The Stories of John Cheever Glossary

The Stories of John Cheever Glossary

beckon

To hail; to urge someone to come your way

colonnade

A walkway or long portico

satyr

Mythical creature who was half-man and half-goat which has since come to symbolize uncontrollable lechery.

jubilant

Enthusiastic joy

vigor

Strength, endurance and gusto

wanton

Behaving in a reckless manner

gigolo

A paid male escort

anguish

An emotionally tortured state of anxiety.

bereaved

In a state of mourning

churlish

rude, unfriendly, and unpleasant

dissipated

Corrupted; degenerated; gone to seed.

puerile

acting in a childish manner.

tedious

Boring. Incredibly boring. Repetitive. Repetitive and boring. Repetitive and incredibly boring.

prosperous

Financially secure beyond any foreseeable pressing worries

tumult

A state aking to a hubbub, kerfuffle or donnybrook

virulent

Exceptionally contagious; though used in regard to actual viruses, can also be used metaphorically to compare something to a viral condition

heed

to follow orders or instructions

inexorable

Bound to happen in a way that cannot be avoided

despondent

In a state of depression characterized most strongly by hopelessness

dissuade

the opposite of persuade: to talk someone out of doing something

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