We Deserve Monuments: List 1

by Jas Hammonds
When seventeen-year-old Avery Anderson moves from Washington, D.C. to a small town in Georgia, she encounters conflicts linked to painful family secrets.

This list covers Chapters 1–3.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
40 words 31 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. erratic
    likely to perform unpredictably
    Dreary sunlight streamed through the holes like an erratic cheese grater, and I couldn’t think of a more fitting welcome to this wasteland.
  2. foreboding
    ominously prophetic
    “Richest soil on Earth!” Dad said from the passenger seat. “That’s not foreboding whatsoever.”
  3. umber
    of the color of any of various natural brown earth pigments
    Now, I pressed my forehead to the window to take in the flat fields and umber dirt.
  4. terse
    brief and to the point
    Mom shot me a terse glance in the rearview mirror.
  5. entail
    impose, involve, or imply as a necessary result
    But in my imagination, this getaway entailed an escape to a charming beach cottage or an unfamiliar metropolis filled with taxis and overpriced tourist traps.
  6. imposing
    impressive in appearance
    We slowed at a stop sign in front of an imposing brick building that towered over the street like a castle.
  7. elaborate
    add details to clarify an idea
    She didn’t elaborate on the cancer, didn’t explain why now.
  8. ottoman
    a low seat or a stool to rest the feet of a seated person
    Through the cracked blinds, I made out a plaid sofa, wood-paneled walls, and a stack of newspapers piled high on a tasseled ottoman.
  9. chiffon
    a sheer fabric of silk or rayon
    The woman's gaze trailed Mom’s chiffon sundress.
  10. disdain
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    The tiny metal hoop was supposed to be a compromise, but Hikari and Kelsi had regarded it with as much disdain as Carole was serving now.
  11. chide
    scold or reprimand severely or angrily
    “I don’t know who you talking to in that tone,” Carole chided as Simone joined us on the porch.
  12. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    But it was fleeting and faint, vanishing like a dream dissipating with sunrise.
  13. tenure
    the right to keep a job permanently, especially a teaching job
    “I teach,” Mom said, swatting away her three degrees, her Georgetown tenure, her bestselling nonfiction book, and her superstar status as a nationally renowned astrophysicist as if they were yesterday’s weather report.
  14. pensive
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    Dr. Zora Anderson enraptured auditoriums full of pensive students and eager journalists full of questions.
  15. scrutinize
    look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail
    Maybe outside of the scrutinizing gaze of Mama Letty and Carole, I could convince them that maybe this was all a mistake.
  16. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    “Come on, DC,” Simone called as she sauntered down the sidewalk.
  17. languid
    lacking spirit or liveliness
    My grandmother’s name rolled off her tongue in one languid swoop.
  18. devise
    come up with after a mental effort
    By the time Carole devised a letter she was proud of, she’d burned through four days and half a notebook.
  19. labored
    requiring or showing effort
    She scrubbed a hand over her face and took deep, labored breaths.
  20. collected
    in full control of your faculties
    Soon, she was Dr. Zora Anderson again—calm, collected, close to perfect.
  21. stint
    an unbroken period of time during which you do something
    I had to keep my focus forward. Same as I had to see this stint in Bardell through.
  22. aloofness
    a disposition to be distant and unsympathetic in manner
    They were trying to re-create the magic that had glued the three of us together since freshman year, either unaware or choosing to ignore my icy aloofness.
  23. expansive
    of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scope
    In DC, my life was loud and expansive, full of Mom’s domed planetarium lectures and Dad’s jazz piano melodies padding every corner of our row house.
  24. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    “You’re cooking?” That visual felt as incredulous as me and Mama Letty skipping hand-in-hand down Sweetness Lane. My parents didn’t do cooking.
  25. huffy
    roused to anger
    I huffily followed Mom to the living room, and she pointed to the porch.
  26. wane
    grow smaller
    I fiddled with my lip ring, patience waning.
  27. mantra
    a commonly repeated word or phrase
    “I—” I hesitated, remembering the mantra I told myself not even forty-eight hours earlier. Get in. Get out. No drama. Focus forward.
  28. curt
    brief and to the point
    She gave me a curt nod before heading to her car.
  29. extravagant
    characterized by richness and abundance
    Jade looked like she attended extravagant cotillions in fluffy white dresses, while Simone felt like the human equivalent of a rainbow.
  30. oblige
    provide a service or favor for someone
    She mumbled instructions to close the door. I cast a forlorn glance to the hallway before I obliged.
  31. slew
    a large number or amount or extent
    A slew of crossword puzzles fell to the floor.
  32. hack
    cough spasmodically
    Her next inhale sent her into a coughing fit, and I cringed as she hacked into a blood-spattered handkerchief.
  33. somberly
    in a serious and solemn manner
    “There was an incident with the pancakes,” he said somberly.
  34. trill
    sing or play alternating with the half note above or below
    Simone’s voice sliced across the courtyard as a bell trilled.
  35. impending
    close in time; about to occur
    Students began trickling toward the front doors, shoulders slumped with the weight of the impending nine months of school.
  36. homage
    respectful deference
    Why, young inquiring minds can’t call themselves Beckwith students without paying homage to our founder, Richard Beckwith!
  37. amble
    walk leisurely
    We slid into three seats in the front row just as an older white woman with bright red glasses ambled into the classroom.
  38. conservative
    having social or political views favoring the right wing
    I focused on the fresh page in my notebook, wishing I could magically transport myself back to DC where the faces were familiar and I wasn’t the odd one out in a conservative wonderland.
  39. fawn
    try to gain favor through flattery or deferential behavior
    What did we do, besides fawn over our grades? We ran 5Ks for charities because it would look good on college applications.
  40. tinge
    color lightly
    “It’s not that big of a deal,” she said, but her cheeks were tinged pink.
Created on Thu Sep 21 16:19:10 EDT 2023 (updated Tue Oct 03 14:21:07 EDT 2023)

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