AP Literature words

Sententious

(adj.) self-righteous, characterized by moralizing; given to use of maxims or adages; saying much in few words, pithy

Plaintive

adj.) sounding sad and mournful

Portentous

(adj.) of momentous or ominous significance

Desolate

(adj.) (of a place) deserted of people and in a state of bleak and dismal emptiness
(v.) make (a place) bleakly and depressingly empty or bare

Sullen

(adj.) bad-tempered and sulky; gloomy
(n.) a sulky or depressed mood

Peremptory

(adj.) (especially of a person's manner or actions) insisting on immediate attention or obedience, especially in a brusquely imperious way

Soporific

adj.) tending to induce drowsiness or sleep
(n.) a drug or other agent that induces sleep

Ludicrous

(adj.) so foolish, unreasonable, or out of place as to be amusing; ridiculous

Facade

(n.)
- the front of a building
- an outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant or creditable reality

Approbation

(n.) approval or praise

Interminable

adj.) unable to be terminated

Calumny

(n.)
- the making of false and defamatory statements about someone in order to damage their reputation; slander
- a false and slanderous statement

Acquiesce

v.) to accept without protest; to agree or submit

Propitious

(adj.) giving or indicating a good chance of success; favorable

Venerate

v.) regard with great respect; revere

Phlegmatic

(adj.) (of a person) having an unemotional and stolidly calm disposition

Enigma

(n.) a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand

Deprecate

(v.)
- express disapproval of
- disparage or belittle (something)

Noxious

(adj.) harmful to health or the mind

Assiduous

adj.) showing great care and perseverance; careful

Insipid

(adj.) lacking flavour, vigor, or interest

Trepidation

(n.)
- a feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen
- trembling motion.

Engender

(v.) cause or give rise to (a feeling, situation, or condition)

Sardonic

(adj.) grimly mocking or cynical

Impetuous

(adj.)
- acting or done quickly and without thought or care
- moving forcefully or rapidly

Equivocal

(adj.)
- open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous
- uncertain or questionable in nature

Transitory

(adj.) temporary; lasting a brief time; fleeting

Ephemeral

(adj.) short-lived

Obscure

(adj.) difficult to see, vague
(v.) keep from being seen; conceal

Sanguine

(adj.)
- optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation
- blood-red
- bloody or blood-thirsty
(n.) a blood-red colour

Prodigal

adj.) wastefully extravagant; lavishly or generously abundant; (n.) one who is wasteful and self-indulgent

Profligate

(adj.) recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources
(n.) a licentious, dissolute person

Languid

(adj.)
- drooping; without energy, sluggish
- weak or faint from illness or fatigue

Apoplexy

(n.)
- unconsciousness or incapacity resulting from a cerebral hemorrhage or stroke
- incapacity or speechlessness caused by extreme

Semblance

n.) a likeness; an outward appearance; an apparition

Penury

(n.) extreme poverty; barrenness, insufficiency

Ascetic

(adj.) characterized by or suggesting the practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons
(n.) a person who practices severe self-discipline and abstention

Solicitous

(adj.) showing concern or care; fearful or anxious about someone or something; attentive

Fastidious

(adj.) very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail or cleanliness

Inveterate

(adj.) firmly established, long-standing; habitual

Enervate

(v.) cause (someone) to feel drained of energy or vitality; weaken
(adj.) lacking in energy or vitality

Evince

(v.)
- to display clearly, to make evident, to provoke
- be evidence of; indicate

Capricious

(adj.) given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior

Countenance

(n.)
- a person's face or facial expression
- support

Conjecture

(n.) an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information
(v.) form an opinion or supposition about (something) on the basis of incomplete information

Inexorable

(adj.)
- impossible to stop or prevent
- (of a person) impossible to persuade by request or entreaty

Discern

(v.) perceive or recognize (something)

Disposition

(n.)
- a person's inherent qualities of mind and character
- the way in which something is placed or arranged, especially in relation to other things
- the action of distributing or transferring property or money to someone, in particular by bequest

Insuperable

(adj.) (of a difficulty or obstacle) impossible to overcome

Indefatigable

(adj.) (of a person or their efforts) persisting tirelessly

Capacious

(adj.) spacious, roomy

Fervent

(adj.) Intense, enthusiastic, ARDENT

Ascertain

(v.) to find out for sure; to verify

Innocuous

(adj.) harmless, BENIGN

Dauntless

(adj.) brave

Picayune

(adj.) measly; of little value; worthless

Querulous

(adj.) whiny; grouchy; hard-to-please

Puerile

(adj.) immature; juvenile; CALLOW

Indemnity

(n.) payment; compensation

Effluence

(n.) outlfow; emission; wordiness; VERBOSITY

Irascible

(adj.) irritable; easily angered; grouchy; BILIOUS; PETULANT; QUERULOUS

Imbibe

(v.) consume; swallow; ingest; absorb

Dross

(n.) trash; dregs; refuse

Physiognomy

(n.) outward appearance; COUNTENANCE

Confabulation

(n.) conversation; discussion; PALAVER

Noisome

offensive; disgusting

Conciliate

to calm; to satisfy

Automaton

a robot; a gadget

Misconstrue

to interpret incorrectly; to misjudge

propinquity

proximity; kinship

asperity

bitterness; irritability, meanness

tyro

beginner; newcomer; novice

panegyric

a speech praising someone often dead; a eulogy

assuage

to ease; to lessen

invidious

offensive; hateful; full of enmity

effrontery

shameless boldness; audacity

Disquieting

unsettling; distrubing

Rapt

wholly absorbed; captivated; immersed

Sapient

wise; intelligent

mien

manner; personality

Capitulate

to surrender

Preclude

to prevent; to hinder; to impede

Disputatious

argumentative; fond of argument

Salient

significant; remarkable’ obvious

Facile

effortless; deft; hasty

Maladroit

clumsy'; unskillful

Fait accompli

An accomplished and presumably irreversible deed

pedantry

slavish attention to rules; meticulousness; extreme exactness

ineffable

inexpressible; indescribable; unspeakable

Salubrious

healthful; wholesome; hyigenic

Misanthropy

hatred for mankind

Eclectic

assorted; diversified; multifarious

Cursory

Superficial; careless; haphazard

Dissimulate

to pretend; to deceive’ to feign

Immutable

unchanging; eternal

Ameliorate

to make better; to improve

Palliate

lessen; soothe

Fetter

restrain; to curb; to hamper;
hinder

Arrogate

to take or claim without right;
to confiscate

Predilection

a passion; a fondness