Short Story Vocabulary

Question 1

Finesse

Answer 1

(n.) skill and cleverness shown by how someone handles a situation
Playing a sport requires finesse.

Question 2

Incessantly

Answer 2

(adv.) non-stop, without ending

She suffered incessantly.

Question 3

Odious

Answer 3

(adj.) describes something deserved hatred

She was glad she finally completed the odious housework.

Question 4

Nocturnal

Answer 4

(adj.) describes something that is active at night

Most bats are nocturnal.

Question 5

Palpable

Answer 5

(adj.) able to be touched or felt

Her anger was palpable.

Question 6

Tangible

Answer 6

(adj.) describes something that has substance or reality; capable of being touched or precisely identified.
I prefer having a book that is tangible.

Question 7

Disarming

Answer 7

(adj.) describes something that removes feelings of unfriendliness or mistrust.
The teacher’s smile was disarming and the students left their worries behind.

Question 8

Analytical

Answer 8

(adj.) describes something that is skilled in breaking a whole into its parts; examining.
He used his analytical skills to summarize the document.

Question 9

Futile

Answer 9

(adj.) describes something that has no result or effect.
They tried to prepare for Hurricane Sandy by barricading their homes, but it was futile and the storm destroyed their homes.

Question 10

Condone

Answer 10

(v.) to forgive, overlook, or allow an offense.

The board does not condone violence in school.

Question 11

Preclude

Answer 11

(v.) to prevent or make impossible beforehand

Question 12

Retribution

Answer 12

(n.) punishment for doing something wrong

Question 13

Avenge

Answer 13

(v.) to get revenge by punishing the wrongdoer

Question 14

Avenger

Answer 14

(n.) someone who avenges a wrong

Question 15

Connoisseur

Answer 15

(n.) a person who has a high level of knowledge or skill in a field

Question 16

Accost

Answer 16

(v.) to approach and speak to in a challenging or aggressive way

Question 17

Murmur

Answer 17

A soft, indistinct sound

Question 18

Annihilate

Answer 18

To destroy or wipe out

Question 19

Expendable

Answer 19

Designed to be used once then abandoned or destroyed

Question 20

Correlate

Answer 20

Have a mutual relationship or connection in which one thing depends on another; coordinate, match

Question 21

Paradox

Answer 21

Something such as a situation that is made up of 2 things that seems impossible, but it’s actually possible

Question 22

Delirium

Answer 22

Sudden severe confusion

Question 23

Resilient

Answer 23

Able to recoil or spring back into shape after bending, able to become something strong or successful after something bad

Question 24

Undulate

Answer 24

To move in a smooth, wave like motion

Question 25

Stagnating

Answer 25

Cease to flow or move, become stagnant

Question 26

Revoke

Answer 26

Put an end to the validity or operation of a decision, promise, or decree