Opposite of Always: List 1

by Justin A. Reynolds
In this blend of science fiction and romance, Jack keeps returning to the moment when he and Kate first met—and he must try to alter the past in order to prevent her death.

This list covers Part 1, "The Beginning Beginning."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
40 words 451 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. morbid
    suggesting an unhealthy mental state
    What, you have some morbid fascination with hospitals, is that it?
  2. stupefy
    be a mystery or bewildering to
    It’s a virtual shrine to Nice Try, or as I like to call it, “Jack’s Stupefying Museum of Almost Was but Never Will Be.”
  3. seminal
    influential and providing a basis for later development
    Except my mom’s always reminding me that I was named for Jackie Robinson, who broke through the pro sports color barrier, and Ralph Ellison, writer and scholar, best known for his seminal work Invisible Man.
  4. impregnable
    incapable of being overcome, challenged, or refuted
    Tell her how you feel. Let her decide. Except the whole I have a boyfriend thing seemed an impregnable defense. I’m talking snipers on the roof, motion-activated lasers, trained attack dinosaurs, and a moat boiling with molten lava—impenetrable.
  5. untimely
    uncommonly early
    Were I to pick someone other than myself to be with Jillian—like if Jillian and I were together and we’re playing that game where you pick one of your friends to take your place in the event of your untimely demise—I’d pick Franny for Jillian, every time.
  6. superfluous
    more than is needed, desired, or required
    No, I’m here for the Jillian-Franny love connection. The ultimate third wheel, the undervalued eleventh toe, the superfluous third...
  7. unalienable
    incapable of being repudiated or transferred to another
    I almost shush her, except not being shushed is an unalienable right, right there with pursuit of happiness.
  8. divulge
    make known to the public information previously kept secret
    “But were I to suggest a strategy...” She grins, as if she is about to divulge a top-secret tactic.
  9. reconvene
    meet or cause to meet again
    “Perhaps you get the drinks and we reconvene this epic pity party on the back porch?”
  10. moratorium
    suspension of an ongoing activity
    “You can’t ban me.”
    “Okay, maybe not ban, but we definitely have to impose a moratorium.”
  11. preposterous
    inviting ridicule
    I laugh because hearing the idea out loud sounds preposterous.
  12. stoke
    (of a fire) stir up or tend
    I look up at the sky—have we really talked the entire night?—I barely remember the moon’s being there, and now the sun’s already punched in, a smudge of campfire orange stoked above our heads.
  13. strew
    spread by scattering
    Last night’s party remnants—plastic cups, stomped-on cheese curls, random wrappers—are strewn everywhere.
  14. hindsight
    understanding the nature of an event after it has happened
    She offers her hand and I take it into mine, in immediate hindsight shaking it a bit too enthusiastically, like I’m a used car salesman closing a deal.
  15. finesse
    subtly skillful handling of a situation
    I fling it with as much finesse as I can conjure, and then watch as it sails a good twenty yards over their heads.
  16. plausible
    apparently reasonable, valid, or truthful
    What if she forgets whose info she has and throws it away? What if she wants to call me, or email me, but decides against it because she can’t remember my name? (Okay, I admit the second of those questions is less plausible, but still.)
  17. incidentally
    by the way (used to introduce a new topic)
    My name, in one-dimensional flashing lights. On Kate’s notebook. In Kate’s hands. Which incidentally are, in this moment, inches from her heart.
  18. hermetic
    completely sealed or airtight
    But it’s like I’m in a trance. Or a powerful tractor beam that has my lips hermetically sealed and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
  19. euphoria
    a feeling of great elation
    But I’m caught up in the Whittier euphoria too, so I let her continue on her passionate discourse, uninterrupted.
  20. discourse
    an extended communication dealing with some particular topic
    But I’m caught up in the Whittier euphoria too, so I let her continue on her passionate discourse, uninterrupted.
  21. billowing
    characterized by great swelling waves or surges
    I have to borrow Mom’s car because my car is doing this billowing smoke thing, which probably isn’t good.
  22. exorbitant
    greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation
    “I do my best thinking here,” she confides. “Or at least that’s what I tell myself to justify the exorbitant amount of time I spend here.”
  23. purist
    someone who insists on great precision and correctness
    But we don’t discuss crusts, except to agree that neither of us is a big fan of cheese-stuffed crust, that we’re pizza crust purists, why mess with a great thing.
  24. semantics
    the meaning of a word, phrase, sentence, or text
    Because my dad is an English major at heart, his part of the lecture consists of breaking down the semantics—do you understand what trustworthy really means, Jackie? It means that you must be worthy of one’s trust.
  25. transgression
    the violation of a law or a duty or moral principle
    Parents live in constant dread, forever worried that their kid’s slightest transgression is an invisible step toward a life of crime, or at the very least, eternal dysfunction.
  26. culminate
    end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage
    For instance, what if the fact that I borrowed my mom’s car and drove it ninety minutes away gradually morphs into grand theft auto when I’m twenty-three, culminating in a highway police chase whereby I drive into a giant sewer drain, living out my days as a smelly rat king?
  27. imminent
    close in time; about to occur
    On more than one occasion he saved me from imminent doom.
  28. deficit
    an amount that is less than expected or required
    That said, what I lack in natural talent (a considerable deficit), I make up for in (near) tireless effort.
  29. vehemently
    in a forceful manner
    How do you feel about student dances? Particularly high school student dances. And if you are not vehemently opposed to the idea, would you perhaps entertain the idea of attending one, say, with me?
  30. overt
    open and observable; not secret or hidden
    I am not overtly opposed to dances, even the high school variety. But I am opposed to dancing. Rather, my body is.
  31. propensity
    a disposition to behave in a certain way
    I feel as though that would be a constructive use of your time, considering your propensity for breaking the rules.
  32. beau
    a man with whom one has a romantic relationship
    “I also won’t tell you that the drummer is my sister’s current beau.”
  33. intercede
    act between parties with a view to reconciling differences
    “Babe, relax,” Jillian intercedes. “Can you at least let her take off her coat before you ask her to fly you to the moon?”
  34. dividend
    a bonus; something extra
    I squint, presenting Kate with The Jack King Eye of Irresistible Seduction. A look that, to date, has netted me exactly zero dividends.
  35. earnestly
    in a sincere and serious manner
    “What should we do now?” Except Kate’s voice implies she may have a few ideas.
    “Video games,” I suggest, probably too earnestly.
  36. heckler
    someone who tries to embarrass you with gibes and objections
    But my primary functions are Jillian’s Chief Purse Guardian while she rifles through dress racks, and Franny’s Heckler as he models every suit in his exhaustive search of The One Suit Worthy of His Body.
  37. exhaustive
    performed comprehensively and completely
    But my primary functions are Jillian’s Chief Purse Guardian while she rifles through dress racks, and Franny’s Heckler as he models every suit in his exhaustive search of The One Suit Worthy of His Body.
  38. infringe
    advance beyond the usual limit
    “I don’t want to infringe on Dad’s fun. I just don’t want it to be at my fun’s expense. You guys know I hate pictures.”
  39. ottoman
    a low seat or a stool to rest the feet of a seated person
    I take off my suit coat, drape it over the living room ottoman. No sense in letting it wrinkle.
  40. discreet
    marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint
    Kate tries to smile, tries to discreetly brush away the tears pooling between her nose and eyes.
Created on Tue Apr 30 11:13:09 EDT 2019 (updated Wed May 01 14:49:32 EDT 2019)

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