"The Hunger Games" Vocabulary from Chapter 1

In a dystopian future a young girl is forced to fight for her life and the life of her family in Suzanne Collins's hugely successful book series.

When you finish this list, move on to the Chapter 2 words.
54 words 5269 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. canvas
    a heavy, closely woven fabric
    My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim's warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress.
  2. cocoon
    wrap, as for protection
    My little sister, Prim, curled up on her side, cocooned in my mother's body, their cheeks pressed together.
  3. insist
    be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
    Prim named him Buttercup, insisting that his muddy yellow coat matched the bright flower.
  4. scrawny
    being very thin
    Scrawny kitten, belly swollen with worms, crawling with fleas.
  5. entrails
    internal organs collectively
    Sometimes, when I clean a kill, I feed Buttercup the entrails.
  6. supple
    moving and bending with ease
    Supple leather that has molded to my feet.
  7. forage
    the act of searching for food and provisions
    I pull on trousers, a shirt, tuck my long dark braid up into a cap, and grab my forage bag.
  8. squat
    short and thick
    Shutters on the squat gray houses are closed.
  9. deterrent
    something immaterial that interferes with action or progress
    In theory, it's supposed to be electrified twenty- four hours a day as a deterrent to the predators that live in the woods -- packs of wild dogs, lone cougars, bears -- that used to threaten our streets.
  10. predator
    any animal that lives by preying on other animals
    In theory, it's supposed to be electrified twenty- four hours a day as a deterrent to the predators that live in the woods -- packs of wild dogs, lone cougars, bears -- that used to threaten our streets.
  11. rabid
    infected by an acute viral disease of the nervous system
    Inside the woods they roam freely, and there are added concerns like venomous snakes, rabid animals, and no real paths to follow.
  12. venture
    proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
    But most are not bold enough to venture out with just a knife.
  13. execute
    murder in a planned fashion
    My father could have made good money selling them, but if the officials found out he would have been publicly executed for inciting a rebellion.
  14. incite
    provoke or stir up
    My father could have made good money selling them, but if the officials found out he would have been publicly executed for inciting a rebellion.
  15. indifferent
    showing no care or concern in attitude or action
    So I learned to hold my tongue and to turn my features into an indifferent mask so that no one could ever read my thoughts.
  16. ration
    a fixed portion that is allotted
    It's real bakery bread, not the flat, dense loaves we make from our grain rations.
  17. sentimental
    marked by tender, romantic, or nostalgic emotion
    Think the old man was feeling sentimental this morning," says Gale.
  18. mimic
    imitate, especially for satirical effect
    Suddenly he falls into a Capitol accent as he mimics Effie Trinket, the maniacally upbeat woman who arrives once a year to read out the names at the leaping.
  19. verve
    an energetic style
    I finish with equal verve.
  20. apothecary
    a health professional who prepares and dispenses drugs
    They ran an apothecary shop in the nicer part of District 12.
  21. remedy
    a medicine or therapy that cures disease or relieves pain
    My father got to know my mother because on his hunts he would sometimes collect medicinal herbs and sell them to her shop to be brewed into remedies.
  22. iridescent
    varying in color when seen in different lights
    From this place, we are invisible but have a clear view of the valley, which is teeming with summer life, greens to gather, roots to dig, fish iridescent in the sunlight.
  23. preposterous
    inviting ridicule
    The idea is so preposterous.
  24. devoted
    zealous in allegiance or affection
    And Gale is devoted to his family.
  25. romantic
    expressive of or exciting love
    There's never been anything romantic between Gale and me.
  26. prey
    animal hunted or caught for food
    The predators ignore us on a day when easier, tastier prey abounds.
  27. compliment
    a remark expressing praise and admiration
    Madge shoots him a look, trying to see if it's a genuine compliment or if he's just being ironic.
  28. ironic
    humorously sarcastic or mocking
    Madge shoots him a look, trying to see if it's a genuine compliment or if he's just being ironic.
  29. adorn
    make more attractive, as by adding ornament or color
    His eyes land on a small, circular pin that adorns her dress.
  30. eligible
    qualified for or allowed or worthy of being chosen
    You become eligible for the reaping the day you turn twelve.
  31. meager
    deficient in amount or quality or extent
    Each tessera is worth a meager year's supply of grain and oil for one person.
  32. cumulative
    increasing by successive addition
    And the entries are cumulative.
  33. rant
    talk at length in a noisy, excited, or angry manner
    On other days, deep in the woods, I've listened to him rant about how the tesserae are just another tool to cause misery in our district.
  34. ensure
    make certain of
    A way to plant hatred between the starving workers of the Seam and those who can generally count on supper and
    thereby ensure we will never trust one another.
  35. anguish
    extreme distress of body or mind
    The anguish I always feel when she's in pain wells up in my chest and threatens to register on my face.
  36. mandatory
    required by rule
    Attendance is mandatory unless you are on death's door.
  37. perimeter
    the boundary line or area immediately inside the boundary
    Family members line up around the perimeter, holding tightly to one another's hands.
  38. claustrophobic
    abnormally afraid of closed-in places
    The space gets tighter, more claustrophobic as people arrive.
  39. adjacent
    having a common boundary or edge
    Latecomers are directed to the adjacent streets, where they can watch the event on screens as it's televised live by the state.
  40. terse
    brief and to the point
    We all exchange terse nods then focus our attention on the temporary stage that is set up before the Justice Building.
  41. podium
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    It holds three chairs, a podium, and two large glass balls, one for the boys and one for the girls.
  42. murmur
    speak softly or indistinctly
    They murmur to each other and then look with concern at the empty seat.
  43. sustenance
    a source of food or nourishment
    He lists the disasters, the droughts, the storms, the fires, the en- croaching seas that swallowed up so much of the land, the brutal war for what little sustenance remained.
  44. prosperity
    the condition of having good fortune
    The result was Panem, a shining Capitol ringed by thirteen districts, which brought peace and prosperity to its citizens.
  45. obliterated
    reduced to nothingness
    Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth obliterated.
  46. treaty
    a written agreement between two states or sovereigns
    The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, it gave us the Hunger Games.
  47. treason
    a crime that undermines the offender's government
    The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, it gave us the Hunger Games.
  48. vast
    unusually great in size or amount or extent or scope
    The twenty- four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland.
  49. humiliate
    cause to feel shame
    To make it humiliating as well as torturous, the Capitol requires us to treat the Hunger Games as a festivity, a sporting event pitting every district against the others.
  50. ease
    freedom from difficulty or hardship or effort
    The last tribute alive receives a life of ease back home, and their district will be showered with prizes, largely consisting of food.
  51. delicacy
    something considered choice to eat
    All year, the Capitol will show the winning district gifts of grain and oil and even delicacies like sugar while the rest of us battle starvation.
  52. repentance
    remorse for your past conduct
    "It is both a time for repentance and a time for thanks," intones the mayor.
  53. victor
    a combatant who is able to defeat rivals
    Then he reads the list of past District 12 victors.
  54. distressed
    afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble
    The mayor looks distressed.
Created on Mon Apr 02 12:17:48 EDT 2012 (updated Mon Aug 04 12:04:06 EDT 2014)

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.