Vocabularyyyyy

Dilettante

A person who takes up an activity in a superficial or casual way; an admirer of the arts without deep knowledge.

Fatuous

Silly and pointless; foolishly complacent or self-satisfied.

Sycophant

A person who flatters others for personal gain; a self-serving flatterer.

Vicarious

Experienced through the feelings or actions of others; secondhand or indirect.

Transcend

To go beyond limits or boundaries; to surpass or exceed.

Avarice

Extreme greed for wealth or material gain; insatiable desire for more.

Caprice

A sudden, impulsive change of mind or behavior; a whim.

Incipient

Beginning to exist or appear; in the early stages of development.

Mundane

Lacking interest or excitement; ordinary or commonplace.

Venerate

To regard with great respect; to honor or revere.

Iambic pentameter

A meter pattern where each line is made up of five iambs (ten syllables); most common type of meter in English drama and poetry, mimics the way we naturally speak.

Iamb

A poetic foot of two syllables with the stress on the second syllable like the word "again" or "by far."

Spondee

A set of two syllables where both syllables are stressed/emphasized. Ex. mayday, racecar, heartbreak.

Trochee

Opposite of an iamb. Foot of poetry where the first syllable is stressed and the second is unstressed. Ex. teacher, birthday, poet.

Blank Verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter; many of Shakespeare’s plays are written in this structure.

Epitome

A person or thing that is a perfect example of a particular quality or type.

Zephyr

A gentle, mild breeze.

Wraith

A ghost or ghostlike image of someone, especially one seen shortly before or after their death.

Volatile

Liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, especially for the worse; explosive.

Tenebrous

Dark, shadowy, or obscure; not easily understood.

Inexorable

Impossible to stop or prevent; relentless.

Ephemeral

Lasting for a very short time; fleeting.

Depravity

Moral corruption or wickedness.

Subterfuge

Deceit used in order to achieve one’s goal; a trick.

Perturb

To disturb or disquiet greatly; to throw into confusion.

Caesura

A pause within a line of poetry, sometimes punctuated, sometimes not, often mirroring natural speech.

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or to produce a comedic or ironic effect; an overstatement to make a point.

Understatement

Opposite of hyperbole. The presentation or framing of something as less important than it actually is; usually for comedic or satirical effect.

Inversion

When the normal word order of a sentence or phrase (subject, verb, object) is inverted to emphasize a point or aid in a rhyme scheme.

Syntax

Sentence structure including punctuation, capitalization.

Coquette

A flirtatious woman.

Sibilant

Marked or characterized by a hissing sound.

Agnostic

A person who believes/the belief that nothing can be known of the existence or nature of God.

Inextricable

Impossible to disentangle or separate.

Dispensation

Exemption from a rule or requirement.

Martyr

A person who sacrifices something of great value, often for a cause.

Apathy

Lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern.

Spectacle

A visually striking performance or display.

Renunciation

The formal rejection of something, often a belief or claim.

Sustenance

Food and drink regarded as a source of strength.

Connotation

Meanings or associations readers have with a word or an item beyond its dictionary definition. Affects symbolism, tone, and overall meaning.

Denotation

The literal definition of a word. Dictionary definition.

Third person limited

A narrator that relates the action using third person pronouns but usually only through the thoughts and feelings of one character.

Third person omniscient

A narrator using third person pronouns to narrate the events of the story but knows the thoughts and feelings of all the characters.

Catharsis

The moment of emotional release that occurs when the major conflict or conflicts of a plot resolve.

Usurp

To seize and hold (a position, office, power, etc.) by force or without legal right.

Folly

Lack of good sense; foolishness.

Dote

To show excessive love or fondness for someone.

Countenance

A person’s face or facial expression; can also refer to support or approval.

Bounty

Generosity; also refers to a reward or payment, often for a deed.

Elysium

A place or state of ideal happiness; often used in literature to describe a blissful afterlife.

Obscure

Not discovered or known about; not clearly expressed or easily understood.

Allegiance

Loyalty or commitment to a superior or to a group or cause.

Wit

The ability to think quickly and express ideas in a clever and humorous way.

Fetter

A chain or manacle used to restrain a prisoner, metaphorically used to describe restrictions or limitations.

Slant Rhyme

A rhyme that pairs sounds that are similar but not exactly the same; sometimes called a near rhyme.

Archetype

A cultural symbol that has become universally understood and recognized; can be plot, character, setting, etc.

Static/Flat Character

A character that lacks development over the course of a story, only has a couple of distinct traits; one-dimensional.

Stock Character

A type of static character based on a stereotype; character archetype.

Dynamic Character

A character who evolves/changes/develops over the course of a story and shows a range of traits and emotions.