Short Story Vocabulary Flashcards
Finesse
(n. ) skill and cleverness shown by how someone handles a situation
ex: His finesse was shown when he was stranded on an island.
Incessant/Incessantly
(adj. )/(adverb) non-stop/describes an action that is non-stop
ex: She worked on her homework incessantly until she finished.
Odious
(adj. ) describes something deserving hatred
ex: The man who killed the dog is odious.
Nocturnal
(adj. ) describes something that is active at night
ex: Many animals get their prey at night, so they are nocturnal.
Palpable
(adj. ) able to be touched or felt
ex: His wound was palpable, I could feel it even though I didn’t get hurt.
Tangible
(adj. ) having substance or reality; capable of being touched
ex: I needed tangible proof to show me that he did not steal it.
Disarming
(adj. ) friendly or harmless
ex: On the first day of school, the teacher had a disarming smile on her face.
Analytical
(adj. ) skilled in breaking a whole into its parts and examining their relationships
ex: With my analytical skills I was able to take notes on the reading.
Futile
(adj. ) describes something that has no result or effect
ex: The bullying campaign was futile because people still were bullied.
Condone
(v. ) forgive or overlook an offense
ex: He was condoned when he insulted her.
Preclude
(v. ) to prevent or make impossible beforehand
ex: The new rule did not preclude him from continuing to do so.
Retribution
(n. ) punishment for doing something wrong
ex: You should expect some sort of retribution for embarrassing her.
Avenge
(v. ) to get revenge by punishing the wrongdoer
ex: She needed a way to avenge her brother for pranking her.
Avenger
(n. ) someone who avenges a wrong
ex: You can’t blame the avenger for doing that if what you did to them was very wrong.
Connoisseur
(n. ) a person who has a high level of knowledge or skill in a field
ex: The connoisseur helped me pick out the right one for me.
