Week 1 AP Lang Vocabulary

1. adroit- skillful, clever (adj.)

Everyone knew that he was adroit with figures, but he lacked the facility for public speaking.

2. adulterate- to make impure, to contaminate (verb) or -impure (adj.)

The fumes from the automobiles adulterate the air.

The fumes from the automobiles adulterate the air.

The police were concerned about all the adulterated drugs on the street.

3. adventitious- accidental; nonessential (adj.)

The scientists announced the breakthrough at a press conference and admitted that it had been an

4. aegis- a shield; protection; sponsorship (noun)

The candidate felt he had a chance in the election because of the aegis of a former officeholder.

5. aesthetic- pertaining to beauty (adj.)

The house was a bargain financially, but it lacked any aesthetic quality.

6. affectation- a phony attitude; pose (noun)

7. affinity-an attraction to (noun)

The young man had an affinity for fast cars and easy money.

8. affluence- wealth; richness (noun)

Although Paul's family had much affluence, he was content to make do without their help.

9. agape- open-mouthed; surprised; agog (adj.)

Even the judge was agape when the witness told the ridiculous story in court.

10. aggrandize- to enlarge; to expand (verb)

Much of what they did was not to aid their country but to aggrandize their own positions.

11. altruism- a concern for others; generosity (noun)

Ben’s altruism was apparent as he stopped at the scene of the accident to offer his assistance.

12. ambiguous- open to more than one interpretation (adj.)

The candidate’s ambiguous comments tended to confuse the issue even more.

13. amoral- lacking a sense of right and wrong (adj.)

Although a greedy man, he was not amoral; there were some things he would not do for money.

14. amorphous- shapeless, formless, vague (adj.)

Although the essay was due in two days, John couldn't get a handle on the topic, which remained

15. animosity-hatred (noun)

There was a general feeling of animosity toward the judge for giving the boys such a harsh sentence.