Vocabulary #2:
English 9
1. apprehensive: Anxious or fearful
about the future; uneasy
The freshmen were extremely apprehensive
about the speech contest.
2. contorted: Twisted or strained
out of shape
After the car accident, the child’s spine was contorted and
needed major surgery, but the doctors weren’t sure if he would make it.
3. derogatory: expressive of low
opinion, belittling
Curley’s derogatory words about Lennie’s
intelligence were just plain mean.
4. douse: To wet thoroughly; drench
The firemen doused the fire to extinguish it.
5. morose: Sullenly melancholy;
gloomy
The morose girl never smiled.
6. mottled: Spotted or blotched
with different shades or colors
The light streaming through the trees made a beautiful, mottled
pattern on the forest floor.
7. ominous: Menacing; threatening,
foreshadowing of evil or disaster (ominous black clouds)
The ominous tone of the villain scared everyone in
The ominous clouds indicated that a big storm was coming.
8. overtones: an implication or a
hint
The sarcastic overtones made her seemingly polite words, “I
like your dress,” be quite rude.
The overtones of evil were quite clear when the villain
cruelly laughed and said, “Just you wait.”
9. profound: deep, penetrating,
far-reaching
Compared to most teenagers who worried about appearances and
parties, the girl was quite profound in her thoughts about the meaning of life
and the cruel nature of humanity.
10. recumbent: Lying down,
especially in a position of comfort or rest; reclining
He loved the Lazy Boy recliner because it allowed him to nap
in a recumbent position.