Romeo and Juliet Vocabulary

Choler Anger, IrritabilitySentence example: 1:1:5 (Sampson): “I mean, and we be in choler, we’ll draw.”
Valient Possessing valor; brave. Sentence example: 1:1:9 (Gregory): “To move is to stir, and to be valiant, is to stand.”
Pernicious Tending to cause death or serious injury; deadly. Sentence example: 1:1:87 (Prince): “the fire of your pernicious rage”
Adversary An opponent or enemy. Sentence example: 1:1:109 (Benvolio): “Here were the servants of your adversary”
Augment To make (something already developed or well under way) greater, as in size, extent, or quantity.Sentence example: 1:1:135 (Montague): “With tears augmenting the fresh morning’s dew”
Portentous Foreboding, full of unspecifiable significance: exciting wonder and awe. Sentence example: 1:1:144 (Montague): “Black and portentous must this humor prove”
Transgression A violation of law, command or duty; the exceeding of limits. Sentence example: 1:1:188 (Romeo): “Why, such is love’s transgression.”
Purge To free from impurities; purify; cleanse. Sentence example: 1:1:194 (Romeo): “Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes”
Vex To annoy, as with petty things; to puzzle; to bring distress or suffering. Sentence example; 1:1:195 (Romeo): “Being vexed, a sea nourished with loving tears.”
Assail To attack as if with violent blows; assault. Sentence example: 1:1:216 (Romeo): “Nor bide th’ encounter of assailing eyes.”
Posterity Future generations. Sentence example: 1:1:223 (Romeo): “Cut beauty off from all posterity.”
Bliss Extreme happiness; ecstasy. Sentence example: 1:1:225 (Romeo): “To merit bliss by making me despair.”
Forswear To renounce or dispute under oath; to swear falsely. Sentence examples: 1:1:226 (Romeo): “She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow” 1:5:54(Romeo): “Did my heart love til now? Forswear it, sight!”
Poised To hold in equilibrium, to balance.Sentence example: 1:2:96 (Benvolio): “Herself poised with herself in either eye”
Nimble Quick, light or agile in movement or action; deft Sentence example: 1:4:15(Romeo): “With nimble soles; I have a soul of lead”
Inconstant Changing often and without discernible reason; fickle. Sentence examples: 1:4:100 (Mercutio): “And more inconstant than the wind, who woos
Disparagement To belittle or reduce in esteem. Sentence example: 1:5:72 (Capulet): “I would not for the wealth of all this town/Here in my house do him disparagement”
Semblance An outward or token appearance.Sentence example: 1:5:76 (Capulet): “An ill-beseeming semblance for a feast”
Wax To increase gradually in size, number, or intensity. Sentence example: 1:5:128 (Capulet): “Ah, sirrah, by my fay, it waxes late”
Prodigious Impressively great in size, force or extent. Sentence example: 1:5:142 (Juliet) “Prodigious birth of love it is to me/That I must love a loathèd enemy.”
Discourse To speak or write formally and at length; to engage in conversation or discussion; converse. n. Verbal exchange; conversation. Sentence examples: 2:2:13(Romeo): “Her eye discourses; I will answer it.” 3:5:52-53 (Romeo): “I doubt it not; and all these woes shall serve // For sweet discourses in our times to come.”
Enmity Deep-seated, often mutual hatred. Sentence example: 2:2:73 (Romeo): “And I am proof against their enmity”
Perjury n. In law, the deliberate, willful giving of false testimony under oath. 2) The breach of an oath or promise. v. Perjure : To give false testimony under oath; breach an oath or promise. Sentence examples: 2:2:92 (Juliet): “Thou mayst prove false. At lovers’ perjuries,/They say Jove laughs.” 3:2:86 (Nurse): “No faith, no honesty in men; all perjured” 3:3:128 (Friar): Thy dear love sworn but hollow perjury.
Perverse Contrary; marked by a disposition to oppose and contradict the established. Sentence example: 2:2:96 (Juliet): “I’ll frown and be perverse and say thee nay,”
Repose The act of resting or the state of being at rest; freedom from worry. Sentence example: 2:2:123 (Juliet): “Good night, good night! As sweet repose and rest/Come to thy heart as that within my breast!”
Sallow Of a sickly yellowish hue or complexion. Sentence example: 2:3:70 (Friar): “Hath washed thy sallow cheeks for Rosaline!”
Chide To scold mildly so as to correct or improve; reprimand; to express disapproval. Sentence examples: 2:3:85 (Romeo): “I pray thee chide me not. Her I love now
Rancor Bitter, long-lasting resentment or anger. Sentence example:- 2:3:92 (Friar): “To turn your households’ rancor to pure love.”
Devise To form, plan or arrange in the mind. Sentence example: 2:4:186-7 (Romeo): “Bid her devise/Some means to come to shrift this afternoon.”
Feign To give a false appearance. Sentence example: 2:5:16(Juliet): “But old folks, many feign as they were dead”
Consort v.) To keep company; associate; to be in accord or agreement. n. A companion or partner, especially the spouse of a monarch. (In Music.: An ensemble of players; a group of instruments of the same family.) Sentence examples: 3:1:132 (Tybalt): “Thou, wretched boy, that didst consort him here.”
Martial Of, relating to, or suggestive of war or the armed forces. Sentence example: 3:1:163-4 (Benvolio): “And, with martial scorn, with one hand beats/Cold death aside.”
Dexterity Skill and grace in physical or mental movement; adroitness. Sentence example: 3:1:164-6 (Benvolio): “And with the other sends/It back to Tybalt, whose dexterity/Retorts it.”
Exile v. To send into exile, to banish. n. Enforced or self-imposed removal from one’s native country. Sentence example: 3:1:189 (Prince): “Immediately we do exile him hence.”
Amorous adj. Strongly attracted or disposed to love, especially sexual love. Sentence example: 3:2:8 (Juliet): “Lovers can see to do their amorous rites.” Sentence example: 1:1:135 (Montague): “With tears augmenting the fresh morning’s dew”
Garish Marred by strident color or excessive ornamentation; gaudy. Sentence example: 3:2:25(Juliet): “And pay no worship to the garish sun.”
Tedious Tiresome by reason of length, slowness, or dullness; boring. Sentence example: 3:2:28(Juliet): “So tedious is this day.”
Bier A stand on which a corpse or coffin containing a corpse is placed before burial. Sentence example: 3:2:60 (Juliet): “And thou and Romeo press one heavy bier!”
Banish to force to leave a country or place by official decree; exile. Sentence example: 3:2:69 (Nurse): “Tybalt is gone, and Romeo banishèd”
Adversity A state of hardship or affliction; misfortune. Sentence example: 3:3:55(Friar): “Adversity’s sweet milk, philosophy.”
Rail To express objections or criticisms in bitter, harsh or abuse language; scold. Sentence example: 3:3:119 (Friar): “Why railest thou on thy birth, the heaven, and earth?
Fickle Characterized by erratic instability, especially with regard to affections. Sentence examples: 3:5:60-64 (Juliet): “O Fortune, Fortune! All men call thee fickle.”
Inundate to overwhelm or cover, especially with floodwaters. Sentence example: 4:1:12(Paris): “To stop the inundation of her tears”
Prostrate face down, as in submission, adoration or exhaustion. Sentence example: 4:2:20(Juliet): “By holy Lawrence to fall prostrate here.”
Melancholy Affected with or marked by depression of the spirits; sad. Sentence example: 4:5:84-86 (Capulet): “All things that we ordainèd festival // Turn from their office to black funeral–//Our instruments to melancholy bells.”
Dirge Music: A funeral hymn or lament. 2) Lit: Mournful literary work. Sentence example: 4:5:87-88 (Capulet): “Our wedding cheer to a sad burial feast; // Our solemn hymns to sullen dirges change.”
Penury Extreme want or poverty. Sentence example: 5:1:49-52 (Romeo): “Noting this penury, to myself I said, // ‘And if a man did need a poison now // Whose sale is present death in Mantua, // Here lives a caitiff wretch would sell it him.'”
Inexorable incapable of being persuaded by entreaty; relentless; unstoppable. Sentence example: 5:3:36-37 (Romeo): “More fierce and more inexorable far // Than empty tigers or the roaring sea.”
Auspicious Attended by favorable circumstances. Sentence example: 5:3:111 (Romeo): “And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars”
Sepulcher A burial vault. Sentence examples: 5:3:140-141 (Friar): “Alack, alack, what blood is this which stains // The stony entrance of this sepulcher?”
Ambiguity Doubtfulness or uncertainty as regards interpretation. Sentence example: 5:3:217 (Prince): “Seal up the mouth of outrage for a while, // Till we can clear these ambiguities.”
Pun a play on words.
Paradox a statement that appears to contradict itself, but that on closer examination reveals a truth.
Soliliquy a speech made by a character directly to the audience rather than another character. It provides a way for a playwright to reveal a character’s thoughts.