AP Lit Vocabulary Workshop Level H Units 7-9

abeyance

(n.) a state of being temporarily inactive, suspended, or set aside

syn: postponement; suspension

ambivalent

(adj.) having opposite & conflicting feelings about someone or something

syn: ambiguous, of two minds

ant: unequivocal, unambiguous, clear-cut

beleaguer

(v.) To set upon from all sides; surround with an army; to trouble, harass

syn: besiege, encircle, pester

carte blanche

(noun): full freedom or authority to act at one's own discretion

syn: blank check

cataclysm

(noun): a sudden, violent, or devastating upheaval; a surging flood, deluge

syn: disaster, catastrophe

debauch

(verb): to corrupt morally, seduce; to indulge in dissipation; (noun): an act or occasion of dissipation or vice

syn: (v.) carouse, (n.) orgy
ant: (v.) elevate, uplift, purify

éclat

(noun): dazzling or conspicuous success or acclaim; great brilliance (of performance or achievement)

syn: celebrity
ant: dullness, insipidity, mediocrity

fastidious

(adjective): overly demanding or hard to please; excessively careful in regard to details; easily disgusted

syn: precise, exacting, finicky
ant: careless, sloppy, messy, untidy, slovenly

gambol

(verb): to jump or skip about playfully

syn: frolic, romp, cavort, caper
ant: lumber, plod

imbue

(verb): to soak or stain thoroughly; to fill the mind

syn: infuse, inculcate
ant: remove, expunge, eradicate, erase

inchoate

(adjective): just beginning; not fully shaped or formed

syn: incipient, embryonic
ant: mature, developed, complete

lampoon

(noun): a malicious satire; (verb): to satirize, ridicule

syn: (n.) burlesque; (v.) parody
ant: (n.) compliment, flattery

malleable

(adjective): capable of being formed into different shapes; capable of being altered, adapted, or influenced

syn: pliable, impressionable, adaptable
ant: rigid, inflexible, unyielding, intractable

nemesis

(noun): an agent or force inflicting vengeance or punishment; retribution itself; an unbeatable rival

syn: comeuppance, avenger
ant: guardian angel, ally, patron

opt

(verb): to make a choice or decision

syn: choose, select, decide

philistine

(adjective): lacking in , hostile to, or smugly indifferent to cultural and artistic values or refinements; (noun): such a person

syn: (adj.) boorish, lowbrow; (n.) pedant
ant: (adj.) refined, cultivated; (n.) highbrow

picaresque

(adjective): involving or characteristic of clever rogues or adventures

syn: roguish, rascally, rakish

queasy

(adjective): nauseated or uneasy; causing nausea or uneasiness; troubled

syn: unsettled
ant: calm, untroubled, confident

refractory

(adjective): stubborn; hard or difficult to manage; not responsive to treatment or cure

syn: unruly, disobedient, willful, mulish
ant: docile, tractable, obedient

savoir-faire

(noun): the ability to say and do the right thing in any situation; social competence

syn: tact, finesse, suavity, sophistication
ant: tactlessness, gaucherie, boorishness

aberration

(n.) a departure from what is proper, right, expected, or normal; a lapse from a sound mental state

ad hoc

(adj.) for this specific purpose; improvised; (adv.) with respect to this

bane

(n.) the source or cause of fatal injury, death, destruction, or ruin; death or ruin itself; poison

bathos

(n.) the intrusion of commonplace or trite material into a context whose tone is lofty or elevated; grossly insincere or exaggerated sentimentality; the lowest phase, nadir; an anticlimax, comedown

cantankerous

(adj.) ill-tempered, quarrelsome; difficult to get along or deal with

casuistry

(n.) the determination of right and wrong in questions of conduct or conscience by the application of general ethical principle; specious argument

de facto

(adj.) actually existing or in effect, although not legally required or sanctioned; (adv.) in reality, actually

depredation

(n.) the act of preying upon or plundering

empathy

(n.) a sympathetic understanding of or identification with feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of someone or something else

harbinger

(n.) a forerunner, herald; (v.) to herald the approach of

hedonism

(n.) the belief that the attainment of pleasure is life's chief aim, devotion to or pursuit of pleasure

lackluster

(adj.) lacking brilliance or vitality; dull

malcontent

(adj.) discontented with or in open defiance or prevailing conditions; (n.) such a person

mellifluous

(adj.) flowing sweetly or smoothly; honeyed

nepotism

(n.) undue favoritism to or excessive patronage of one's relatives

pander

(v.) to cater to or provide satisfaction for the low tastes or vices of others; (n.) a person who does this

peccadillo

(n.) a minor sin or offence; a trifling fault or shortcoming

pièce de résistance

(n.) the principal dish of a meal; the principal event, incident, or item; an outstanding accomplishment

remand

(v.) to send or order back, in law, to send back to jail or to a lower court

syndrome

(n.) a group of symptoms or signs that collectively characterize or indicate a disease, disorder, abnormality, etc.

beatitude

n. a state of perfect happiness or blessedness; a blessing

bete noire

n. someone or something that one especially dislikes, dreads, or avoids

bode

v. to be an omen of; to indicate by signs

dank

adj. unpleasantly damp or wet

ecumenical

adj. worldwide or universal in influence or application

fervid

adj. burning with enthusiasm or zeal; extremely heated

fetid

adj. having an unpleasant or offensive odor

gargantuan

adj. immense size, volume, or capacity; enormous

heyday

n. the period of greatest power, vigor, success, or influence; the prime years

incubus

n. a demon or evil spirit supposed to haunt human beings in their bedrooms at night; anything that oppresses or weighs upon one, like a nightmare

infrastructure

n. a basic foundation or framework; a system of public works; the resources and facilities required for an activity; permanent military installations

inveigle

v. to entice, lure, or snare by flattery or artful inducements; to obtain or acquire by artifice

kudos

n. the acclaim, prestige, or renown that comes as a result of some action or achievement

lagniappe

n. an extra or unexpected gift or gratuity

prolix

adj. long winded and wordy; tending to speak or write in such a way

protege

n. someone whose welfare, training, or career is under the patronage of an influential person; someone under the juridiction of a foreign country or government

prototype

n. an original pattern or model; a primitive or ancestral form

sycophant

n. someone who attempts to win favors or advance him- or herself by flattery or servile behavior

tautology

n. needless repetition of an idea by using different but equivalent words; a redundancy

truckle

v. to yield or submit tamely or submissively