The Rebel Girls of Rome: Chapters 17–23

by Jordyn Taylor
This multi-timeline novel follows the story of two young women: Lilah, a college student visiting Rome with her grandfather in pursuit of a family secret, and Bruna, a Jewish girl living in Nazi-occupied Rome.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–7, Chapters 8–11, Chapters 12–16, Chapters 17–23
15 words 1 learner

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. dumbfounded
    as if rendered speechless with astonishment and surprise
    He shakes his head, dumbfounded.
  2. crotchety
    having a difficult and contrary disposition
    Even when Grandpa was closed off and crotchety and totally unpleasant to be around, Mom still visited him once or twice a week and emailed him every day, regardless of whether he’d responded to her message from the day before.
  3. palatable
    acceptable to the taste or mind
    I’d been trying to control it to make it more palatable for everyone, including me...but that’s just not how grief works.
  4. cope
    come to terms with
    It’s how I attempt to cope with the flashbacks that constantly assault my mind: I shut off my thoughts, my emotions—any and all processes beyond what my body needs to make it through the day.
  5. veer
    turn sharply; change direction abruptly
    Tommaso, nodding, veers onto the new road, and off we go.
  6. obscure
    make unclear or less visible
    For a while my view is obscured by trees lining the road, but then, the trees end, and in the field beyond, the ancient stone ruins of a three-story building rise from the earth.
  7. density
    the spatial property of being crowded together
    Between the curve of the path and the density of the trees, I can barely make out the Fiat from where we are.
  8. profusely
    in very large amounts or quantities; extremely
    My palms sweat profusely as we walk up to the front porch.
  9. nicety
    conformity with some standard of correctness or propriety
    She’s a hundred years old and not wasting any time with niceties.
  10. flustered
    thrown into a state of agitated confusion
    Nonna Carla, who’s always so put together, looks flustered by Bruna’s reaction—even frightened.
  11. destitute
    poor enough to need help from others
    Bruna went from idolizing Il Duce to questioning, then fearing him, especially after the racial laws left her community destitute.
  12. prognosis
    a prediction of the course of a disease
    When we found out Mom’s prognosis, I didn’t want my brothers to know the truth, either.
  13. aghast
    struck with fear, dread, or consternation
    Nonna Carla looks aghast.
  14. stamp out
    end or extinguish by forceful means
    They raised Speranza Jewish, carrying on the lineage the Nazis had tried to stamp out.
  15. documentary
    a film presenting the facts about a person or event
    When I go back to school after winter break, I’ll have to declare my major. I think I’m going to double in history and film studies, because making documentaries sounds like a pretty cool career, don’t you think?
Created on Mon Mar 23 06:51:38 EDT 2026 (updated Mon Jun 01 19:30:48 EDT 2026)

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.