To Kill a Mockingbird Vocabulary

1. Sojourn

“My sojourn in the corner was a short one. Saved by the bell,

Miss Caroline watched the class file out for lunch”(Lee

29).

1. Sojourn

(Noun)A temporary stay

2. predilection

“The Radleys, welcome anywhere in town, kept to themselves, a predilection unforgivable in Maycomb”

( Lee 11).

2. predilection

(Noun) a thought or bias

3. simultaneous

“With movements so swift they seemed simultaneous,

Atticus’s hand yanked a ball-tipped lever as he brought the gun to his shoulder” (Lee 127).

3. simultaneous

(Adjective)

existing, occurring, or operating at the same time;

concurrent:

4. assuaged

“When it healed, and Jem’s fears of never being able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious

about his injury”( Lee 3).

4. assuaged

(Verb)

to soothe, calm, at ease

5. benevolence

“Miss Maudie’s benevolence extended to Jem and Dill,

whenever they paused in their pursuits: we reaped the benefits of a talent Miss Maudie had hitherto kept

hidden from us” (Lee 57).

5. benevolence

(Noun)

desire to do good to others; an act of kindness; a charitable gift.

6. vehemently

“’Atticus shook his head vehemently: “Don’t just stand there, Heck! He won’t wait all

day for you-”’( Lee 127).

6. vehemently

(Adjective)

strongly emotional; intense or passionate:

7. malevolent

“Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom”(Lee 10).

7. malevolent

(Adjective)

• wishing evil or harm to another or others; • evil; harmful

8. jubilantly

“Jem picked up a rock and threw it jubilantly at the

carhouse” (Lee 131).

8. jubilantly

(adjective)

showing great joy, satisfaction, or triumph; rejoicing; exultant

9. auspicious

“The remainder of my schooldays were no more

auspicious than the first” ( Lee 43).

9. auspicious

( Adjective)

favored by fortune; prosperous; fortunate

10. taciturn

“Their sister Alexandra was the Finch who remained at the

Landing: she married a taciturn man who spent most of his time lying in a hammock by

the river wondering if his trot-lines were full”( Lee 5)

10. taciturn

(Adjective)

inclined to silence; reserved in speech; reluctant to join in

conversation

11. obstreperous

“It was obstreperous, disorderly and abusive-”(Lee

113).

11. obstreperous

( Adjective)

noisy, clamorous, or boisterous

12. inconspicuous

“With theses attributes, however, he would not remain

inconspicuous as we wished him to: that year, the school buzzed with talk about defending Tom Robinson, none of which was

complimentary” (Lee 119).

12. inconspicuous

( Adjective)

not conspicuous, noticeable, or prominent.

13. perplexity

“She must have seen my perplexity. She said, “’Only

thing I worried about last night was all the danger and commotion it caused’”

(Lee 97-98).

13. perplexity

( Noun)

the state of being perplexed; confusion; uncertainty

14. illicitly

“I never deliberately learned to read, but somehow I had been wallowing illicitly in the daily

papers” (Lee 23).

14. illicitly

(Adverb)

• not legally permitted or authorized; unlicensed; unlawful

• disapproved of or not permitted for moral or ethical reasons