| improvident | adjectivenot provident; lacking foresight; incautious; unwary”In his day, he was lazy and improvident and unable to think about tomorrow (Achebe 5). |
| impending | Verb/Adjective be about to happen (or of something bad, looming)”;about the heavy rains which were drowning the yams, about the next ancestral feast and about the impending war with the village of Mbaino” (Achebe 6). |
| plaintive | Adjective Sounding sad and mournful “about the heavy rains which were drowning the yams, about the next ancestral feast and about the impending war with the village of Mbaino” (Achebe 6). |
| discerned | Verb Perceive or recognize; distinguish mentally”;about the heavy rains which were drowning the yams, about the next ancestral feast and about the impending war with the village of Mbaino” (Achebe 6). |
| imperious | Adj. domineering in a haughty manner; dictatorialAnd so when Okonkwo of Umuofia arrived at Mbaino as the proud and imperious emissary of war,…(Achebe 12). |
| incipient | adj.beginning to exist or appearAnd so when Okonkwo of Umuofia arrived at Mbaino as the proud and imperious emissary of war,…(Achebe 12). |
| reluctant | adjective hesitant; unwilling; They cross seven rivers to make their farms; you stay at home and offer sacrifices to a reluctant soil (Achebe 18). |
| consolation | noun comfort and solaceHis faith was a consolation during his troubles. |
| abomination | Noun Anything dislikedThere was an abomination for the football team. |
| brusqueness | nounan abrupt discourteous mannerBut he was struck, as most people were, by Okonkwo’s brusqueness in dealing with less successful men (Achebe 26) |
| repentant | adj characterized by or showing any past regrets; being sorryInwardly he was repentant. But he was not the man to go about telling his neighbors that he was in error (Achebe 31). |
| poignant | adj affecting or moving to the emotions” But he and Nowoye had become so deeply attached to each other that such moments became less frequent and less poignant” (Achebe 34) |
| reveled | Verb To engage in a lively gathering, e.g. parties”The three woman talked excitedly about the relations who had been invited, and the children reveled in the thought of being spoiled by these visitors from the motherland” (Achebe 38) |
| pulsation | Noun The rhythmic beating of an object.”It was like the pulsation of its heart” (Achebe 44) |
| fronds | NounFern leaf”Once in a while two young men carrying palm fronds ran around the circle and kept the crowd back by beating the ground in front of them or, if they were stubborn, their legs and feet.” (Achebe 47) |
| frenzied | Adjective Wildly exited or enthusiastic”The crowd roared and clapped and of a while drowned the frenzied drums” (Abebe 47) |
| feign | verb to pretend to be affected by “On receiving such a message through a younger brother or sister, Nwoye would feign annoyance and grumble aloud about women and their troubles” (Achebe 52). |
| rebuked | verb express sharp disapproval or criticism because of behavior or actions “And when he did this he saw that his father was pleased, and no longer rebuked him or beat him” (Abebe 54) |
| copiously | adverb done in great amounts or in large quantities”drinking palm-wine copiously” (Achebe 56). |
| valor | noun bravery, especially in battle”‘When did you become a shivering old woman,’ Okonkwo asked himself, ‘you, who are known in all the nine villages for your valor in war?'” (Achebe 65). |
| indulgently | AdverbHaving or indicating readiness “I sometimes think he is too sharp,” said Obrieka, somewhat indulgently.” (Achebe 70) |
| audacity | NounRude Behavior, Nerve”Of his three wives Ekwefi was the only one who would have the audacity to bang on this door”( Achebe 76). |
| conspiracies | NounPlot, Scheme, Plan”There was something in it like the companionship of equals, which was strengthened by such little conspiracies as eating eggs in the bedroom”(Achebe 77). |
| malevolence | nounill will; malice; hatred Her husband’s wife took this for malevolence, as husbands’ wives were won’t to (Achebe 56) |
| pandemonium | nounWild uproar or unrestrained disorderThe egwugwu house was now pandemonium of quavering voices: Aru oyim de de de de dei! filled the air as the spirits of the ancestors, just emerged from the earth, greeted themselves in their esoteric language (Achebe 63) |
| esoteric | adjective understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge on the subject”…the esoteric language of the ekwe…” (Achebe 85). |
| approbation | NounOfficial approval or sanction.The judge gave him approbation to see his daughter. |
| notorious | adjectiveFamous or well known for some bad deed “Nwayieke lived four compounds away, and she was notorious for her late night cooking.” (Achebe 95) |
| voluble | adjective characterized by a ready and continuous flow of words”Tortoise was very happy and voluble as he flew among the birds (Achebe 68). |
| sullenness | Noun the state of being bad-tempered or gloomyThe moon must be preparing to rise, its sullenness over (Achebe 74).After a night of gloomy darkness, at last, the stars came out and the moon prepared to rise, its sullenness over. |
| spare | adjective thin, bony, lanky, lean”Ezinma emerged from the hut, rubbing her eyes and stretching her spare frame” (Achebe 79). |
| orators | noun a public speaker especially one of great eloquence”…he was a powerful orator and was always chosen to speak on such occasions…” (Achebe 143). |
| sediment | noun the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid”The faint and distant wailing of women settled like a sediment of sorrow on the earth” (Achebe 120). |
| tumult | nouna loud, confused noise, esp. one caused by a large mass of people”But before this quiet and final rite, the tumult increased tenfold” (Achebe 123). |
| delirious | Adjective Marked by uncontrolled excitement or emotion”And then from the center of the delirious fury came a cry of agony and shouts of horror” (Achebe 124). |
| inadvertent | AdjectiveUnintentionalThe accident was inadvertent. |
| requisite | AdjectiveRequired or necessary for a particular purpose.The flowers were requisite for the dress. |
| coiffure | NounA persons hairstyle, typically an elaborate one.”And then from the center of the delirious fury came a cry of agony and shouts of horror” (Achebe 124). |
| affirmed | verb to declare support forIf a man said yes, his chi also affirmed (Achebe 92) |
| fugitives | Noun People who are running away, or trying to escape some kind of punishment or dangerThe fugitives escaped by a bus crash. |
| ominous | Adjective Giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is about to happenThere was something ominous about the silence that captured everyone’s breath in exchange for grim anticipation. |
| heathen | Noun A follower of a polytheistic religion”Evil men and all the heathen who in their blindness bowed to wood and store were thrown into a fire that burned like palm-oil” (Achebe 145). |
| deceit | nounthe act of misleading.once her deceit was found, people feared to trust her. |
| derisive | adjective mocking, ridiculing”…they broke into derisive laughter…” (Achebe 103). |
| enthralled | Adjective Captivated”…they broke into derisive laughter…” (Achebe 103). |
| preserved | noun safe, protectedThe decloration of independence is preserved. |
| impudent | AdjectiveShameless or brazenly immodest “Alfred was an impudent fool.” |
| miscreant | noun A person who behaves badly or in a way that breaks the law”…vile and miscreant gang…” (Achebe 108). |
| degenerate | VerbHaving lost the mental or physical abilities considered normal or desirable . My math skills are starting to degenerate. |
| Zeal | Noun Great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective Laura brought a missionary zeal to her work |
| Ostracize | Verb To exclude someone from a society or group”But let us ostracize these men” (Achebe 159). |
| kinsman | noun – The member of the same race, tribe or Ethnic stock-“An animal rubs its aching flank against a tree, a man asks his kinsman to scratch him.’ He prayed especially for Okonkwo and his family” (Achebe 117). |
| sires | Noun- Respectful name for someone of high social status. “when the younger generation consider themselves wiser than their sires to see a man doing things in the grand, old way” (Achebe 118). |
| amends | Noun- Compensation for loss. After the dreadful car accident; the girl sought compensation for the repairs on her vehicle. |
| resilient | adj rebounding, springing backHe started on his resilient journey all over again, trying to make it back to the top |
| dispensation | Noun Exemption from a usual rule or requirement”There were many men in women in Umofia who did not feel as strongly as Okonkwo about the new dispensation. |
| expedient | Suitable to circumstances, appropriate, Adj.Everything was possible, he told his energetic flock, but everything was not expedient (178). |
| prestige | Noun Widespread respect and Admiration felt for someone or something on the basis of a perception of their achievements or quality. |
| desecrated | Verb to treat with sacrilege “We shall make sacrifices to cleanse the desecrated land” (Achebe 147). |
| imminent | Part of Speech: AdjectiveDefinition: likely to occur at any moment; projecting or leading forward; overhangingSynonym: impending |
| taunt | Verb / Adjective A remark (or to make such remark) to anger, annoy, or provoke someone She had taunted to dog with a treat, but never gave it to him. |
| sacrilege | noun The violation of stealing something sacred”The men were accused of sacrilege” |
| superfluous | Adjective- Being more sufficient than required, excessive. The attendant showed his superfluous abilities at his first day on the job. |
| resolute | Adjective Admirably Purposeful and Unwavering “The resolute administrator in him gave way to the student of primitive customs” (Achebe |
Things Fall Apart Vocab
February 13, 2020