1984 Vocabulary

Part 1

1. You had to live in the assumption that every sound was overheard, and every movement
scrutinized. Definition: examine or inspect closely and thoroughly
Own sentence: Customers were warned to scrutinize the small print.

2. It struck Goldstein’s nose and bounced off; the voice continued inexorably.
Definition: in a way that is impossible to stop or prevent
Own sentence: The conflict was to lead inexorably to the outbreak of World War I.

3. Some nosing zealot in the ministry . . . . might start wondering why he had been writing
during the lunch interval, . . .. and then drop a hint in the appropriate quarter.
Definition: a person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political,
or other ideals.
Own sentence: Zealots on both sides of the issue resorted to name-calling and scare tactics.

4. Tacitly the Party encouraged prostitution, as an outlet for instincts which couldn't be
suppressed. Definition: in a way that is understood or implied without being directly stated
Own sentence: The production company has tacitly encouraged the internet phenomenon of fan
films.

5. To look incredulous when a victory was announced, for example, was itself a punishable
offense Definition: unwilling or unable to believe something
Own sentence: He had a an incredulous gasp on the events that happened last night.

6. This process of continuous alteration was applied not only to newspapers, but to books, . . . to
every kind of literature or documentation which might conceivably hold any political or
ideological significance.

Definition: based on or relating to a system of ideas and ideals, especially concerning economic
or political theory and policy.
Own sentence: As societies changed throughout history, so did the ideologies that justified
systems of inequality.
7. In the walls of the cubicle there were three orifices.
Definition: an opening, as of a pipe or tube, or one in the body, such as a nostril
Own sentence: The mouth is a bodily orifice.

8. At the table on his left the man with the strident voice was still talking remorselessly away.
Definition: haracterized by harsh, insistent, and discordant sound
Own sentence: He had a strident voice that stood above the crowd.
9. No attempt was made to indoctrinate them with the ideology of the Party.

Definition: to imbue with a usually partisan or sectarian opinion, point of view, or principle
Own sentence: The goal should be to teach politics, rather than to indoctrinate students in a
narrow set of political beliefs.

10. There was a strange, pink, convoluted object that recalled a rose or a sea anemone.

Definition: intricately folded, twisted, or coiled

Own sentence: Walnuts come in hard and convoluted shells.