VOCABULARY:

“OF MICE AND MEN”

revere

George had always revered the strength of Lennie, especially since he was small in stature.

to  regard  with  deep  respect  (v.)

1

contempt

Everyoneʼs contempt for Curley was obvious; he was a good-for-nothinʼ liar.

a  lack  of  respect,  o7en  with  intense  dislike  or  disgust  (n.)

2

reprehensible

Lennieʼs action at the ranch was reprehensible, but his ignorance should be taken into consideration.

deserving  punishment  (adj.)

3

belligerent

Lennie belligerently shook Curleyʼs wife by the hair, because she would not stop yelling.

doing  something  in  a  hos<le  or  aggressive  way  (adj.)

4

ominous

Curley bolted out of the room, and George looked ominously at Lennie.

giving  the  impression  that  something  bad  is  going  to  happen  (adj.)

5

confide

Crooks shared information with Lennie that he would not dare tell another soul; he felt he could confide in him.

to  tell  someone  a  private  ma?er  in  confiden<ality    (v.)

6

derogatoryJohn Steinbeck employs the “N” word not merely as something derogatory, but also to capture the true culture of the 1930s.

expressing  disrespect  or  cri<cism  (adj.)

7

bewilder

Bewilderedly, Lennie asked Crooks, “Why do you sleep out here all by yourself?”

to  cause  to  become  perplexed  or  confused  (v.)

8

indignant

George was often indignant about the way others disrespected Lennie, and yet he was often guilty of doing the same.

angry  or  annoyed  by  something  that  is  unjust  or  wrong  (adj.)

9

despair

There was always a hint of happiness and despair when George told Lennie stories about them getting their own ranch.

the  complete  absence  or  loss  of  hope  (n.)

10

mollifyThey were mollified temporarily by the calm of the river, but George knew they could not keep running from ranch after ranch.

to  put  at  ease  or  calm  down  (v.)

11

earnestAlthough the owning of a ranch had always been a dream, there was now an earnest belief that it might actually happen.

sincere  (adj.)

12

scornWith scorn in his eyes, Curley swore that he would kill Lennie for what he had done to his wife.

the  feeling  or  belief  that  someone  else  is  worthless  or  despicable;  contempt  (n.)

13

monotonous

During the long hours working in the field, the monotony would wear on them little by little.

dull,  tedious,  and  repe<<ous  (adj.)

14

deride

In spite of deriding Lennie for the mistakes he had made, George also tried to console him--he was well aware that Lennie didnʼt know any better.

express  contempt  for;  ridicule  (v.)

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