The Great Gatsby Vocabulary Builder

Exchanging friendly jokes and teasing comments in a playful way

The two old friends spent the evening bantering with each other about their school days.

A feeling of being too satisfied with yourself or your situation, so that you stop trying to improve

The team's complacency after their early wins caused them to lose the championship.

Sharing a border or touching along one side; next to each other

The two contiguous countries share a long border and have a close trading relationship.

A person, animal, or plant that lives in or is often found in a particular place

The colorful fish are well-known denizens of the coral reef.

Speaking or performing without any preparation or practice beforehand; improvising

When his notes went missing, the speaker impressed everyone by extemporizing for an entire hour.

Pretended; not real or genuine

She listened with feigned interest, but we could all see that she was actually bored.

Easily upset or irritated; tending to argue or cause trouble

The fractious child refused to eat dinner and kept arguing with his parents all evening.

A proud and unfriendly manner that shows you think you are better than other people

The new employee's hauteur made it difficult for her to make friends with her colleagues.

The feeling of being unable or unwilling to believe something

She stared at her lottery ticket with incredulity when she realized she had won the prize.

Too great, beautiful, or extreme to be expressed or described in words

Standing at the top of the mountain, she felt an ineffable sense of peace and wonder.

Deserving praise and admiration because it is done for good reasons

Her laudable effort to collect food for homeless families inspired many others to help.

Behavior or talk that treats a serious situation in a humorous or light-hearted way

The teacher's moment of levity helped the students relax before the difficult exam.

Appearing attractive or valuable on the outside but actually having no real worth or honesty

The advertisement used meretricious claims to make the cheap product seem luxurious.

Expecting to be obeyed immediately, with no discussion or argument; rude and too direct

The manager gave a peremptory order to finish the report by noon, without asking if we needed more time.

Relating to the act of copying someone else's words or ideas and pretending they are your own

The professor rejected the plagiaristic essay and asked the student to write an original one.

Giving a sign or warning that something important, often bad, is going to happen; or trying to seem very serious and important

The dark clouds and strange silence felt portentous, as if a terrible storm was coming.

Very careful to follow rules of correct behavior or to do things in the proper way

The punctilious secretary always made sure every letter was formatted perfectly before sending it.

Relating to or resembling sleepwalking; moving or acting as if in a daze or half-asleep

After working three consecutive night shifts, he moved through the office in a somnambulatory state.

Behaving as if you are better than other people and showing that you have a low opinion of them

The supercilious waiter looked down at us as if we did not belong in the expensive restaurant.

Looking pale and weak, often because of illness, tiredness, or sadness

After spending two weeks in the hospital, she looked wan and tired but was happy to go home.