Animal Farm Vocabulary
1. abolished—Chapter 1—(adj.) a form of to abolish, which means “to do away
with.” Abolished in some states, the death penalty still exists in others.
2. aloof—Chapter 5—(adv.) at a distance; apart. Some people believe that to be a
good teacher one should not try to be a pal to the students, but instead stay
aloof.
3. apathy—Chapter 2—(n.) lack of interest; indifference. Because they
encountered so much apathy among the other students, the committee
decided not to proceed with their plans.
4. articulate—Chapter 5—(adj.) able to express oneself easily and clearly. The
students chose Carmen as their spokesperson, since she is the most articulate
member of the group.
5. benevolent—Chapter 1—(adj.) kindly; inclined to do good. It is interesting the
grandparents are usually portrayed as benevolent and stepparents are often
portrayed as evil.
6. conciliatory—Chapter 8—(adj.) gaining good will by friendly actions. I
interpreted Ed’s phone call as a conciliatory gesture and decided to forget our
disagreement.
7. cynical—Chapter 1—(adj.) believing that people are motivated primarily by
selfishness. Ever since my father was cheated out of a great deal of money by
his business partner, he has been rather cynical.
8. decree—Chapter 8—(n.) an official order. The king issued a decree that all
young men in the realm would have to spend two years as soldiers.
9. disheartened—Chapter 2—(adj.) a form of to dishearten, which means “to
discourage; to take away the enthusiasm of.” The rest of the team felt
disheartened by the news that the quarterback would nto be able to play.
10. expounded—Chapter 2—(v.) past tense of to expound, which means to state or
explain in detail.” The class listened while Mr. Morrelli expounded his theory of
why dinosaurs became extinct.
11. ignominious-Chapter 4—(adj.) shameful; dishonorable. Although the mayor
had been highly respected before his arrest, the citizens scorned him when
they learned of his ignominious action.
12. impending—Chapter 8—(adj.) a form of to impend, meaning “to be about to
happen.” The rumble of thunder and the flash of lightning signaled an
impending storm.
13. impromptu—Chapter 4—(adj.) without preparation. At the party after the
game, the coach made an impromptu speech on the value of failures as well as
successes.
14. maneuver—Chapter 4—(n.) a movement intended as a skillful step toward
some goal. Sharon made a maneuver with the truck that allowed us to attach a
tow rope to the disabled car.
15. nimble—Chapter 2—(adj.) quick and light in movement; agile. To be
successful at gymnastics, a person must be very nimble.
16. posthumously—Chapter 4—(adv.) after death. The writer’s last novel was
published posthumously.
17. preliminary—Chapter 1—(adj.) introductory; leading up to the main action.
Chet was eliminated in the preliminary round of judging in the talent contest,
but Pauline made it to the finals.
18. scorn—Chapter 4—(v.) to make fun of; to look down on. Mr. Ortiz scorned the
offer of help by demanding, “Where were you when I really needed you!”
19. skulking—Chapter 8—(v.) present participle of to skulk, which means “to hide
or sneak around with some evil purpose; to lurk.” The pickpocket was skulking in
the doorway, waiting for the right moment to strike.
20. sordid—Chapter 5—(adj.) filthy; dirty; mean. The sailor told his life story, a
sordid take of poverty, crime, and sorrow.
21. tormentors—Chapter 2—(n.) torturers; those who cause pain, anxiety, or
suffering. The new recruits considered the drill sergeant to be a tormentor.
22. unscathed—Chapter 8—(adj.) not hurt; unharmed. It is a miracle that the
family all walked away from the accident unscathed.
23. vengeance—Chapter 4—(n.) action taken in return for an injury or offense.
When he discovered that his skateboard had been broken, he declared that he
wanted vengeance.
24. vivacious—Chapter 2—(adj.) lively; full of life; energetic. In choosing
cheerleaders for this year’s squad, we looked for people who were especially
vivacious.
25. wistful—Chapter 8—(adj.) showing vague yearning or longing. The wistful
look on the child’s face let me know at once that she longed to be invited to
play with the others.