Shatter Me: Chapters 1–10

by Tahereh Mafi
Juliette has the power to paralyze or kill people with a single touch. The Reestablishment government wishes to use her as a weapon to secure world domination — but Juliette has her own plans.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–10, Chapters 11–20, Chapters 21–35, Chapter 36–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. stifle
    smother or suppress
    I stifle my scream my urgency to run the crippling horror gripping my limbs.
  2. meager
    deficient in amount or quality or extent
    He sizes up the meager pillow on the spare bed they shoved into the empty space this morning, the skimpy mattress and threadbare blanket hardly big enough to support his upper half.
  3. dank
    unpleasantly cool and humid
    The room is heavy with the scent of wet stone, upturned soil; the air is dank and earthy.
  4. amorphous
    having no definite form or distinct shape
    264 breakfasts and I still don’t know what it’s made of. It smells like too many chemicals; an amorphous lump always delivered in extremes. Sometimes too sweet, sometimes too salty, always disgusting.
  5. fraught
    filled with or attended with
    ...fingers graze my cloth-covered shoulder for less than a second and every muscle every tendon in my body is fraught with tension that clenches my spine.
  6. oblivion
    the state of being disregarded or forgotten
    I want to smash this concrete world into oblivion.
  7. viable
    capable of being done with means at hand
    I never really knew what they were going to do to me in the asylum, I never knew if they thought locking me up would be good enough but I always thought they might kill me. It always seemed like a viable option.
  8. contour
    any spatial attributes, especially as defined by outline
    It's so dark in this room I can only catch his curves and contours; the moon is allowed only a small window to light this space but I watch as the muscles in his arms tighten with every movement.
  9. steadfast
    firm and dependable especially in loyalty
    The moon is a loyal companion.
    It never leaves. It’s always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do.
  10. wan
    lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble
    Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of light. The moon understands what it means to be human.
  11. sustain
    supply with necessities and support
    We can’t grow enough food anymore, we can’t sustain enough vegetation for the animals anymore, and we can’t feed the people what they need.
  12. inextricably
    in a manner incapable of being disentangled or untied
    The weather, the plants, the animals, and our human survival are all inextricably linked.
  13. modicum
    a small or moderate or token amount
    But even though human health has found a modicum of relief under the new regime, more people have died at the end of a loaded gun than from an empty stomach.
  14. acquiesce
    agree or express agreement
    He says The Reestablishment is struggling to fight a war against the rebels who will not acquiesce to this new regime.
  15. solemn
    characterized by a firm belief in your opinions
    “They’re destroying everything,” Adam says, and his voice is suddenly solemn.
  16. bleak
    offering little or no hope
    ...we’re both on our feet, abruptly startled back into this bleak world.
  17. falter
    speak haltingly
    My voice falters.
  18. maelstrom
    a powerful circular current of water
    My body is suddenly fighting a maelstrom of emotions, my brain plagued by the world I'm losing and pained by this boy who does not remember me.
  19. filament
    a very slender natural or synthetic fiber
    It takes every broken filament in my being to pull away from him.
  20. abomination
    a person who is loathsome or disgusting
    Possessed by the devil. Cursed by darkness. Unholy. An abomination.
  21. sieve
    a strainer for separating lumps from powdered material
    My skin is a sieve, punctured by pins and needles of pain.
  22. mortified
    made to feel uncomfortable because of shame or wounded pride
    Green Eyes looks unexpectedly amused and I'm suddenly mortified.
  23. curt
    brief and to the point
    Adam flanks Green Eyes in an instant, but only offers a curt nod of his head as a salute. Perhaps the leader isn't nearly as important as he thinks.
  24. fend
    try to manage without help
    “I’d been considering it for a long time, but I wanted to make sure you weren’t actually psychotic. Isolation wasn’t exactly a good indicator, though you did fend for yourself quite well.”
  25. volatile
    liable to lead to sudden change or violence
    “I sent Kent to stay with you as a final precaution. I wanted to make sure you weren’t volatile, that you were capable of basic human interaction and communication. I must say I'm quite pleased with the results.”
  26. lilt
    a jaunty rhythm in music or speech
    “I’m not as cruel as you think,” Warner continues, a musical lilt in his voice.
  27. conspiratorial
    relating to or characteristic of a secret plot or agreement
    He tosses Adam a pair of black gloves. "You're going to need these,” he says with a conspiratorial whisper.
  28. tangible
    perceptible by the senses, especially the sense of touch
    The air is crisp and cool. A refreshing bath of tangible nothing that stings my eyes and snaps at my skin.
  29. infinitesimal
    immeasurably small
    I'm eating and drinking and absorbing every infinitesimal detail in the debris, in the skyline, in the abandoned homes and broken pieces of metal and glass sprinkled in the scenery.
  30. haphazard
    marked by great carelessness
    Trash is heaped in haphazard piles everywhere, patches of yellowed grass peeking out from under the devastation.
  31. subdued
    quieted and brought under control
    Just until everyone was subdued. Just until people stopped protesting and realized that this change was good for them, good for their children, good for their future.
  32. comprise
    be made of
    A new generation comprised of only healthy individuals would sustain us. The sick must be locked away. The old must be discarded. The troubled must be given up to the asylums. Only the strong should survive.
  33. ideology
    an orientation that characterizes the thinking of a group
    Convictions priorities preferences prejudices and ideologies divided us.
  34. expunge
    remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a line
    Greed, overindulgence, and gluttony had to be expunged from human behavior.
  35. sparse
    not dense or plentiful
    The solution was in self-control, in minimalism, in sparse living conditions; one simple language and a brand-new dictionary filled with words everyone would understand.
  36. reestablish
    bring back into original existence, function, or position
    Reestablish Equality. Reestablish Humanity. Reestablish Hope, Healing, and Happiness.
  37. imminent
    close in time; about to occur
    Loudspeakers that alert the people, no doubt, to the imminent dangers that surround them.
  38. imposing
    befitting an important, distinguished, or powerful person
    I study every quivering branch, every imposing soldier, every window I can count.
  39. inconspicuous
    not prominent or readily noticeable
    From the outside it looks like a bland building, inconspicuous in every way but its size, gray steel slabs comprising 4 flat walls, windows cracked and slammed into the 15 stories. It's bleak and bears no marking, no insignia, no proof of its true identity.
  40. convoluted
    highly complex or intricate
    The inside of the tank is a convoluted mess of buttons and levers I'm at a loss to operate, and Adam is opening my door before I have a chance to identify the pieces.
Created on Tue Aug 04 11:07:02 EDT 2020 (updated Tue Aug 11 10:30:45 EDT 2020)

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