Frankly in Love: Chapters 10–15

by David Yoon
Frank Li knows that his conservative Korean parents will not approve of the girl he is dating, so he and friend Joy Song agree to enter into a fake relationship to appease their families.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: before we begin–Chapter 9, Chapters 10–15, Chapters 16–27, Chapter 28–after we end
40 words 63 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. contrite
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
    I do want to share. I want to stand on my desk and declare, I have my first real date with Brit to the class. But I just offer a contrite smile and shake my head no.
  2. caper
    a crime (especially a robbery)
    The thrill of the caper is slowly ebbing to make way for another thrill waiting in the wings: Brit and I sitting close, dreaming together of love on a big screen.
  3. preempt
    take the place of or have precedence over
    I imagine Wu pulling up to Joy’s doorstep, to the confusion of her parents. “But—”
    Joy preempts my concern. “I always have him drop me off at the wrong house a couple doors down. It’s worked out so far.”
  4. succulent
    plant adapted to arid conditions with water-storing tissues
    Brit’s house looks different during the day. There are jewel-colored succulents dotting a gravel yard like little sculptures; didn’t notice those the night of our calculus assignment.
  5. ambient
    completely enveloping
    I take out my Tascam and record a length of ambient audio—all soft clinks and murmurs and long chair scrapes sounding like whalesong—then put it away.
  6. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    At one point, I hear Brit’s mom’s voice amid the screeching din of the subway car.
  7. bauble
    cheap showy jewelry or ornament
    “You’re swapping gems.”
    I think about Paul Olmo, waiting to unload his sachet of glass baubles while the rest of the party was asleep.
  8. moot
    of no legal significance, as having been previously decided
    “Do I seriously have to formulate a long-term parental diplomatic strategy just to date a girl? I mean, you wouldn’t have to.”
    Q concedes this point. “In theory. In reality the whole thing is moot, unless—”
  9. monocle
    lens for correcting defective vision in one eye
    “I’m happy you’re happy, and to hell with everything and everyone,” says Q, squinting at me through his invisible monocle and raising an invisible gimlet. “To this moment in time.”
  10. prodigious
    great in size, force, extent, or degree
    First, I sneezed on my test booklet, a prodigious specimen, and had nothing to wipe my nose with except the test booklet itself.
  11. dowel
    a peg that holds two adjacent pieces together
    Yut nori is this dice game from a million years ago but instead of dice you throw fat dowels carved from solid birch wood.
  12. elicit
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    Each throw of the sticks elicits oohs and aahs, or groans, or roars of laughter.
  13. thespian
    of or relating to drama
    “...I’m having one,” he says, and twists it open with thespian gusto.
  14. bemused
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    “Gimme one of those,” says Ella Chang, and stares at John with bemused defiance.
  15. pontificate
    talk in a dogmatic and pompous manner
    “Dummy, John likes every single thing Ella puts up. He pontificates forever in her comments, too. Every. Single. Post. Haven’t you noticed how at Gatherings he spends the whole time ignoring her?”
  16. rapt
    feeling great delight and interest
    When we return to Andrew’s room, I see John holding court before a rapt audience.
  17. ruse
    a deceptive maneuver, especially to avoid capture
    This way, in this party-type situation, Brit gets to meet Mom-n-Dad—like normal couples do—and I get to keep my ruse with Joy intact.
  18. coquettish
    like a flirtatious woman
    Something changes in Joy. She becomes almost coquettish.
  19. concede
    admit or acknowledge, often reluctantly
    I tilt my head to concede her brilliance, and slide my glass toward her like a player relinquishing his stack at poker.
  20. wry
    humorously sarcastic or mocking
    She lets her face fall, and it becomes regular Joy again, complete with wry smile.
  21. reiterate
    say, state, or perform again
    “You guys. Just to reiterate, just so we’re absolutely clear, I need you to promise us that—”
  22. profound
    showing intellectual penetration or emotional depth
    “We all just want to love who we want to love.”
    And with that, Ella has brought the table to a profound place.
  23. relent
    give in, as to influence or pressure
    Dad will grumble at first, but when he sees the light of realization in Mom’s eyes, he will relent.
  24. beguiling
    highly attractive and able to arouse hope or desire
    “You look...beguiling,” I say.
  25. platonic
    free from physical desire
    I touch her shoulder, then feel Mom’s eyes through the glass, and lean back to fake a more platonic posture. Just friends.
  26. unwavering
    not showing abrupt variations
    We bring out a gentleness in each other. It’s a gentleness that glows unwavering even as the Apeys roll and holler around us and Mom barks for help over the sizzling grill cover, shaped like a hubcap to let the excess grease drain away.
  27. crestfallen
    brought low in spirit
    She picks up rice from her bowl like See? I can do it, but then drops it, perhaps from nerves. A little crestfallen look twitches her brow.
  28. stupendous
    so great in size, force, or extent as to elicit awe
    “You’ve made this amaz—this stupendous feast.”
  29. adamant
    impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason
    She’s doing it: expressing regret for having to leave early, adamantly refusing leftovers, impressing upon Mom the urgency and importance of not keeping her fictional SAT study buddy waiting, gracefully berating her own lack of planning and rudeness.
  30. berate
    censure severely or angrily
    She’s doing it: expressing regret for having to leave early, adamantly refusing leftovers, impressing upon Mom the urgency and importance of not keeping her fictional SAT study buddy waiting, gracefully berating her own lack of planning and rudeness.
  31. ensue
    take place or happen afterward or as a result
    For Brit has spotted Mom clearing the table. When she tries to help, Mom holds her at bay with gentle refusal. But Brit leans in, armed with powerful manners of her own. A spectacular polite fight ensues that culminates with Mom awarding Brit an apron and a place at the sink.
  32. ganglion
    an encapsulated collection of nerve cell bodies
    “This place is manipulating my brain at the ganglion cellular level,” says Brit.
  33. cinch
    pull, fasten, or tie something tightly
    I cinch Brit’s hoodie down tight around her face and she does the same to mine, and we both look like cartoon characters waddling toward the pounding surf.
  34. meager
    deficient in amount or quality or extent
    At first I think it’s just the white foam catching the meager light.
  35. dissipate
    move away from each other
    But when my eyes adjust, I see it: an alien blue glow blooming and dissipating wherever the ocean churns. Peak sparkles.
  36. belie
    be in contradiction with
    Brit is an old soul. I can feel that. She has this strange patience that belies her age.
  37. relinquish
    part with a possession or right
    We said three words few ever say to each other. It’s hard for me to pin down exactly what the precious words signify. They are a pact, a declaration. Also a kind of relinquishing. Saying I love you is the cry of the helpless. All you can do is confess it and hope it shows you mercy.
  38. cantilever
    construct or support with girders and beams fixed at one end
    I lean over. She leans in, cantilevering her body on the sill, and gives me a single kiss like a drinking bird toy.
  39. dour
    showing a brooding ill humor
    The best I can manage is a dour smile, which Joy makes up for with an expert head tilt, peace sign, and duckling pout.
  40. lithe
    moving and bending with ease
    I hold her arm with both hands, mostly to admire its fine lithe structure.
Created on Fri Mar 13 10:32:23 EDT 2020 (updated Wed Mar 18 14:03:23 EDT 2020)

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.