©2009 Secondary Solutions - 95 - Of Mice and Men Literature Guide
Of Mice and Men
Vocabulary with Definitions
Chapter One
1. junctures: noun; points of union;
connections
2. debris: noun; fragments of something
broken into pieces
3. mottled: adj.; spotted; marked with
different colors
4. recumbent: adj.; lying back; resting or
leaning
5. morosely: adv.; in a withdrawn or gloomy
way; sadly; thoughtfully
6. lumbered: verb.; moved clumsily or
heavily
7. brusquely: adv.; abruptly, angrily, or
bluntly in manner or speech
8. pantomime: noun; an imitation of
someone else’s mannerisms
9. contemplated: verb; thought deeply
about
10. imperiously: adv.; in a haughty,
dictatorial, or overbearing manner
11. anguished: adj.; with extreme anxiety or
torment; distressed
12. yammered: verb; howled or wailed as if in
pain; whimpered
Chapter Two
1. scoff (at): verb; to make fun of; tease
2. mollified: adj.; soothed, appeased;
calmed
3. pugnacious: adj.; belligerent or
aggressive in nature; quarrelsome
4. gingerly: adv.; very carefully
5. handy: adj.; clever and useful
6. ominously: adv.; in a threatening way,
indicating something bad is going to
happen
7. slough: verb; to cast something off; shed
8. derogatory: adj.; critical or disparaging
9. flounced: verb; moved in an exaggerated
or angry way
10. plaintively: adv.; in a sorrowful or
melancholy way; mournfully
11. decisive: adj.; able to make decisions
quickly; firm
12. complacently: adv.; with self-satisfaction;
smugly
Chapter Three
1. derision: noun; mocking scorn; ridicule
2. lynch: verb; to seize and punish
someone believed to have committed a
crime
3. concealing: verb; putting or keeping
someone or something out of sight;
hiding
4. stride: noun; a long step
5. gnawing: adj.; persistent and troubling
6. entranced: verb; in a state of
fascination or wonder
7. reprehensible: adj.; highly
unacceptable; deserving criticism
8. bemused: adj.; caused somebody to
be confused or puzzled
9. cowering: verb; cringing or moving
backward defensively in fear
10. regarded: verb; thought carefully about
someone or something; judged
11. wryly: adv.; in an amusing and ironic
way
12. solemnly: adv.; in a humorless or
formal manner
Chapter Four
1. mauled: verb; beat, battered, or tore at
a person or animal
2. aloof: adj.; uninvolved with people or
events; remote
3. meager: adj.; unsatisfactorily small;
unsatisfying
4. liniment: noun; a pain-relieving cream
or ointment
5. fawning: adj.; attempting to please with
flattery
6. disarming: adj.; charming; friendly or
trusting
7. scornful: adj.; feeling or expressing
great contempt for someone or
something
8. brutally: adv.; in an unrelentingly harsh
or cruel way
9. indignation: noun; anger about an
unfairness or wrongdoing
10. averted: verb; turned away