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Billy Budd: Chapters 9–18

Published after Melville's death, this novel chronicles the tragic story of young sailor Billy Budd after he boards a naval warship, the H.M.S. Bellipotent.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–18, Chapters 19–23, Chapters 24–31

Here are links to our lists for other works by Herman Melville: Moby Dick,
Bartleby, the Scrivener
15 words 88 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

  1. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    When he spoke to his young topmates about it they were either lightly incredulous or found something comical in his unconcealed anxiety.
  2. ursine
    of or relating to or similar to bears
    While the old man's eccentricities, sometimes bordering on the ursine, repelled the juniors, Billy, undeterred thereby, revering him as a salt hero, would make advances, never passing the old Agamemnon-man without a salutation marked by that respect which is seldom lost on the aged however crabbed at times or whatever their station in life.
  3. revere
    regard with feelings of respect
    While the old man's eccentricities, sometimes bordering on the ursine, repelled the juniors, Billy, undeterred thereby, revering him as a salt hero, would make advances, never passing the old Agamemnon-man without a salutation marked by that respect which is seldom lost on the aged however crabbed at times or whatever their station in life.
  4. equivocal
    open to two or more interpretations
    Not noted by Billy, as not coming within his view, was the involuntary smile, or rather grimace, that accompanied Claggart's equivocal words.
  5. discerning
    having or revealing keen insight and good judgment
    But, at heart and not for nothing, as the late chance encounter may indicate to the discerning, down on him, secretly down on him, he assuredly was.
  6. innate
    inborn or existing naturally
    Now something such an one was Claggart, in whom was the mania of an evil nature, not engendered by vicious training or corrupting books or licentious living, but born with him and innate, in short "a depravity according to nature."
  7. disproportion
    imbalance among the parts of something
    And the retaliation is apt to be in monstrous disproportion to the supposed offence; for when in anybody was revenge in its exactions aught else but an inordinate usurer?
  8. animosity
    a feeling of ill will arousing active hostility
    But Claggart's conscience being but the lawyer to his will, made ogres of trifles, probably arguing that the motive imputed to Billy in spilling the soup just when he did, together with the epithets alleged, these, if nothing more, made a strong case against him; nay, justified animosity into a sort of retributive righteousness.
  9. iniquitous
    characterized by injustice or wickedness
    Now Billy like sundry other essentially good-natured ones had some of the weaknesses inseparable from essential good-nature; and among these was a reluctance, almost an incapacity of plumply saying no to an abrupt proposition not obviously absurd, on the face of it, nor obviously unfriendly, nor iniquitous.
  10. irascible
    quickly aroused to anger
    "And is that all you did about it, Foretopman?" gruffly demanded another, an irascible old fellow of brick-colored visage and hair, and who was known to his associate forecastlemen as Red Pepper; "Such sneaks I should like to marry to the gunner's daughter!" by that expression meaning that he would like to subject them to disciplinary castigation over a gun.
  11. balmy
    mild and pleasant
    Yet upon one occasion, he could not forbear a little disburthening himself to the old Dansker, tempted thereto perhaps by the influence of a balmy night when the ship lay becalmed; the twain, silent for the most part, sitting together on deck, their heads propped against the bulwarks.
  12. intuitive
    obtained through instinctive knowledge
    Besides, he had none of that intuitive knowledge of the bad which in natures not good or incompletely so foreruns experience, and therefore may pertain, as in some instances it too clearly does pertain, even to youth.
  13. finesse
    subtly skillful handling of a situation
    The sailor is frankness, the landsman is finesse.
  14. purport
    have the often misleading appearance of being or intending
    But the occasional frank air and pleasant word went for what they purported to be, the young sailor never having heard as yet of the "too fair-spoken man."
  15. precocious
    characterized by exceptionally early development
    It was as if his precocity of crookedness (and every vulgar villain is precocious) had for once deceived him, and the man he had sought to entrap as a simpleton had, through his very simplicity, ignominiously baffled him.
Created on Fri Mar 08 12:54:45 EST 2013 (updated Mon Jul 28 15:24:57 EDT 2025)

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