David Foster Wallace Vocabulary List

David Foster Wallace

I have a thing for David Foster Wallace. I like his writing. I like his intensity. And I particularly love his wordplay and his vocabulary. And I particularly love his word play in Infinite Jest…

As a tribute to him (he recently committed suicide after losing his battle to depression) I’ve decided I will post (as many as I can stand this first round through) the first ever Infinite Jest Vocabulary List. These were selected by me either because of their non-standard use or because I wasn’t familiar with the words themselves. I’m sure you know many of these, or that there will be other words in the book that I knew and didn’t list… regardless, the list is my own hobby the I continue to update as I continue to reread the book.

If you are a word phreak, like I am… there are many words here that you will enjoy innately. And as a reference point I’ve included the page number where the word was included… and this is from the hard back 1st edition version:

Page 4: Wen
Page 5: Circumflex
Page 7: Lapidary
Page 7: Effete
Page 7: Matriculant
Page 10: Hirsute
Page 11: Presbyopic
Page 15: Cirri
Page 16: Infantophile
Page 17: Etiology
Page 22: Pleurisy
Page 24: Magisculed
Page 24: Hydroponic
Page 25: Phallocentric
Page 30: Amanuensiscum
Page 31: Priapistic
Page 33: Legation
Page 34: Supism
Page 39: Anfractuous
Page 40: Petulant
Page 45: Fantods
Page 47: Evinced
Page 48: Neuralgic
Page 52: Unfenestrated
Page 55: Elan
Page 57: Apocopes
Page 58: Experialistic
Page 59: Comme-il-faut
Page 61: Opioid
Page 61: Prolix
Page 62: Reglets
Page 63: Dipsomaniacal
Page 64: Optative
Page 65: Anticonfluential
Page 65: Elegaic
Page 66: Synesthesia
Page 67: Colloquium
Page 69: Dysphoria
Page 71: Plangent
Page 76: Uremic
Page 79: Lebensgefahrtins
Page 81: Aleatory
Page 82: Diagnate
Page 83: Palestra
Page 83: Verstiegenheit
Page 87: Candidatic
Page 91: Samizdat
Page 92: Amaneunsis
Page 93: Somatic
Page 93: Fulvous
Page 99: Thoracic
Page 100: Hyberbolicker
Page 101: Semion
Page 101: Zygomatics
Page 109: Gibbous
Page 117: Ancipitals
Page 121: Apercu
Page 122: ossiously
Page 124: Capering
Page 124: Hirsute
Page 124: Boscages
Page 127: Eidetic
Page 136: Involuted
Page 138: Mythopoeia
Page 151: Panagoraphobia
Page 151: Agnate
Page 152: Ephebic
Page 155: Erumpent
Page 155: Eclat
Page 156: Suborned
Page 158: Swinishest
Page 159: Rutilent
Page 170: Ergotic
Page 171: Supejacent
Page 174: Phonemes
Page 174: Formants
Page 174: Fricatives
Page 174: Trochaically
Page 175: Extramural
Page 185: Torticollic
Page 185: Enuretic
Page 185: Transuranial
Page 185: Hoary
Page 185: Dramaturgy
Page 185: Apres-Garde
Page 185: Anticonfluential
Page 186: Vitreally
Page 186: Chiasmae
Page 186: Numinous
Page 203: Colloquia
Page 205: Podiatric
Page 206: Sirofulous
Page 208: Magiscule
Page 208: Hyperemic
Page 209: Autolyzed
Page 212: Decoct
Page 216: Otiose
Page 216: Entrepot
Page 217: Meninges
Page 220: Sororial

And at page 220 – I’m giving up for now. I will come back to this and continue to update especially if interest is shown. Until next time –