Vocabulary War of the worlds

Vocabulary

Click on any of the vocabulary words below to hear them pronounced and used in a sentence.    apex  Definition: The uppermost point. Context: Wells believed that human beings in the 1890s were at the apex of their rule over the world and would be overthrown by another species.    genre  Definition: A category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content. Context: Wells and other writers of the science fiction genre inspired several generations to look toward the stars.    evolution  Definition: A process of change in a certain direction. Also, a theory that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types. Context: The Martians may have been a representation of man's evolution, of what man would become.    microorganisms  Definition: Microscopic living things, such as bacteria. Context: No microorganisms existed in the atmosphere of Mars; therefore, the Martians had not developed immunities to them.    putrefaction  Definition: Decomposition of organic matter. Context: The Martians died as a result of the bacteria to which they were exposed on Earth, and the resultant putrefaction.    socialist  Definition: A person who advocates collective or governmental ownership of property. Context: Wells was a socialist, yet not a socialist; he hated the privileged, yet enjoyed hobnobbing with the rich. He was from the lowest of the middle class and feared slipping down to the working class.