The Giver

1. amusing (adjective):

causing laughter and providing entertainment

“There was an ironic tone to that final message, as if the Speaker found it amusing; and Jonas had smiled a little, though he knew what a grim statement it had been.” (Chapter 1, Page 12)

2. unison (noun):

a simultaneous utterance of speech

“The class recited the standard response in unison.” (Chapter 1, Page 14)

3. apprehensive (adjective):

anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen

“Apprehensive, Jonas decided. That’s what I am.” (Chapter 1, Page 15)

4. regulated (past participle verb):

controlled by means of rules and regulations

“The freedom to choose where to spend those hours had always seemed a wonderful luxury to Jonas; other hours of the day were so carefully regulated.” (Chapter 4, Page 46)

5. chastisement (noun):

a reprimand or rebuke

“It was a minor rule, rather like rudeness, punishable only by gentle chastisement.” (Chapter 4, Page 47)

6. ritual (noun):

a ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order

“Sometimes he awoke with a feeling of fragments afloat in his sleep, but he couldn’t seem to grasp them and put them together into something worthy of telling at the ritual.” (Chapter 5, Page 56)

7. acquisition (noun):

the learning or development of a skill

“At the meeting where Asher was discussed, we retold many of the stories that we all remembered from his days of language acquisition.” (Chapter 7, Page 84)

8. meticulously (adverb):

in a way that shows great attention to detail; thoroughly

“Jonas was identified as a possible Receiver many years ago. We have observed him meticulously.” (Chapter 8, Page 94)

9. precision (noun):

the quality of being exact and accurate

“But the reason for precision of language was to ensure that unintentional lies were never uttered.” (Chapter 9, Page 106)

10. transmit (verb):

cause something to pass from one person to another

“It’s not my past, not my childhood that I must transmit to you.” (Chapter 10, Page 115)

11. dumbfounded (adjective):

greatly astonished or amazed

“He saw his legs, and moved them aside for a glimpse of the sled beneath. Dumbfounded, he stared at it. This time it was not a fleeting impression.” (Chapter 12, Page 137)

12. assuage (verb):

make an unpleasant feeling less intense

“It was not enough to assuage the pain that Jonas was beginning, now, to know.” (Chapter 14, Page 161)

13. isolation (noun):

far away from other people or things

“Again and again he dreamed of the anguish and the isolation on the forsaken hill.” (Chapter 14, Page 161)

14. ominous (adjective):

giving the impression that something bad is going to happen

“Now it was ominous. It meant, he knew, that nothing could be changed.” (Chapter 14, Page 165)

15. carnage (noun):

a massacre; the death or killing of many people

“The colors of the carnage were grotesquely bright: the crimson wetness on the rough and dusty fabric, the ripped shreds of grass, startlingly green, in the boy’s yellow hair.” (Chapter 15, Page 173)

16. dwelling (noun):

a house or other place of residence

“When I finish my training and become a full adult, I’ll be given my own dwelling.” (Chapter 16, Page 180)

17. obsolete (adjective):

no longer used; out of date

“‘Your father means that you used a very generalized word, so meaningless that it’s become almost obsolete,’ his mother explained carefully.” (Chapter 16, Page 184)

18. successor (noun):

a person who comes after another and takes over his or her position

“The Giver needed a successor, and he had been chosen.” (Chapter 18, Page 206)

19. syringe (noun):

a tube fitted with a hollow needle for injecting or withdrawing fluids

“He pushed the plunger very slowly, injecting the liquid into the scalp vein until the syringe was empty.” (Chapter 19, Page 215)

20. pale (adjective):

light in color or having little color

“There’s a little female with pale eyes. But she’s only a Six.” (Chapter 20, Page 224)

21. undertaking (noun):

a task that is taken on

“He visited the other communities frequently, meeting with their Elders; his responsibilities extended over all the surrounding areas. So this would not be an unusual undertaking.” (Chapter 20, Page 229)

22. overwhelming (adjective):

very great in amount

“Their attention would turn to the overwhelming task of bearing the memories themselves. The Giver would help them.” (Chapter 20, Page 231)

23. disciplined (adjective):

showing a controlled form of behavior or way of working

“At dawn the orderly, disciplined life he had always known would continue again, without him.” (Chapter 21, Page 237)