Vocab

Repugnance – 8 – noun

Intense disgust
All their repugnance was contained in the neat balance of the triangles- a balance that soothed him, transferred some of its equilibrium to him.
I was filled with repugnance for the tattooed man beast.

Abate – 13 – verb

Of something perceived as hostile, threatening or negative
Shadrack was suffering from a blinding headache, which was not abated by the comfort he felt when the policemen pulled his hands away from what he thought was a permanent entanglement with his shoelaces.
My fear for pitbulls was not abated when the 80 year old lady pulled one off of me.

Unequivocal – 13 – adjective

Leaving no doubt, unambiguous
A black so definite, so unequivocal, it astonished him.
It was unequivocal that the crystal skull was scary.

Quell – 22 – verb

Put an end to.
. . . This tall, proud woman, this woman who was very particular about her friends, who slipped into church with unequaled elegance, who could quell a roustabout with a look . . .
The riot police quelled the riots.

Guile – 41 – noun

Sly or cunning intelligence
Her flirting was sweet, low and guileless.
I had lots of guile.  I had to be part of the ISO immediately.

 

Fastidious – 43 – adjective

Very attentive to, and concerned about accuracy and detail
he liked the last place least . . . because her love mate’s tendency was always to fall asleep afterward and Hannah was fastidious about whom she slept with.
I am fastidious about who I sleep with.

Vitriol – 45 – noun

Cruel and bitter criticism
he was unquestionably a kind and generous woman and that . . . made them defend her from any vitriol that newcomers or their wives might spill.
His vitriol was not nice.

Insouciant – 96 – noun

Casual lack of concern; indifference
Nel’s grimy intractable children looked like three wild things happily insouciant in the May shine.
I was insouciant about coming to Ben's class.

Contrive – 118 – verb

Create or bring about something by deliberate use of skill and artifice
Their evidence against Sula was contrived, but their conclusions about her were not.
The artists contrived the skulptoors.

Pariah – 122 – noun

An outcast
he was a pariah, then, and knew it. Knew that they despised her and believed that they framed their hatred as disgust for the easy way she lay with men.
Britney Spears is often considered a pariah, but I believe that she is a fine, upstanding individual.