We Are the Ants: List 4

by Shaun David Hutchinson
Is the world worth saving? That's the question Henry Denton must answer when aliens give him the power to save—or destroy—the planet. Learn these words from the novel by Shaun David Hutchinson.

This list covers 5 Dec 2015 – 25 Dec 2015.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, LIst 3, List 4, List 5
35 words 24 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. velocity
    distance traveled per unit time in one direction
    An object must travel at approximately 11.2 kilometers per second to break free of Earth's gravity. This is known as escape velocity. Escaping the pull of a town like Calypso requires much higher velocity but is easier with money and a car.
  2. monotonous
    sounded or spoken in a tone unvarying in pitch
    I tried to pay attention, but the monotonous voice of the narrator kept lulling me to sleep.
  3. evasive
    deliberately vague or ambiguous
    I tried not to sound evasive, but I’m pretty sure I failed miserably.
  4. loathe
    dislike intensely; feel disgust toward
    The dark room. I love and loathe that room. It’s there that they deconstruct me, study me, and rebuild me. It’s there that they probe me, searching for answers to the mystery of Henry Jerome Denton.
  5. consensus
    agreement in the judgment reached by a group as a whole
    When scientists at NASA first observe the sun dimming, a small division is funded to study the phenomenon, but the consensus is that the anomaly will self-correct.
  6. anomaly
    deviation from the normal or common order, form, or rule
    When scientists at NASA first observe the sun dimming, a small division is funded to study the phenomenon, but the consensus is that the anomaly will self-correct.
  7. imminent
    close in time; about to occur
    A year later a secret conference of scientists is convened to debate the dimming of the sun, which many now believe presents an imminent threat to life on Earth.
  8. sham
    something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
    Conservatives in Washington, DC, claim these phenomena are proof that global warming is and always was a sham.
  9. viable
    capable of being done with means at hand
    While most scientists at the conference agree that the global cool down is being caused by the dimming of the sun, none can offer a viable solution to halt or reverse it.
  10. temperate
    mild or free from extremes
    People flee the northernmost states to more temperate climates.
  11. meager
    deficient in amount or quality or extent
    There are no wars over the world's meager resources; soldiers are too cold and hungry to fight.
  12. appalling
    causing shock, dismay, or horror
    “Well, this is just appalling,” Audrey said, stifling a giggle.
  13. smattering
    a small number or amount
    I waited until they finished “I Could Have Danced All Night” from My Fair Lady, and added my applause to the smattering from the handful of patients and nurses seated about the airy room.
  14. astounding
    so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm
    Audrey's grace under pressure was astounding.
  15. scrawl
    poor handwriting
    When we signed out, I flipped through the pages to see if anyone else had visited Nana. Charlie’s careless scrawl popped up once, but Mom’s was there every day.
  16. cynical
    believing the worst of human nature and motives
    It was how bitter and cynical Mom had become, and Marcus’s downward spiral, and my not being able to get over Jesse and give Diego a fair chance.
  17. adrenaline
    hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress
    Adrenaline surged through me. Testosterone and electricity. I began to understand the power of aggression, of fists and fighting and pain.
  18. claustrophobic
    abnormally afraid of closed-in places
    The mobs of people were making me claustrophobic, and I wanted them to die slowly of plague almost as much as I wanted to get the hell out of there.
  19. emaciated
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    I love my talking Gollum doll. Nothing says best-friendship like an emaciated demon who hides under your pillow snarling, ‘My precious!’ even after you remove his batteries and drown him in a bucket of water.
  20. enigma
    something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
    I knew loads about Jesse—he loved baths but hated hot tubs, he listened to self-important indie music, cologne made his eyes puffy, he never washed his jeans—but Diego was an enigma.
  21. fray
    a noisy fight
    “Depression isn’t a war you win. It’s a battle you fight every day. You never get to stop, never get to rest. It’s one bloody fray after another. Jesse got worn down and didn’t think he could fight anymore.”
  22. impeccable
    without error or flaw
    Diego set down his fork. Unlike at the barbecue, he had impeccable manners. He kept his elbows off the table, didn’t talk with his mouth full, and used his napkin frequently.
  23. intercede
    act between parties with a view to reconciling differences
    I tried to intercede, but Charlie and Zooey sank their claws into Diego, and he’d soon agreed to paint the baby’s room, though he refused to accept money for his work.
  24. inconsequential
    lacking worth or importance
    Audrey talked about inconsequential things while I tried to sort out what had happened with Diego.
  25. finality
    the quality of being definitely settled
    His leaving hurt like the punch of finality that only comes from a broken heart.
  26. idiosyncratic
    peculiar to the individual
    It was a typical Florida house, which is to say there was nothing architecturally interesting about it. It had no history, no quirky lines or idiosyncratic ornamentations. It was solid and functional, though larger than most of the other houses on the street.
  27. marred
    blemished by injury or rough wear
    The driveway was marred by nothing, not even a single drop of oil.
  28. pristine
    immaculately clean and unused
    The Franklins’ house was pristine, perfect, and sterile, right down to the tasteful white holiday lights that lined the edge of the roof, and the festive wreath hanging from the front door.
  29. festive
    offering fun and gaiety
    The Franklins’ house was pristine, perfect, and sterile, right down to the tasteful white holiday lights that lined the edge of the roof, and the festive wreath hanging from the front door.
  30. boon
    something that is desirable, favorable, or beneficial
    Audrey’s car didn’t stand out, which was a boon to us, as were the Christmas Eve parties happening at a few of the Franklins’ neighbors' houses.
  31. tipsy
    slightly intoxicated
    Audrey stumbled, and I caught her by the elbow. Anyone watching would have thought we were just a couple of tipsy kids.
  32. absolution
    the condition of being formally forgiven by a priest
    There were no truths to find in Jesse’s bedroom. No absolution.
  33. rampant
    occurring or increasing in an unrestrained way
    Disease runs rampant because few can afford health care, but starvation remains the number-one killer.
  34. catatonic
    characterized by unresponsiveness or lack of movement
    REMEMBER THE PAST,
    LIVE THE PRESENT,
    WRITE THE FUTURE.
    Diego traced the words. I couldn’t tell if he liked it or not. He’d practically gone catatonic.
  35. retractable
    capable of being pulled back
    There were four badly wrapped gifts in all. A book about rockets and space travel written in 1948, a retractable fountain pen, a bottle of dark red ink that looked like blood, and a star chart.
Created on Thu Jul 27 19:41:26 EDT 2017 (updated Fri Sep 13 13:56:59 EDT 2019)

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