Vocabulary for Night

Set three: 6 words

quarantine

• “You’re staying here three days in quarantine. Then you’re going to work. Tomorrow, medical inspection” (Wiesel 46).

• Because the people were sick with Ebola and no one wanted the sickness to spread, they were all quarantined in a separate house.

definition

a state, period, or place of isolation in which people or animals that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed.

POS: Noun

Synonyms: Isolate

contrary

• Who would have said anything to the contrary (Wiesel 46) ?

• Bruce ignored his father’s contrary advice and agreed to buy the rusty, old car.

definition

• Opposite in nature, direction, or meaning

• POS: Adjective

• Synonyms: opposed, conflicting, clashing

imperceptible

• Suddenly, we saw the door to Block 37 open imperceptibly. A man appeared crawling like a worm in the direction of the cauldrons. (Wiesel, 56).

• The lisp that Johnny had as a child is nearly gone and is just imperceptible now.

definition

• Very slight, gradual or subtle; difficult to perceive by the senses

• POS: Adjective

• Synonyms: unnoticeable, faint, undetected

extraction

• It did not take long to discover why we had been summoned; it was for the extraction of our gold teeth.

• The extraction of US troops from Vietnam signaled the end of the Vietnam War.

definition

• The action of taking out something, especially using effort or force (example –dentist)

• POS: Noun

• Synonyms: removal, release, freeing

reprieve

• He was glad to see that I had come back of my own accord, as I had promised. He gave me another reprieve (Wiesel 50).

• The mother who faced eviction from her house was given a reprieve by the bank.

definition

• A cancellation or postponement of a punishment; temporary escape from an undesirable fate or unpleasant situation

• POS: Noun

• Synonyms: pardon, spare, let off

cynical

• Juliek, a bespectacled Pole with a cynical smile on his face (Wiesel 47).

• After a pep talk one day and a lay off the next, the remaining staff was very cynical about the company.

definition

• Believing that people are motivated by self interest; distrust of human sincerity or motives

• POS: Adjective

• Synonyms: doubtful, disbelieving, suspicious