Ugly: Chapters 5–9

by Robert Hoge
Born with a large tumor on his face, Hoge survived multiple surgeries — but faced bullying and cruelty because of his atypical appearance. In this memoir, Hoge recounts how he learned to embrace his differences.

Here are links to our lists for the memoir: Introduction–Chapter 4, Chapters 5–9, Chapters 10–13, Chapters 14–16, Chapters 17–21
35 words 194 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. gouge
    make a groove in
    You gouge away the big chunk that’s not supposed to be there and then dig some clay out of the very middle of the face.
  2. pioneer
    take the lead or initiative in
    The doctors took trips to France, the United States, Scotland, and Mexico to study new techniques that were being developed—especially those of French surgeon Paul Tessier, whose pioneering work was fundamental.
  3. precision
    the quality of being reproducible in amount or performance
    Improvements in anesthetics, and new drills and bone saws that allowed for precision cutting of the skull, made it possible.
  4. refine
    improve or perfect by pruning or polishing
    To rehearse and refine the procedure, Dr. Atkinson and Dr. Emmett took human skulls home at night and practiced cutting them up.
  5. regulate
    fix or adjust the time, amount, degree, or rate of
    The kidneys are the umpires of the body. They regulate lots of its functions—filtering blood, producing hormones, helping to control blood pressure, and removing waste from the body.
  6. hormone
    the secretion of an endocrine gland transmitted by the blood
    The kidneys are the umpires of the body. They regulate lots of its functions—filtering blood, producing hormones, helping to control blood pressure, and removing waste from the body.
  7. groggy
    stunned or confused and slow to react
    Although I was still groggy when I came out of the operating room, I had managed to squeeze Mom’s finger to tell her I was okay.
  8. sedation
    state of reduced excitement induced by administering a drug
    But I had been kept under heavy sedation for the first few days and hadn’t managed to speak to my parents.
  9. profound
    showing intellectual penetration or emotional depth
    Deep down Mom was probably hoping for something profound or sweet—maybe “I’m alive” or “Where’s Mommy?”
  10. remedy
    set straight or right
    Future operations would do even more to improve my looks—fix up the bumps and scars they had been unable to remedy this time.
  11. ingenuity
    the property of showing inventiveness and skill
    All the details of the surgery were spelled out, including the doctors’ wonderful ingenuity in making me a new nose out of my toe.
  12. stubborn
    refusing to change one's mind or ways; difficult to convince
    The infection proved to be decidedly stubborn.
  13. assess
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    Sister Pauline, the head nun, insisted on coming to our home to assess whether I was suitable for the school.
  14. dispatch
    send away towards a designated goal
    I’d been dispatched to the hospital, admitted overnight and then stayed there for months, brought home for weekend visits, placed in the care of doctors, nurses and specialists, hugged hello and good-bye, and then been picked up perfectly well—sometimes in even better condition—hundreds of times.
  15. petition
    request formally and in writing
    She petitioned local politicians to provide funds to have a new bathroom block built on the lower level, to no avail.
  16. avail
    a means of serving
    She petitioned local politicians to provide funds to have a new bathroom block built on the lower level, to no avail.
  17. pester
    annoy persistently
    On my first day of school I was dressed and ready to go half an hour before we had to leave and pestering Mom to get me there as soon as possible.
  18. unscathed
    not injured
    But I survived that first day unscathed, and returned home happy and excited.
  19. bustle
    a rapid active commotion
    If I wanted to get past, I’d either have to stop and wait for him to pass, or grab the railing on the other side, but there was too much hustle and bustle to try to reach for the other side.
  20. urgent
    compelling immediate action
    “This is what I call an urgent job,” he said.
  21. hinder
    be an obstacle to
    Spending months away from school didn’t really hinder my education.
  22. cumbersome
    difficult to handle or use, especially because of size or weight
    My prosthetics were cumbersome and heavy, and wearing them often made my real legs hot and sore.
  23. manicure
    trim carefully and neatly
    About fifteen feet away downhill was the fence to the neighbor’s house. In front of it was a lovingly manicured bush grown to chest height.
  24. sheer
    complete and without restriction
    The first few seconds were sheer terror. I almost fell off as the bike wobbled from one side to another.
  25. exhilaration
    the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
    Then there was a moment of exhilaration. The bike picked up enough speed to go straight for a little bit.
  26. momentum
    an impelling force or strength
    The momentum I’d built going downhill was too strong.
  27. counsel
    give advice to
    She had red hair and was always being counseled by Mom to stay out of the sun.
  28. menacing
    threatening evil or danger
    Dad just stood there, hands behind his back, menacingly tall.
  29. culprit
    someone or something responsible for harm or wrongdoing
    “No,” Michael said, looking straight ahead, and then turned toward Gary. Aha, I thought. The culprit.
  30. composure
    steadiness of mind under stress
    But no, Paula regained her composure, turned to look at Catherine first and then back at Mom.
  31. ominously
    in a manner suggesting something bad will happen
    Dad glared ominously over Mom’s shoulder and I tried to say, “It wasn’t me. It wasn’t me.”
  32. intervene
    get involved, so as to alter or hinder an action
    “Stop it,” I shouted at her. “Stop it!” It didn’t work. Mom intervened, but it was too late.
  33. gradual
    proceeding in small stages
    The change was gradual, but by the time I was seven, I had started to notice a difference in the way some of my classmates treated me.
  34. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
    I took off with all the speed I could muster, trying to get as close to them as possible before I threw the ball.
  35. fanfare
    a short lively tune played on brass instruments
    It didn’t come with a fanfare of angels blowing trumpets and I didn’t reflect on it right away.
Created on Tue Jan 08 20:28:24 EST 2019 (updated Fri Jan 25 11:02:46 EST 2019)

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.