AP Lang Quarter 3 Vocab

Sycophant

A person who acts obsequiously towards someone important in order to gain advantage; a flatterer.

Prudent

Acting with or showing care and thought for the future; wise and sensible.

Acquiesce

To accept something reluctantly but without protest; to agree or comply silently or without objection.

Sagacious

Having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment; wise, shrewd.

Indolence

Avoidance of activity or exertion; laziness.

Fortuitous

Happening by accident or chance rather than design; fortunate.

Ameliorate

To make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better; improve.

Preclude

To prevent from happening; to make impossible.

Stringent

Rigorously binding or exacting; strict; severe.

Beguile

To charm or enchant someone, often in a deceptive way; to influence by trickery or flattery.

Licentious

Lacking moral or ethical constraints; disregarding accepted rules, especially in moral conduct.

Nebulous

Unclear, vague, or ill-defined; hazy.

Impetus

The force or energy with which a body moves; a driving force.

Magnanimous

Very generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or someone less powerful than oneself.

Fungible

Replaceable by another identical item; mutually interchangeable.

Coalesce

To come together and form one mass or whole; to unite or merge.

Caustic

Sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way; capable of burning or corroding.

Incongruous

Not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects of something; out of place.

Fastidious

Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail; difficult to please.

Extol

To praise enthusiastically or highly; to glorify.

Zeugma

A figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses.

Profligate

Recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources; immoral or licentious.

Jocund

Cheerful and lighthearted.

Ostentatious

Characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to attract attention.

Sundry

Various kinds; several.

Insipid

Lacking flavor or interest; dull, bland.

Urbane

Suave, courteous, and refined in manner.

Droll

Curious or unusual in a way that provokes dry amusement; whimsically humorous.

Corroborate

To confirm or give support to (a statement, theory, or finding); to strengthen with other evidence.

Ignominious

Deserving or causing public disgrace or shame; humiliating.