The Book Thief: Part Five–Part Six

by Markus Zusak
Liesel Meminger is a foster child living in Nazi Germany in 1939. Surrounded by violence, hardship, and war, Liesel is watched over by Death, who narrates her story.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Part Two, Part Three–Part Four, Part Five–Part Six, Part Seven–Part Nine, Part Ten–Epilogue
15 words 4256 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. gratuitous
    unnecessary and unwarranted
    If there was one thing about Liesel Meminger, her thieving was not gratuitous.
  2. unconscionable
    lacking a sense of right conduct
    Should this occur, I will be quite willing to turn a blind eye to any unconscionable tactics you might employ to grind this piece of Jewish stench and filth into the canvas.
  3. qualm
    uneasiness about the fitness of an action
    They had no qualms about stealing, but they needed to be told.
  4. repugnant
    offensive to the mind
    No, the repugnant truth was this:
    She didn’t care about the food.
  5. nostalgia
    a longing for something past
    Liesel, in the dusty dimness, shrugged off her feelings of nostalgia.
  6. altercation
    a noisy, angry argument or fight between people
    Rudy would finish this particular altercation with a black eye, cracked ribs, and a haircut.
  7. repercussion
    a remote or indirect consequence of some action
    Much of it would have repercussions for Liesel Meminger.
  8. suffice
    be adequate, either in quality or quantity
    I could go on, but I’ve decided for now that three examples will suffice.
  9. unflappable
    not easily perturbed, excited, or upset
    There is death.
    Making his way through all of it.
    On the surface: unflappable, unwavering.
  10. resurgence
    bringing again into activity and prominence
    Then there was a resurgence — an immense struggle against my weight.
  11. irreparable
    impossible to rectify or amend
    After judging it irreparable, all of the kids walked home in disgust, leaving the ball twitching on the cold, blistered road.
  12. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    Hans couldn’t resist an incredulous tone.
  13. antithesis
    exact opposite
    She had learned that expression from The Dream Carrier, which was essentially the complete antithesis of The Whistler — a book about an abandoned child who wanted to be a priest.
  14. premonition
    an early warning about a future event
    Was it a premonition of Max’s death?
  15. trepidation
    a feeling of alarm or dread
    Trepidation found its way onto his face and he made a confession to the girl.
Created on Tue Feb 26 19:37:34 EST 2013 (updated Wed Jun 25 14:16:24 EDT 2025)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.