AP Lang Vocab - Cordell

ardent

passionate; zealous

indubitably

unquestionable; without a doubt

empirical

based on observation or experiment rather than logic

didactic

used to teach/moralize

circumlocution

the use of too many words when fewer would do

platitude

a remark or saying (often moral) used too often to be interesting or thoughtful/cliche

inexorable

impossible to stop or prevent

epoch

a period of time in history or a person's life, usually marked by events or characteristics

exhort

strongly encourage or urge someone or something

sanguine

happy; optimistic

repudiate

to deny the truth of or refuse to be associated with

ubiquitous

present or found everywhere

verisimilitude

the appearance of being real or the truth

facile

appearing neat and comprehensive but ignoring complexities; superficial

posit

to put forward as a basis of argument; to assume as fact

pithy

(language) concise and forcefully expressive

incendiary

tending to excite or inflame

colloquial

(language)informal; not literary; familiar

banal

lacking in originality

acrimonious

bitter or angry

monolithic

large and intractably indivisible and uniform

inculcate

to instill an idea or attitude through persistent instruction

anathema

something or someone that one vehemently(strongly) dislikes

insipid

bland

obfuscate

muddled

prolific

plentiful or productive

ebullient

cheerful; full of energy

altruism

belief/practice of selfless concern for the well-being of others

obsequious

attentive to a servile degree (aka eager to please)

bellicose

demonstrating aggression or willingness to fight

pedantic

ostentatious in one’s learning; cares too much about small details

maxim

short, pithy statement that expresses general truth

sardonic

grimly mocking

capricious

given to sudden changes in mood or behavior

epitomizes

be a perfect example of

conciliatory

intended or likely to pacify or placate

implacable

unable to be placated; unforgiving

germane

relevant to subject of study; pertinent

obdurate

stubbornly refusing to change one’s position

demarcation

fixing boundaries or limits

lucid

clear; easy to understand

gregarious

sociable; fond on company

laudatory

expressing praise or commendation

vitriolic

filled with bitter resentment or malice

jocund

cheerful or lighthearted

egregious

shocking or appalling

ad hoc argument

hypothesis added to save claim

confound

cause surprise or confusion by acting outside of expectations

cogent

clear, concise, and logical (in terms of argument)

salient

most noticeable or important

auspicious

conducive to success; favorable

ameliorate

to become or make better; to improve

edifying

providing moral or intellectual instruction

querulous

complaining in a petulant or whiny manner

conjectural

based on speculation; theoretical

vociferous

crying out noisily; clamorous

dogmatic

lay down one’s principles as truth

epistolary

literary works in the form of letters

blithe

cheerful or casual indifference

puerile

childish; silly; trivial

equivocate

use ambiguous language to conceal truth

semantics

meaning of a word, phrase, or text

aphorism

a terse statement that expresses a general truth

repose

a state of tranquility

acquiescence

reluctant acceptance

innoucuous

not offensive or harmful

histrionic

overly dramatic or theatrical in character/style

vacillate

waver between things; be indecisive.