Shut Up, This Is Serious: Chapters 4-6

by Carolina Ixta
In this novel, high school senior Belén deals with panic attacks in the wake of her father leaving while she tries to help her pregnant best friend Leti prepare to be a mother.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapter 1-3, Chapter 4-6, Chapter 7-9, Chapter 10-13, Chapter 14-17, Chapter 18-20, Chapter 21-24, Chapter 25-28, Chapter 29-32, Chapter 33-37
25 words 25 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. sacrilegious
    grossly irreverent toward what is considered holy
    Eating lunch indoors with a teacher is sacrilegious, and I don’t even go to church like that.
  2. bilingual
    using or knowing two languages
    “Like, I don’t know, maybe cuz we go to this shitty school in Oakland and nobody in your family has ever been to college and cuz you’re brown and bilingual and pregnant and everything they might give you a booster point or two to make shit fair. Like that.”
  3. sterile
    free of pathological microorganisms
    While that’s disgusting, everything inside of her locker is sterile and organized.
  4. coax
    influence or persuade by gentle and persistent urging
    Leti coaxes, gently nudging me.
  5. inflated
    enlarged beyond truth or reasonableness
    Together, they met with guidance counselors, my ma’s ego all inflated with her teacher-expertise to ensure Ava had “choices.”
  6. absence
    the state of being not present
    The sensation of heaviness pulled at my chest even when my pa was still around, and instead of lying in bed and feeling the weight in his absence, I felt its pressure in his presence.
  7. obstacle
    something that stands in the way and must be surmounted
    Ms. Barrera started asking them about how their statements were coming along when Leti rambled about how she was stuck on the prompt about overcoming an obstacle.
  8. tolerable
    about average; acceptable
    It’s one of the only tolerable things this school provides.
  9. capacity
    the maximum production possible
    Our principal yelling down the hallway, her voice bouncing off the lockers as she’s like—get to class, Saturday school is at capacity, the next group held in the tardy-sweep will receive an in-house suspension.
  10. stubby
    short and blunt
    We’ve never gone to a party with Quentin before, but if she’ll be anything like she was when just the two of us would go to a Quince in somebody’s garage, she’ll grip on to me, her stubby nails somehow finding a way into the skin of my arm.
  11. vaquero
    a cowboy or cattle driver
    He was tall and wore a corny-ass vaquero hat, but he had nice shoulders.
  12. swerve
    turn sharply; change direction abruptly
    As he drives down Foothill, we maneuver past families walking down the street, swerving around sex workers standing on curbs.
  13. rosary
    a string of beads used in counting prayers
    I think she’s going to begin praying once she reaches for her purse—she keeps a spare rosary everywhere she goes, it’s concerning.
  14. conceal
    prevent from being seen or discovered
    It’s so long and wide that it almost conceals the cross around her neck.
  15. immaculate
    free from stain or blemish
    Najia turns to me and smiles, her teeth immaculate.
  16. urgency
    pressing importance requiring speedy action
    As we embrace, I look at Leti from over Najia’s shoulder, widening my eyes with urgency for her to speak up.
  17. tangible
    perceptible by the senses, especially the sense of touch
    Najia smiling, and Leti’s face twisting, the reminder of her reality so tangible.
  18. throng
    a large gathering of people
    I steer through throngs of students, sipping my drink as I head toward the front of the house.
  19. palpable
    capable of being perceived
    I want to announce myself, but Quentin’s brow is furrowed, his frustration palpable.
  20. perimeter
    the boundary line or area immediately inside the boundary
    I walk around the perimeter of the crowd and through the kitchen, where there’s a door leading to the backyard.
  21. chaotic
    completely unordered and unpredictable and confusing
    “It’s never my intention. But when things get too chaotic, I try to find a space for myself. I always try to keep a book on me in case I get bored.”
  22. cascade
    rush down in big quantities
    He nods, coolly blowing away the curls cascading toward his lashes.
  23. ambiguous
    open to two or more interpretations
    I bite the tip of my tongue, thinking of the most ambiguous way to answer his question.
  24. surge
    rise rapidly
    When I shake it, something like electricity surges between our palms.
  25. effervescent
    marked by high spirits or excitement
    This is my attempt to look poised and effervescent and completely casual the way I’m sure most college girls do.
Created on Tue Apr 22 06:47:33 EDT 2025 (updated Fri Apr 25 18:51:20 EDT 2025)

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.