The Perks of Being a Wallflower — Vocabulary
Stephen Chbosky
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Exemplary sample	Uses	ACT/SAT
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incidentalminor expenses (that are not specifically described) She requested reimbursement of $10 for incidental expenses.†more Show sample from book Incidentally, I finished The Fountainhead.p.169.113 more incidental → incidentally:of something that comes with something else, but is less important than it Show general definition for incidental (as in: an incidental expense) something that comes with something else, but is less important than it sometimes in a specialized sense, including: incidental expenses or when in context, just incidentals -- minor expenses not budgeted or not specified incidental music -- music in a play, television program, radio program, video game or some other form not primarily musical. (The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the film score or soundtrack.)
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perspectiveway of seeing or thinking about things A child who was abused with have a different perspective of family life than one raised in a nurturing home.more Show sample from book Maybe it's good to put things in perspective, but sometimes, I think that the only perspective is to really be there.p.212.2 way of seeing and thinking about things Show general definition for perspective (as in: Look at it from her perspective) a particular way of seeing or thinking about things
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perspective#2a sensible view of a situation She loses perspective and continually wants to change the plan in a manner that depends on the most recent complaint.more Show sample from book Just like what my sister said when I had been in the hospital for a while. She said that she was really worried about going to college, and considering what I was going through, she felt really dumb about it. ... Maybe it's good to put things in perspective, but sometimes, I think that the only perspective is to really be there.p.212.1 a sensible view Show general definition for perspective (as in: Keep it in perspective) a sensible view of a situation that considers its different parts in a balanced way
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themean idea that is unifying or recurrent The party had a 1950's theme.more Show sample from book He is always making mix tapes for my sister with very specific themes. One was called "Autumn Leaves."p.10.62 more Show general definition for theme (as in: theme of the novel) a basic idea that underlies what is being said or done -- especially in a literary or artistic work
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conventionconvention → conventional:normal It was once conventional wisdom that the earth is flat.more Show sample from book But not in an unconventional way.p.131.92 more convention → unconventional:unusual Show context notes The prefix "un-" in unconventional means not and reverses the meaning of conventional. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky. Show general definition for convention (as in: conventional behavior) something regarded as normal or typical
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nostalgianostalgia → nostalgic:with a longing for something past The music makes me feel nostalgic.more Show sample from book They spent the rest of the afternoon playing old video games like Donkey Kong and feeling nostalgic, which as a general statement, I found sad and sweet.p.81.92 more Show general definition happiness that come with the memory of good times combined with a hint of sadness that those times are over
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paranoidexcessively suspicious that others want to harm you Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.Joseph Heller — Catch-22more Show sample from book I don't think that kind of thing matters, but supposedly Alice was paranoid about it all night.p.175.91 more excessively fearful Show general definition for paranoid (used casually) excessively suspicious that others want to harm you; or excessively fearful
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paranoid#2relating to a disorder in which one is excessively distrustful of others She was diagnosed with paranoid personality disorder.more Show sample from book Bob actually looked a little nervous, which I was later told was paranoia.p.35.61 more paranoid → paranoia:a psychological disorder characterized by excessive distrust of others Show general definition for paranoid (used clinically) suffering from a psychological disorder characterized by excessive distrust of others -- thinking "they are out to get me"
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initiateinitiate → initiated:accepted into the group in a special ceremony The photo is from the ceremony when she was initiated into the sorority.more Show sample from book I think this is the initiation for new cast members.p.111.51 more initiate → initiation:ceremony (to accept new members) Show general definition for initiate (as in: initiate into the fraternity) to accept someone's membership into an organization -- typically in a ceremony -- sometimes including a period of instruction and/or test
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biasbias → biased:has a prejudice that prevents objective consideration Everyone knows she is too biased to act as an impartial judge.more Show sample from book And maybe I'm biased, but when my sister quoted a pop song and talked about the future, it seemed great.p.189.11 more bias → biased:showing favoritism (under the influence of a personal preference that prevents being objective) Show general definition a tendency to favor one side -- in people, a prejudice that affects fair judgment; more generally, any built-in lean to move or behave in a particular way (like a car that pulls right)
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contextcontext → out of context:in a misleading manner (because the quote left out additional words that changed the meaning of what was quoted) She said she was quoted out of context and that anyone who read her full speech would know it.more Show context notes When someone is quoted "out of context" it means that selected words were quoted that misrepresent the meaning of all their words. For example, if you said "I admire their effort, but they are dead wrong if they think this will work," and someone implied that you supported their plan by quoting you as only saying, "I admire their effort," they would be quoting you out of context. Show sample from book Nobody can be as big as the Beatles because the Beatles already gave it a "context." The reason they were so big is that they had no one to compare themselves with ... nowadays a band or someone would compare themselves to the Beatles...p.105.1 a historical situation Show general definition the setting or situation in which something occurs
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analysisdetailed examination According to my analysis, we should focus on improving customer service.more Show sample from book And I listened to his play-by-play analysis.p.19.5 detailed thinking to better understand Show general definition for analysis (as in: analysis of relevant data) the process or result of examining and thinking about something to better understand it
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sober upbecome less drunk Coffee doesn't really help one to sober up; though it does help fight sleepiness.more Show sample from book After we sobered up a bit with coffee and Mini Thins, Patrick drove me home.p.160.41 more sober up → sobered up:became less drunk Show general definition for sober up (as in: I need to sober up.) to become less drunk or intoxicated
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prudentsensible and careful She was promoted to manager because she is so prudent.more Show sample from book Dear Prudence by the Beatles†p.62.1 prudent → prudence:good sense and caution
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corpulenthaving excessive body fat She also counsels her more corpulent patients on the advisability and techniques of losing weight.†more Show sample from book The nice thing was my Aunt Helen was never on a diet. And my Aunt Helen was "corpulent."p.16.32 more excessively fat Show general definition with excessive body fat
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differentiaterecognize difference The jury determined that she was able to differentiate between right and wrong.more Show sample from book I think I will stop putting quotation marks around Nothing's name because it is annoying and disrupting my flow. I hope you do not find this difficult to follow. I will make sure to differentiate if something comes up.p.13.6 Show general definition for differentiate (as in: differentiate between right/wrong) to recognize difference
	2
flauntflaunt → flaunts:shows it off She is wealthier than her neighbors, but she never flaunts it.more Show sample from book All night, he kept yelling, "Flaunt it, baby!"p.109.71 more flaunt → flaunt it:show it off Show general definition the act of showing off (displaying something in an obvious way for others to admire or envy) or: openly defiant of rules or expectations
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discreditdamage the reputation of She spoke only of her strengths, but others on her campaign staff worked to discredit her opponent.more Show sample from book Craig said the problem with things is that everyone is always comparing everyone with everyone and because of that, it discredits people, like in his photography classes.†p.104.8 discredit → discredits:damages the reputation of Show general definition damage the reputation of -- often causing distrust of or disbelief in
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auspiciousfavorable With good weather and no traffic, we had an auspicious start on our journey.more Show sample from book [regarding his laughing so much as a child] It seems like a rather "auspicious" beginning.p.86.1 favorable; or suggestive of good things to come Show general definition favorable; or suggestive of good things to come
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morbidrelated to a serious health problem Morbid obesity is sometimes defined as being more than 100 pounds above ideal weight for the same height.more Show sample from book I don't know if you've ever felt like that. That you wanted to sleep for a thousand years. Or just not exist. Or just not be aware that you do exist. Or something like that. I think wanting that is very morbid, but I want it when I get like this.p.94.3 unhealthy (perhaps an interest suggesting death) Show general definition for morbid (as in: morbidly obese) unhealthy or related to disease -- especially of a serious long-term illness Show editor's word notes The form, morbidity refers to a disease, and form morbidities refers to the number of people affected by a disease.