The Picture of Dorian Gray vocabulary
by Oscar Wilde, 1890
24 useful words from The Picture of Dorian Gray, from easier to harder. Each has a simple meaning and an example sentence, so you learn words you can actually use, not just recognise.
- studionoun
a room where an artist works
“The artist spent hours painting in her studio.”
- gardennoun
a piece of ground where flowers or vegetables are grown
“She planted roses in her garden.”
- portraitnoun
a painting, drawing, or photograph of a person
“The museum displayed a famous portrait of the queen.”
- artistnoun
a person who creates art, such as paintings or drawings
“The artist used bright colors in her paintings.”
- smilenoun
a facial expression showing happiness or friendliness
“He gave her a warm smile.”
- pleasurenoun
a feeling of happiness or enjoyment
“Reading gives me great pleasure.”
- laughverb
to make sounds with your voice when you find something funny
“The joke made everyone laugh.”
- vainadjective
having too much pride in your appearance or achievements
“She was too vain to wear glasses.”
- beautynoun
the quality of being physically attractive
“The sunset was a scene of great beauty.”
- intellectualadjective
relating to the ability to think and understand ideas
“He enjoyed intellectual conversations about philosophy.”
- emotionnoun
a strong feeling such as love, anger, or happiness
“She couldn't hide her emotion when she received the news.”
- exhibitverb
to show something publicly
“The gallery will exhibit modern art next month.”
- reputationnoun
the beliefs or opinions that are generally held about someone or something
“She has a reputation for being very kind.”
- fascinateverb
to attract and hold the attention of someone
“The magician's tricks never fail to fascinate the audience.”
- mysteriousadjective
difficult to understand or explain
“The old house had a mysterious atmosphere.”
- secrecynoun
the act of keeping something secret or hidden
“The plan was made in complete secrecy.”
- charmnoun
a quality that makes someone or something attractive or pleasant
“The little village had a certain charm.”
- influencenoun
the power to affect how someone thinks or behaves
“Her parents had a strong influence on her career choice.”
- extraordinaryadjective
very unusual or remarkable
“He had an extraordinary talent for music.”
- personalitynoun
the combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual's character
“She has a lively personality that makes her popular.”
- independentadjective
not influenced or controlled by others
“She is an independent thinker and likes to make her own decisions.”
- crisisnoun
a time of intense difficulty or danger
“The company faced a financial crisis last year.”
- destinynoun
the events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future
“He believed it was his destiny to become a doctor.”
- fatenoun
the development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power
“Many people believe in fate and think everything happens for a reason.”
Learn these words in context
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