A Streetcar Named Desire: Scenes Four–Seven

by Tennessee Williams
In this Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, Blanche DuBois, a faded Southern belle, is driven to madness by her brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski.

Here are links to our lists for the play: Scenes One–Three, Scenes Four–Seven, Scenes Eight–Eleven
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. emphatically
    in a forceful manner; with emphasis
    STELLA [slowly and emphatically]: I’m not in anything I want to get out of.
  2. incredulously
    in a disbelieving manner
    BLANCHE [incredulously]: What—Stella?
  3. cultivate
    teach or refine to be discriminative in taste or judgment
    Is this a Chinese philosophy you’ve—cultivated?
  4. indifferent
    showing no care or concern in attitude or action
    Y’know how indifferent I am to money. I think of money in terms of what it does for you.
  5. appeal
    earnest or urgent request
    You never get anywhere with direct appeals!
  6. measly
    contemptibly small in amount
    Sixty-five measly cents in coin of the realm!
  7. morale
    a state of individual psychological well-being
    I know how it helps your morale just having a little pocket-money on you.
  8. sufficient
    of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement
    I take it for granted that you still have sufficient memory of Belle Reve to find this place and these poker players impossible to live with.
  9. wholesome
    characteristic of physical or moral well-being
    You can’t have forgotten that much of our bringing up, Stella, that you just suppose that any part of a gentleman’s in his nature! Not one particle, no! Oh, if he was just—ordinary! Just plain—but good and wholesome, but—no.
  10. bestial
    resembling an animal, especially by being vicious or cruel
    There’s something downright—bestial—about him!
  11. stealthily
    in a manner marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
    Then suddenly he turns stealthily about and withdraws through front door.
  12. dote
    shower with love; show excessive affection for
    Aries people are forceful and dynamic. They dote on noise! They love to bang things around!
  13. sentimental
    marked by tender, romantic, or nostalgic emotion
    You hate me to talk sentimental! But honey, believe I feel things more than I tell you!
  14. piercing
    having or emitting a high-pitched tone or tones
    Blanche gives a piercing cry.
  15. vanity
    feelings of excessive pride
    STELLA: Why are you sensitive about your age?
    BLANCHE: Because of hard knocks my vanity’s been given.
  16. gossamer
    a gauze fabric with an extremely fine texture
    She takes a large, gossamer scarf from the trunk and drapes it about her shoulders.
  17. ensuing
    following immediately and as a result of what went before
    In the ensuing pause, the "blue piano" is heard.
  18. coquettish
    like a flirtatious woman
    She looks at him over them, coquettishly pressing them to her lips.
  19. stolid
    having or revealing little emotion or sensibility
    Mitch is stolid but depressed.
  20. dismal
    causing dejection
    I don’t think I’ve ever tried so hard to be gay and made such a dismal mess of it.
  21. obliged
    having a moral duty to do something
    Honey, it wasn’t the kiss I objected to. I liked the kiss very much. It was the other little—familiarity—that I—felt obliged to—discourage.
  22. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    You have been so anxious and solemn all evening, and so have I; we have both been anxious and solemn and now for these few last remaining moments of our lives together—I want to create—joie de vivre!
  23. imposing
    befitting an important, distinguished, or powerful person
    You are not the delicate type. You have a massive bone-structure and a very imposing physique.
  24. affectation
    a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display
    Blanche speaks with an affectation of demureness.
  25. demure
    suggestive of modesty or reserve
    Blanche speaks with an affectation of demureness.
  26. reprove
    reprimand, scold, or express dissatisfaction with
    Her voice sounds gently reproving.
  27. insufferable
    extremely unpleasant or annoying
    He is insufferably rude. Goes out of his way to offend me.
  28. saccharine
    overly sweet
    Blanche is singing in the bathroom a saccharine popular ballad which is used contrapuntally with Stanley’s speech.
  29. squeamish
    easily disturbed or disgusted by unpleasant things
    Lie Number One: All this squeamishness she puts on! You should just know the line she’s been feeding to Mitch. He thought she had never been more than kissed by a fellow!
  30. contemptible
    deserving of scorn or disrespect
    What—contemptible—lies!
  31. frolic
    play boisterously
    In the bathroom the water goes on loud; little breathless cries and peals of laughter are heard as if a child were frolicking in the tub.
  32. ordinance
    a statute enacted by a city government
    They told her she better move on to some fresh territory. Yep, it was practickly a town ordinance passed against her!
  33. flighty
    guided by whim and fancy
    There are things about my sister I don’t approve of—things that caused sorrow at home. She was always—flighty!
  34. conscience
    a feeling of shame when you do something immoral
    I’d have that on my conscience the rest of my life if I knew all that stuff and let my best friend get caught!
  35. vigorously
    in an energetic manner
    BLANCHE [brushing her hair vigorously]: Yes, I do, so refreshed!
Created on Fri Aug 12 12:40:21 EDT 2022 (updated Fri Aug 12 16:01:26 EDT 2022)

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