An Abundance of Katherines — Vocabulary
John Green
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Exemplary sample	Uses	ACT/SAT
	13
obeliskstone pillar with a pyramidal top The Washington Monument, a towering obelisk in the National Mall, is a tribute to the first President of the United States.more Show sample from book Colin and Hassan followed her to a six-foot-tall obelisk—a kind of miniature Washington Monument—before which la' a plethora of not-new pink silk roses.†p.48.312 more a stone pillar with a pyramidal top erected as a monument to remember a person o… Show general definition a stone pillar with a pyramidal top erected as a monument to remember a person or event
	8	top 1000
variablechangeable The weather in this region is highly variable, shifting from sunshine to thunderstorms within hours.more Show context notes The suffix "-able" in variable means able to be. This is the same pattern you see in words like breakable, understandable, and comfortable. Note that when "-able" is placed at the end of a word that ends in "Y", the "Y" is often replaced with "I" as in enviable and deniable. Show sample from book He started creating fractions within the variables so that they'd be easier to work with in a graph.†p.124.27 more variable → variables:things that are able to change Show general definition able to change, or something that is able to change Show editor's word notes A variable in mathematics refers more specifically to a symbol that represents a value or a set of values.
	5	top 100
factorthing (that influenced a result) Cost was an important factor in our decision.more Show sample from book The dollar rose by a factor of more than ten between 1920 and now, so that's more than thirty-five thousand dollars in today's dollars.†p.50.34 more thing that affects a result or outcome Show general definition for factor (as in: It was the deciding factor.) something that affects a result or outcome Show editor's word notes You also may encounter x-factor or x factor--meaning "the most important thing that influences a result or outcome."
	8	top 2000
camouflagecamouflage → camouflaged:made hard to see (in this case, probably by wearing colors or perhaps foliage to blend in) The troops camouflaged themselves before they went into enemy territory.more Show sample from book Lindsey was seated in a plush armchair beneath a giant wall-length bulletin board, on which she'd thumbtacked pictures of herself and Katrina, herself and TOC, herself in camouflage.†p.107.27 more the act of hiding something by making it blend in with its surroundings; or hiding the truth; or something that hides or deceives Show general definition hiding something by making it blend in with its surroundings or: hiding the truth or: something that hides or deceives
	1	top 500
despaira feeling of hopelessness Don't give in to despair.more Show sample from book Each time, he'd cycle through feelings of anger, regret, longing, hope, despair, longing, anger, regret.p.96.31 more Show general definition for despair (as in: she felt despair) hopelessness; or distress (such as extreme worry or sadness from feeling powerless to change a bad situation)
	1	top 500
despair#2lose hope Don't despair. Next year will be better.more Show sample from book He had waited so long for his breakthrough, despaired so many times, and he just wanted to be alone for a little while with a pencil and some paper and a calculator and no talking.p.53.41 more despair → despaired:lost hope Show general definition for despair (as in: do not despair) lose hope or feel distress
	4	top 200
anomalysomething outside of the range of what is normally expected They rate a nuclear event from 1 (an anomaly) to 7 (a major accident).more Show sample from book And yet he could not fix what he came to call the III Anomaly.†p.136.63 more Show general definition something outside of the range of what is normally expected
	4	top 500
approximateapproximate → approximately:about The state has approximately as many Republicans as Democrats.more Show sample from book He'd never technically seen it, but he'd seen her enter the living room from this approximate side of the house.†p.107.13 more almost, but not exact Show general definition almost, but not exact; or similar
	6	top 2000
asthmaa common lung disorder characterized by wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and sometimes coughing Asthma is the leading cause of hospitalization in children.more Show sample from book Fat kid asthma attack.†p.88.45 more Show general definition a common lung disorder characterized by wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and sometimes coughing
	4	top 1000
monotonouslacking variety and boring We hope to replace people with robots for the most monotonous work.more Show sample from book The thing about getting dumped generally, and getting dumped by Katherines in particular, was how utterly monotonous it was.†p.96.43 more lacking in variety and/or boring Show general definition lacking in variety -- typically boring
	11
anagrama word or phrase spelled by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase An example of an anagram is the word listen, which can be rearranged to spell silent.more Show sample from book "Imagine a situation" was a game she'd invented where Colin found the anagrams and then Katherine imagined an anagrammatic situation.†p.38.310 more
	2	top 2000
linguisticlanguage She fears the country will split along linguistic lines.more Show sample from book Colin Singleton's type was not physical but linguistic; he liked Katherines.†p.15.81 more related to language Show general definition related to language
	2
infinitesimalvery tiny; OR immeasurably small The pause was infinitesimal, but before he could go on Fraulein Hedwig said:Maugham, W. Somerset — Of Human Bondagemore Show sample from book An infinitesimal change.†p.213.71 more Show general definition very tiny; or immeasurably small
	2
omnipresentwidespread The trend is omnipresent in pop culture.more Show sample from book Colin sat down, pulled from his pocket his broken #2 pencil and omnipresent notebook, and began to scribble.†p.59.81 more widespread (seemingly everywhere); OR of God: being present everywhere at once Show general definition widespread (seemingly everywhere) or: of God: being present everywhere at once
	2
chameleoncapable of changing appearance and behavior to suit different circumstances The chameleon actor can transform herself into any character, no matter how different from his own personality.more Show sample from book And you aren't chameleoning in front of me.†p.150.71 more chameleon → chameleoning:a person who changes opinions, behavior, or appearance depending upon the circum… Show general definition a person who changes opinions, behavior, or appearance depending upon the circumstances or: a kind of lizard that changes its colors to match the colors around it
	2
i.e.in other words Most of the items the store sells are private-label, i.e., not national brands you'd recognize.more Show sample from book The majority of people are lumped somewhere in the middle; i.e., they're either slight Dumpees or slight Dumpers.p.16.91 more that is to say Show general definition that is to say; or in other words
	1	top 100
negativenegative → negatively:in a bad or harmful manner Higher interest rates negatively affected home sales.more Show sample from book …both the water and the rocks ended up worse off in the bargain, and then when she dumped me in the same coffee shop where we'd met three months before, she said she was the water and I was the rocks and we were just going to keep going at each other till there was nothing left of either of us—and when I pointed out that, really, water doesn't suffer any negative effects whatsoever from slowly eroding the rocks on the lakeshore, she allowed as to how that was true but dumped me anyway.p.206.26 more bad or harmful Show general definition for negative (as in: had a negative effect) bad or harmful
	6
negative#2less than zero It is a negative number.more Show sample from book He sketched: Where x = time, and y = happiness, y = 0 beginning of relationship and breakup. y negative = breakup by m. and y positive = breakup by f: my relationship with K-19.p.41.96 more with a value less than zero
	1	top 100
positivepositive → positively:in a good or beneficial manner Lower interest rates positively affected home sales.†more Show sample from book Although the signs seemed positive, he couldn't bring himself to ask her if she wanted to date him, and he certainly couldn't just lean in and kiss her.p.76.35 more good Show general definition for positive (as in: had a positive effect) good or beneficial
	5
positive#2greater than zero (in this case, cash in minus cash out is greater than zero) The company has a positive cash flow.more Show sample from book He sketched: Where x = time, and y = happiness, y = 0 beginning of relationship and breakup, y negative = breakup by m, and y positive = breakup by f: my relationship with K-19.p.41.95 more greater than zero Show general definition for positive (as in: a positive number) greater than zero (of a number)