Half of a Yellow Sun: Chapters 25–28

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
In 1967, the Republic of Biafra declared independence from Nigeria, leading to civil war. This novel traces the lives of several characters who get caught up in turmoil of the Biafran War.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–10, Chapters 11–18, Chapters 19–24, Chapters 25–28, Chapters 29–37

Here are links to our lists for other works by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Americanah, Purple Hibiscus
15 words 27 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. portend
    indicate by signs
    Still, she worried that she had not done enough and that the dream portended some negligence of hers that would harm Baby.
  2. willowy
    slender and graceful
    Dr. Nwala raised his willowy body from his seat and came around to shake her hand.
  3. discomfit
    cause to lose one's composure
    She felt discomfited. She felt as if she were doing something improper, unethical: expecting to get food in exchange for nothing.
  4. prescient
    perceiving the significance of events before they occur
    Olanna had been expecting the harsh sound for so long that a prescient shiver went through her just before she heard it.
  5. effete
    excessively self-indulgent, affected, or decadent
    She taught them to raise their hand in the flying salute like His Excellency and she asked them to copy her drawings of the two leaders: His Excellency was burly, sketched with double lines, while Gowon’s effete body was outlined in single lines.
  6. visceral
    coming from deep inward feelings rather than from reasoning
    His jealousy was visceral; it clutched at his throat and tried to strangle him.
  7. equanimity
    steadiness of mind under stress
    The solid handshake, the “Thank you for the good work you’re doing” in that soft Oxford-accented voice had filled Richard with equanimity.
  8. gesticulate
    show, express, or direct through movement
    Richard could see her and some other women underneath open stalls, shouting and gesticulating.
  9. intone
    speak carefully, as with rising and falling pitch
    “I was told that Biafrans fought like heroes, but now I know that heroes fight like Biafrans," Madu intoned proudly, as if the compliment was one given him personally and he wanted to make sure Richard knew it.
  10. bodice
    part of a dress above the waist
    She no longer hurried; slowly, she straightened the collar, smoothed down the rumpled bodice with her hands.
  11. federalism
    government divided between central and regional powers
    I’ve told him not to bother teaching them about federalism and the Aburi accord and whatnot. They will never grasp it.
  12. taciturn
    habitually reserved and uncommunicative
    “I’m fine, nkem,” he said. But he no longer went into the interior with the Agitator Corps, no longer returned with lit-up eyes. Instead, he went to Tanzania Bar every day and came back with a taciturn set to his mouth.
  13. commandeer
    take arbitrarily or by force
    He has started commandeering relief cars.
  14. haggle
    wrangle, as over a price or terms of an agreement
    She haggled quietly, consistently, with a hawker before she bought cassava tubers with pinkish skin that she had once thought were poisonous, because the pink was so bright, until Mrs. Muokelu assured her they were not.
  15. effusive
    uttered with unrestrained enthusiasm
    She wrote a quick effusive thank-you note and gave it to the driver; if Ezeka had done this to further show how superior he was, it did not dampen her pleasure.
Created on Wed Apr 10 17:51:21 EDT 2019 (updated Thu Aug 07 15:36:52 EDT 2025)

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.