Everything We Never Had: List 7

by Randy Ribay
This novel follows four generations of fathers and sons from the Filipino American Maghabol family as they struggle to survive and understand each other.

This list covers vocabulary from "Thor and His Infinite Bladder"–"Doomscrolling."

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5, List 6, List 7, List 8, List 9.

25 words 12 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. compel
    force somebody to do something
    But another part of Enzo compelled him to continue.
  2. pester
    annoy persistently
    “Just for tonight. Then you stop pestering me about it.”
  3. stimulate
    cause to be alert and energetic
    “It’s the sniffing that stimulates his brain, not the walking.”
  4. subdued
    quieted and brought under control
    He notices the shifting scents in the air, the subdued sounds of a city in quarantine, the changing phases of the moon.
  5. crucial
    of extreme importance; vital to the resolution of a crisis
    Chris has spent hours on Facebook trying in vain to find living relatives on his dad’s side, hoping to visit them in real life someday, but it’s impossible to confirm if those who share their surname are actual relatives without those crucial facts.
  6. integrated
    designated as available to all races or groups
    About attending the only integrated school in town, working at his aunt’s restaurant, and studying whenever he could.
  7. lukewarm
    feeling or showing little interest or enthusiasm
    About finally earning the lukewarm approval of Linda’s family by finishing at the top of his class and landing an engineering position right after graduation that paid more in one year than his parents probably made in a decade, a job that he would keep until his retirement.
  8. elude
    avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing
    Night by night, block by block, story by story, grandfather and grandson finally get to know each other in a way that’s eluded so many of the men of their blood.
  9. prompt
    urge, encourage, or motivate someone to act
    “Go on,” Lolo Emil prompts.
  10. stricken
    affected by something overwhelming
    Lolo Emil stops suddenly, stricken.
  11. plunge
    drop steeply
    “If you want,” Lolo Emil says, then takes a deep breath like a diver preparing to plunge into ice-cold waters.
  12. imperceptible
    impossible or difficult to sense
    He glances at Julia, who gives him a nearly imperceptible nod.
  13. skitter
    move or skip quickly across a surface
    An unseasonably cold wind stirs the leaves, blowing petals fluttering off their branches into the gutter and sending litter skittering across the street.
  14. patriarchy
    a form of social organization in which men hold power
    “Patriarchy,” Chris says dryly as he tucks a cigarette between his lips and lights it.
  15. endeavor
    a purposeful or industrious undertaking
    He’s supposed to be Enzo’s ally in this endeavor, though, so Enzo gives it another shot.
  16. lope
    run easily
    He finishes urinating against the nearby tree and then lopes off in the usual direction he’s been walking with Lolo Emil, away from the park.
  17. petulant
    easily irritated or annoyed
    “Is there a problem, Christopher? Is there something you’d like to say to me, or would you like to keep whispering behind my back like you’re still some petulant child?”
  18. emanate
    proceed or issue forth, as from a source
    His anger emanates in waves as he keeps his back to them.
  19. whimper
    cry weakly or softly
    Thor’s ears go back, and he starts to whimper as he edges closer to Enzo.
  20. devolve
    grow worse
    This is the exact opposite of progress, and Enzo doesn’t know how to stop it from devolving even further.
  21. rubble
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
    Enzo is left alone on the street corner, surrounded by the rubble of a war that was waged long before he was born.
  22. hoard
    save up as for future use
    People hoard toilet paper.
  23. cynicism
    a pessimistic feeling of distrust
    Each depressing news item nudges Enzo’s soul closer to the abyss of complete cynicism.
  24. brink
    the limit beyond which something happens or changes
    Around the house, his mom tells the family about how the Puerto Rican economy is on the brink of collapse since it’s still reeling from all the recent hurricanes and its complicated financial status as a commonwealth territory.
  25. violate
    act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises
    He goes off on how when people are caught violating the curfew to buy food for their families so they don’t starve, the police lock them in dog cages and cart them up and down the streets to shame them publicly while the drug war continues to take countless lives.
Created on Tue Mar 18 08:43:32 EDT 2025 (updated Mon Mar 31 17:26:55 EDT 2025)

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