To Kill a Mockingbird Vocabulary Honors Students Only

Placid – Due April 21 • Adjective (describing word) • Definition: pleasantly calm or peaceful; serenely quiet or undisturbed Sentences from the book: Jem said placidly, “We are going to give a note to [him]. ” “Just how? ” I was trying to fight down the automatic terror rising in me.

Placid • Synonyms: calm, collected, composed, detached, easygoing, imperturbable, peaceful, poised, quiet, serene, still, tranquil • Antonyms: agitated, excited, alarmed, disturbed, flustered

Placid • Montresor carries out his plan in a placid manner, showing that he is a true psychopath. • Her placid demeanor hides her ongoing internal turmoil and stress from the world. • Lake Placid was named because when the first Europeans saw it they noticed how calm it was.

Vehement – Due April 21 • Adjective • Definition: marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions • Sentence from the book: • Atticus shook his head vehemently: “Don’t just stand there, Heck!”

Vehement • Synonyms: ardent, eager, earnest, emphatic, enthusiastic, fervent, forceful, impassioned, intense, lively, potent, powerful, strong, zealous • Antonyms: apathetic, indifferent, uncaring, impassive, unemotional, passive, stoic, stolid

Vehement • Her vehement denial convinced me that the rumor wasn't true. • Romeo’s most vehement expressions of love for Juliet occurred in the Friar’s cell. • Harry Potter’s vehement claims that Voldemort was back were ignored by the Ministry of Magic.

Innate – Due April 28 • Definition: existing in one from birth; inborn • Sentence From Book: I was proceeding on the dim theory, aside from the innate attractiveness of such words, that if Atticus discovered I had picked them up at school he wouldn’t make me go.

Innate • Synonyms: congenital, deep-seated, essential, hereditary, inbred, indigenous, inherent, intrinsic, natural • Antonyms: acquired, extrinsic, learned

Innate • She has an innate ability to tell when people want to talk and when they just want to be left alone. • Some people have an innate sense of rhythm. Others seem to have been born with two left feet.

Ominous – Due April 28 • Definition: Something that predicts or shows evil or harm coming in the future. • Ominous means having a threatening or menacing aspect. It usually foreshadows evil. • Sentence from book: There was a murmur among the group of men, made more ominous when Atticus moved back to the bottom front step and the men drew nearer to him.

Ominous • Synonyms: dire, dismal, doomed, fateful, forbidding, haunting, hostile, impending, inauspicious, portentous, prophetic, sinister, suggestive, threatening, unfriendly, unlucky, unpromising • Antonyms: auspicious, lucky, promising, favorable

Ominous • The ominous knock that he hears is threatening to him because it means that it is time for him to pay the rent. • The ominous dark clouds dismayed the bride, who had planned an outdoor wedding. • For many generations, teachers have been making ominous predictions about students’ futures based on lack of effort in high school.

Scrutiny – Due May 5 • Noun • Definition: A close, careful examination or study. Sentence from book: The jury, thinking themselves under close scrutiny, paid attention; so did the witnesses, thinking likewise.

Scrutiny • Synonyms: analysis, exploration, inquiry, inspection, investigation, perusal, review • Antonyms: skim, scan, glance, thumb through, browse

Scrutiny • Books undergo careful scrutiny from editors before they ever hit the shelves. • American Idols endure scrutiny from the judges after each performance. • People who choose careers in the arts know that their work will face scrutiny by reviewers.

Chifforobe – due May 5 • Noun • Meaning: a piece of furniture having both drawers and space for hanging clothes. • Sentence from the book: • …there was this old chiffarobe in the yard Papa’d brought in to chop up for kindlin’

More about…Chifforobe • Chifforobe - Old, yet modern, furniture. . . A chifforobe is "a modern invention, having been in use only a short time. " That is what you see if you look in the 1908 Sears Catalog, which is [supposedly] the first time the chifforobe was introduced to the furniture buying public. It is basically a tall, free-standing closet for your hanging clothes with a set of drawers for other clothing. Often described as a mixture of an armoire, a wardrobe and a chest of drawers, chifforobe components are usually arranged side-by-side (but may also have the hanging clothes section above one or two drawers). The chifforobe became popular because turn of the century (1900) homes did not have much closet space - because most families did not have many clothes. However, with the growing affluence of the early 1900 s, people all of a sudden needed more storage space. It was much more convenient to buy a chifforobe from Sears than to remodel a bedroom or two.

Chifforobe • Synonyms: bureau, chest, chiffonier, dresser, highboy, lowboy, tallboy, wardrobe, armoire • Antonyms: none

Example Sentences • When I first moved out on my own, my grandmother gave me a chiffarobe for my hanging and folded clothes. • Back in the day many houses didn’t have closets, so instead of using a dresser people would use a chiffarobe.

Impassive – due May 12 • Adjective • Definition: Revealing no emotion; expressionless • Atticus was standing under the street light looking as though nothing had happened: his vest was buttoned, his collar and tie were neatly in place, his watch-chain glistened, he was his impassive self again.

Impassive • Synonyms: collected, composed, emotionless, hardened, indifferent, placid, poker-faced, reserved, serene, stoic, taciturn, unemotional, unexcitable, unfeeling, unmoved, unruffled, wooden • Antonyms: emotional, feeling, passionate, responsive, sensitive

Impassive • Native Americans and people from the Far East are known for being impassive in the face of physical or emotional stress. • Girls are taught that it’s OK to cry when they’re in pain, but boys are told to be more impassive.

Apprehension – due May 12 • Noun (thing) • Definition: an uneasy or fearful feeling about something that might happen • Sentence from the book: Ladies in bunches always filled me with vague apprehension and a firm desire to be elsewhere, but this feeling was what Aunt Alexandra called being “spoiled. ”

Apprehension • Synonyms: • Anxiety, fear, alarm, concern, doubt, dread, foreboding, misgiving, premonition, suspicion, trepidation, uneasiness, worry • Antonyms: • calmness, ease

Apprehension • Most drivers feel apprehension the first time they get behind the wheel. • The performer experienced apprehension before her first performance. • Many actors say that the apprehension at facing a live audience never really goes away.

Conceive – due May 19 • Definition: to understand • Sentence from the book: • I can’t conceive of anyone low-down enough to do a thing like this, but I hope you found him.

Conceive • Synonyms: accept, appreciate, believe, comprehend, get, grasp, imagine, perceive, realize • Antonyms: NONE

Sentence from the book • I can’t conceive of a reason why he should be set free after what he did. • Some students can’t conceive of why they should spend time on their homework. • The crime was so gruesome that I couldn't even conceive of someone actually doing it.

Purloin – due May 19 • Definition: to take without permission; steal • Sentence from the book: Miss Tutti was sure those traveling fur sellers who came through town two days ago had purloined their furniture.

Purloin • Synonyms: burglarize, embezzle, filch, heist, pilfer, plunder, shoplift, swindle, take, thieve

Purloin • The Wicked Witch of the West feels that Dorothy has purloined her ruby slippers. • The student tried to purloin the final exam from the teacher's desk. • I did not purloin the necklace; it was given to me.