit

Front 26

Curios (noun)

Back 26

an object that is valued and often collected for its interest or rarity

Front 27

Derelict (adj.)

Back 27

no longer lived in; in poor condition because of neglect

Front 28

Stolid (adj.)

Back 28

solemn and showing little or no emotion

Front 29

Otiose (adj.)

Back 29

with no useful result or practical purpose; worthless and lazy

Front 30

Incredulity (noun)

Back 30

a state or feeling of disbelief

Front 31

Sardonic (adj.)

Back 31

mocking in disrespect/irony

Front 32

Erudition (noun)

Back 32

knowledge acquired through study and reading

Front 33

Immolation (noun)

Back 33

a person or animal killed for a ritual sacrifice, or suicide as a protest

Front 34

Purloined (verb)

Back 34

something stolen, and the theft broke someone else’s trust

Front 35

Sibilance (noun)

Back 35

pronounced with a hissing sound (ssssibilance)

Front 36

Feckless (adj.)

Back 36

unable or unwilling to do anything useful

Front 37

Furtive (adj.)

Back 37

done in a way that is intended to escape notice (shifty, secretive)

Front 38

Trousseau (noun)

Back 38

a bride’s clothes and linen that she has collected during her engagement (mostly stuff like nightgowns, underwear, etc.)

Front 39

Virulent (adj.)

Back 39

extremely poisonous or infectious; malicious

Front 40

Fatuous (adj.)

Back 40

showing lack of intelligence, and lack of awareness