The Adoration of Jenna Fox: List 2

by Mary E. Pearson
Jenna wakes up from a coma with no memory of her previous life. As her strangely secretive parents try to rebuild her identity, she becomes more and more determined to discover the truth about who she really is.

This list covers A Curve–Trigger.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
35 words 227 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. lapse
    a failure to maintain a higher state
    “You’re looking good,” he says. “How are you feeling?”
    “Fine.”
    “Any lapses? Pain? Anything unusual?”
  2. tentative
    hesitant or lacking confidence; unsettled in mind or opinion
    But then I remember her pale face. Her tentative decision.
  3. nicety
    conformity with some standard of correctness or propriety
    The way Mr. Bender warned me about the white house at the end of my street? Is it a nicety that means nothing, but one of the many other subtleties that has become muddled inside of me?
  4. muddle
    mix up or confuse
    The way Mr. Bender warned me about the white house at the end of my street? Is it a nicety that means nothing, but one of the many other subtleties that has become muddled inside of me?
  5. quahog
    an edible American clam with a hard shell
    Jenna laughs, this person that is me, and calls, “He has a hundred quahogs, Mom! Put that down, or we’ll starve!”
  6. cower
    show submission or fear
    Why does she whimper and cower so? Is she guilty?
  7. redundant
    repeating the same sense in different words
    I say a dozen more redundant things—things we have already discussed—just to keep her from talking.
  8. defunct
    no longer in force or use; inactive
    I see the defunct sign dismantled and leaning against the side, almost obscured by overgrown weeds.
  9. spruce
    make neat, smart, or trim
    A pale coat of yellow paint makes a faint attempt at sprucing it up.
  10. presume
    take to be the case or to be true
    Mitch raises her eyebrows. “With Mr. Collins, I presume?”
  11. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    Dane saunters past me and plops onto the couch.
  12. slink
    move or walk stealthily
    Gabriel slinks into the corner and sits at a Net station, looking small and thankful to be under the radar.
  13. complement
    make perfect or supply what is wanting
    State requirements are modified as much as possible to complement the ecosystems emphasis.
  14. revelation
    an enlightening or astonishing disclosure
    I’m startled at this revelation myself.
  15. materialism
    a desire for wealth and possessions
    “But it was his rejection of materialism and the Industrial Revolution that was the point of his move to Walden Pond and the strength of the entire—”
    “Not true,” I tell him.
  16. essence
    the choicest or most vital part of some idea or experience
    “It was a private journey as much as a public one. He was searching for his personal essence as much as he was making a political statement.”
  17. obsequious
    attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
    “In his final conclusion he says, It is life near the bone where it is sweetest. And building on that he says, I sat at a table where were rich food and wine in abundance, and obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away hungry from the inhospitable board.”
  18. inhospitable
    lacking cordiality and generosity toward guests or strangers
    “In his final conclusion he says, It is life near the bone where it is sweetest. And building on that he says, I sat at a table where were rich food and wine in abundance, and obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away hungry from the inhospitable board.”
  19. marrow
    the most essential or vital part of some idea or experience
    “And of course, much earlier he plainly states, I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life...to—”
    “I get it,” Ethan snaps.
  20. prosthetic
    of or relating to artificial body parts
    I am aware of prosthetic devices, but I think this is the first time I have seen them so close.
  21. ogle
    stare or look at, especially with amorous intentions
    I already have one strike against me by showing up Ethan. I don’t want another by ogling her.
  22. subside
    wear off or die down
    My laughter subsides, and I hear her soft voice over and over in my head until I just sit there with satisfaction wrapping around me.
  23. gavel
    a small mallet used by a presiding officer or a judge
    Ethan swigs down a big gulp of milk and brings the bottle down like a gavel.
  24. blunt
    characterized by directness in manner or speech
    Blunt maybe, but something about him intrigues me.
  25. intrigue
    cause to be interested or curious
    Blunt maybe, but something about him intrigues me.
  26. halting
    proceeding in a fragmentary, hesitant, or ineffective way
    My words have come out in halting spurts.
  27. absolve
    excuse or free from blame
    I wait for him to absolve me of not remembering a mother who birthed me, a grandmother who saved me, friends who rebelled with me, and a suffocating fear I can’t name.
  28. expectant
    marked by eager anticipation
    He waits expectantly. I lean in closer.
  29. befall
    become of; happen to
    We should be blessed if we lived in the present always, and took advantage of every accident that befell us...
  30. versed
    thoroughly acquainted through study or experience
    “You’re far more versed in Walden than you let on,” I say.
  31. nimble
    moving quickly and lightly
    I am still not the nimble Jenna Fox on the disc.
  32. exquisite
    delicately beautiful
    And yet, when I count them, yes, there are ten. Ten exquisitely perfect, beautiful fingers.
  33. feign
    make believe with the intent to deceive
    “Are you afraid?” I ask.
    She feigns surprise. “Of earthquakes? No. When it’s my time to go, I go.”
  34. trowel
    a small hand tool with a handle and metal blade
    We work side by side, using flat-bottomed trowels and occasionally shears to cut the vines and roots that weave through the blanket of dirt.
  35. inept
    generally incompetent and ineffectual
    Every word seems to bury me further. Was I always this inept?
Created on Mon Dec 10 20:52:12 EST 2018 (updated Fri Jan 11 14:13:10 EST 2019)

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