VOCABULARY LISTS : LITERATURE
"The Hunger Games" Vocabulary from Chapter 1 April 2, 2012 By Vocabulary.com (NY)
In a dystopian future a young girl is forced to fight for her life and the life of her family in Suzanne Collins's hugely successful book series. When you finish this list, move on to the Chapter 2 words.
canvas a heavy, closely woven fabric My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim's warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress.
cocoon wrap, as for protection My little sister, Prim, curled up on her side, cocooned in my mother's body, their cheeks pressed together.
insist be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge Prim named him Buttercup, insisting that his muddy yellow coat matched the bright flower.
scrawny being very thin Scrawny kitten, belly swollen with worms, crawling with fleas.
entrails internal organs collectively Sometimes, when I clean a kill, I feed Buttercup the entrails.
supple moving and bending with ease Supple leather that has molded to my feet.
forage the act of searching for food and provisions I pull on trousers, a shirt, tuck my long dark braid up into a cap, and grab my forage bag.
squat short and thick Shutters on the squat gray houses are closed.
deterrent something immaterial that interferes with action or progress In theory, it's supposed to be electrified twenty- four hours a day as a deterrent to the predators that live in the woods -- packs of wild dogs, lone cougars, bears -- that used to threaten our streets.
predator any animal that lives by preying on other animals In theory, it's supposed to be electrified twenty- four hours a day as a deterrent to the predators that live in the woods -- packs of wild dogs, lone cougars, bears -- that used to threaten our streets.
rabid infected by an acute viral disease of the nervous system Inside the woods they roam freely, and there are added concerns like venomous snakes, rabid animals, and no real paths to follow.
venture proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers But most are not bold enough to venture out with just a knife.
execute murder in a planned fashion My father could have made good money selling them, but if the officials found out he would have been publicly executed for inciting a rebellion.
incite provoke or stir up My father could have made good money selling them, but if the officials found out he would have been publicly executed for inciting a rebellion.
indifferent showing no care or concern in attitude or action So I learned to hold my tongue and to turn my features into an indifferent mask so that no one could ever read my thoughts.
ration a fixed portion that is allotted It's real bakery bread, not the flat, dense loaves we make from our grain rations.
sentimental marked by tender, romantic, or nostalgic emotion Think the old man was feeling sentimental this morning," says Gale.
mimic imitate, especially for satirical effect Suddenly he falls into a Capitol accent as he mimics Effie Trinket, the maniacally upbeat woman who arrives once a year to read out the names at the leaping.
verve an energetic style I finish with equal verve.
apothecary a health professional trained in the art of preparing drugs They ran an apothecary shop in the nicer part of District 12.
remedy a medicine or therapy that cures disease or relieves pain My father got to know my mother because on his hunts he would sometimes collect medicinal herbs and sell them to her shop to be brewed into remedies.
iridescent varying in color when seen in different lights From this place, we are invisible but have a clear view of the valley, which is teeming with summer life, greens to gather, roots to dig, fish iridescent in the sunlight.
preposterous inviting ridicule The idea is so preposterous.
devoted zealous in allegiance or affection And Gale is devoted to his family.
romantic expressive of or exciting love There's never been anything romantic between Gale and me.
prey animal hunted or caught for food The predators ignore us on a day when easier, tastier prey abounds.
compliment a remark expressing praise and admiration Madge shoots him a look, trying to see if it's a genuine compliment or if he's just being ironic.
ironic humorously sarcastic or mocking Madge shoots him a look, trying to see if it's a genuine compliment or if he's just being ironic.
adorn make more attractive, as by adding ornament or color His eyes land on a small, circular pin that adorns her dress.
eligible qualified for or allowed or worthy of being chosen You become eligible for the reaping the day you turn twelve.
meager deficient in amount or quality or extent Each tessera is worth a meager year's supply of grain and oil for one person.
cumulative increasing by successive addition And the entries are cumulative.
rant talk at length in a noisy, excited, or angry manner On other days, deep in the woods, I've listened to him rant about how the tesserae are just another tool to cause misery in our district.
ensure make certain of A way to plant hatred between the starving workers of the Seam and those who can generally count on supper and thereby ensure we will never trust one another.
anguish extreme distress of body or mind The anguish I always feel when she's in pain wells up in my chest and threatens to register on my face.
mandatory required by rule Attendance is mandatory unless you are on death's door.
perimeter the boundary line or area immediately inside the boundary Family members line up around the perimeter, holding tightly to one another's hands.
claustrophobic abnormally afraid of closed-in places The space gets tighter, more claustrophobic as people arrive.
adjacent having a common boundary or edge Latecomers are directed to the adjacent streets, where they can watch the event on screens as it's televised live by the state.
terse brief and to the point We all exchange terse nods then focus our attention on the temporary stage that is set up before the Justice Building.
podium a platform raised above the surrounding level It holds three chairs, a podium, and two large glass balls, one for the boys and one for the girls.
murmur speak softly or indistinctly They murmur to each other and then look with concern at the empty seat.
sustenance a source of materials to nourish the body He lists the disasters, the droughts, the storms, the fires, the encroaching seas that swallowed up so much of the land, the brutal war for what little sustenance remained.
prosperity the condition of having good fortune The result was Panem, a shining Capitol ringed by thirteen districts, which brought peace and prosperity to its citizens.
obliterated reduced to nothingness Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth obliterated.
treaty a written agreement between two states or sovereigns The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, it gave us the Hunger Games.
treason a crime that undermines the offender's government The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, it gave us the Hunger Games.
vast unusually great in size or amount or extent or scope The twenty- four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland.
humiliate cause to feel shame To make it humiliating as well as torturous, the Capitol requires us to treat the Hunger Games as a festivity, a sporting event pitting every district against the others.
ease freedom from difficulty or hardship or effort The last tribute alive receives a life of ease back home, and their district will be showered with prizes, largely consisting of food.
delicacy something considered choice to eat All year, the Capitol will show the winning district gifts of grain and oil and even delicacies like sugar while the rest of us battle starvation.
repentance remorse for your past conduct "It is both a time for repentance and a time for thanks," intones the mayor.
victor a combatant who is able to defeat rivals Then he reads the list of past District 12 victors.
distressed afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble The mayor looks distressed.
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