The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants: List 2

by Ann Brashares
A pair of magical jeans helps four best friends feel close even when they can't be together.

This list covers "There is no such thing as fun for the whole family."–"When life hands you a lemon, say, 'Oh yeah, I like lemons. What else you got?'"

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
30 words 17 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. drab
    lacking brightness or color; dull
    The blobs of paint on her palette, usually inspiring, looked hopelessly drab.
  2. lurid
    shining with an unnatural red glow
    She perched on her windowsill, gazing at the lurid sun soaking into the Caldera, trying to appreciate it even though she couldn’t have it.
  3. stodgy
    out of fashion; old fashioned
    She wore practical clothes, “stodgy, dull, and pathetic,” according to her friends.
  4. enormity
    vastness of size or extent
    This was the beginning of their history, their life as the Traveling Pants. As she pulled them on she felt the enormity of making them count.
  5. exuberant
    joyously unrestrained
    Everyone paid lots of attention to Lena at first, because she was striking to look at, but within a few hours or days, they always fully committed their attentions to exuberant, affectionate Effie.
  6. conspiratorial
    relating to or characteristic of a secret plot or agreement
    Grandma was about as good at keeping her secrets as Effie was. She looked at Lena conspiratorially. "You see, there is a boy, he's like a grandson to Bapi and me. He's a nice boy...." She winked.
  7. delineate
    make a mark or lines on a surface
    Carmen’s heart took off faster than her feet at the sight of her dad waving his arms at her from behind the Plexiglas half wall delineating gate forty-two. She felt like a cliché, running like that, but she loved it anyway.
  8. cliche
    an unoriginal or predictable theme, situation, or person
    Carmen’s heart took off faster than her feet at the sight of her dad waving his arms at her from behind the Plexiglas half wall delineating gate forty-two. She felt like a cliché, running like that, but she loved it anyway.
  9. rabid
    marked by excessive enthusiasm for a cause or idea
    Year after year, Carmen’s mother continued to be rabidly curious about her dad, but her dad only asked about her mom to be polite.
  10. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    She realized Lydia was poised at the cupboard, waiting for orders.
  11. flourish
    a showy gesture
    ”Kostos, this is my granddaughter Lena,” Grandma said with a flourish, as though she were presenting a game show contestant with his new red car.
  12. subtly
    in a manner difficult to detect or grasp
    ”Do you have brothers or sisters?” Effie, the eager subject-changer, asked.
    Kostos's face became subtly guarded. “No...just me."
  13. ubiquitous
    being present everywhere at once
    Connie consulted the ubiquitous clipboard. “Aaron, Susanna, team five.”
  14. geriatric
    of or relating to the aged
    Today she was back in aisle two, this time restocking geriatric diapers.
  15. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    The door opened tentatively. “Carmen? It’s, um, dinnertime? Are you ready to come down?”
  16. saute
    fry briefly over high heat
    There were matching white covered dishes that turned out to contain all kinds of homemade food. Lamb chops, roasted potatoes, sautéed zucchini and red peppers, carrot salad, warm bread.
  17. forlorn
    marked by or showing hopelessness
    Carmen thought forlornly of her mom. She and her mom said grace now, but they hadn’t when her dad still lived with them.
  18. cardigan
    a knitted sweater that can be fastened up the front
    She didn't want Krista to look like a little doll in her lavender cardigan.
  19. indignation
    a feeling of righteous anger
    “Oh, honey, you're disappointed not to have your daddy to yourself.” When it was put like that, Carmen couldn't find the appropriate space for her indignation.
  20. inarticulate
    without or deprived of the use of speech or words
    “I don't like them.” Carmen’s anger made her inarticulate.
  21. disarming
    capable of allaying hostility
    He turned his head and looked at her straight on. “I'm so sad for you."
    She felt the sweat dry up on her skin. It was a disarmingly honest thing to say.
  22. forestall
    keep from happening or arising; make impossible
    With most guys she managed to forestall this issue indefinitely. She'd gone out with guys for months at a time and not had this conversation.
  23. indefinitely
    to an unknown extent
    With most guys she managed to forestall this issue indefinitely. She'd gone out with guys for months at a time and not had this conversation.
  24. finesse
    plan, manage, or direct with subtle and skillful maneuvering
    “How old are you?” he asked her point-blank.
    She was hoping to finesse this issue. She knew she was among the youngest girls here. “Sixteen,” she answered.
  25. wiry
    lean but strong
    He poured himself another bowl of cereal. Bapi was kind of wiry, but he clearly had a good appetite.
  26. reverie
    an abstracted state of absorption
    He seemed to snap out of his cereal reverie. She knew that feeling so well. He raised his eyebrows and nodded.
  27. gratuitous
    unnecessary and unwarranted
    “You love to paint,” Kostos observed once out in the sunshine.
    “I do,’” Lena said. “Especially here.” She wasn’t sure why she offered that last gratuitous bit.
  28. discern
    perceive, recognize, or detect
    He was obviously unhappy. Did he discern that she’d set him up? Most boys weren’t that sensitive to rejection.
  29. leukemia
    disease characterized by overproduction of white blood cells
    Mrs. Graffman looked surprised that Tibby didn’t know. “She has leukemia.”
  30. devious
    characterized by insincerity or deceit
    “I’m Carmen," Carmen said. She could tell Kelly was threatened that Paul knew a girl she didn’t know. And considering that Paul said a total of about seven words per day, he most likely hadn’t explained to Kelly that there was a girl living in his house. “I live with Paul," she said just to be devious.
Created on Tue Oct 19 19:59:16 EDT 2021 (updated Tue Oct 26 17:15:36 EDT 2021)

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.