AP Literature and Composition: A Swim In A Pond In The Rain Vocabulary

Abate

Verb

1: to decrease or reduce in force or intensity, or in amount or value

2:  to put an end to

Synonyms: subside, decrease, diminish

→ The storm finally began to abate, allowing residents to assess the damage safely.

Affable

Adjective

1: being pleasant and at ease in talking to others

2: characterized by ease and friendliness

Synonyms: friendly, easy-going, mellow, nonchalant

→ Her affable nature made everyone feel welcome at the party.

Artless

Adjective

1: lacking art, knowledge, or skill: uncultured

2: made without skill, or free from artificiality

3: free from guile or craft: sincerely simple

Synonyms: genuine, guileless, crude, natural

→ Despite his artless handwriting, the letter was filled with heartfelt sincerity.

Cajole

Verb

1.a: to persuade with flattery or gentle urging especially in the face of reluctance 

2: to obtain from someone by gentle persuasion

3: to deceive with soothing words or false promises

Synonym: coax

→ She tried to cajole her little brother into eating his vegetables by promising him extra dessert.

Diffident

Adjective

1: hesitant in acting or speaking through lack of self-confidence

2: reserved, unassertive

Synonyms: shy, withdrawn, bashful

→ He gave a diffident smile when asked to share his opinion in front of the class.

Enervate

Verb

1: to reduce the mental or moral vigor of

2: to lessen the vitality or strength of

Adjective

1: lacking physical, mental, or moral vigor 

Synonyms: drain, exhaust, weaken

→ Milo felt utterly enervated after gritting his way through three hours of the AP Physics exam.

Fête

Noun

1: a festival, or a lavish often outdoor party

Verb

1: to pay honor to or commemorate

→ They hosted a grand fête in the garden to celebrate her graduation.

Gambol

Verb

1: to skip about in play : frisk, frolic

Noun

1: a skipping or leaping about in play

Synonyms: cavort, frolic; romp, lark

→ The lambs gamboled across the meadow, full of energy and joy.

Imperturbable

Adjective

1: marked by extreme calm, impassivity, and steadiness : serene

Synonyms: unflappable, composed

→ Even during the chaos of the emergency, the doctor remained imperturbable and focused.

Implacable

Adjective

1: not capable of being appeased, significantly changed, or mitigated

Synonyms: stubborn, adamant

→ Despite their pleas for mercy, the judge remained implacable in delivering the harsh sentence.

Indubitable

Adjective

1: too evident to be doubted : unquestionable

Synonyms: irrefutable, undeniable

→ Her indubitable talent made everyone certain she would succeed.

Inveigh

Verb

1: to protest or complain bitterly or vehemently: rail

Synonyms: complain, whine

→ He inveighed against the unfair rules during the meeting.

Iteration

Noun

1: version, incarnation

2: the action or a process of doing or saying something repeatedly

Synonym: repetition

→ Each iteration of the experiment brought more accurate results.

Parsimony

Noun

1: the quality of being careful with money or resources: thrift

1: the quality or state of being stingy

Synonyms: cheapness, miserliness

→ The company’s parsimony led to budget cuts in nearly every department.

Penultimate

Adjective

1: next to the last

2: of or relating to the next to the last syllable of a word

→ She stumbled on the penultimate step of the staircase.

Phlegmatic

Adjective

1: resembling, consisting of, or producing phlegm, one of the four humors (believed to impart the cool, calm, unemotional personality)

2: having or showing a slow and stolid temperament

Synonym: stoic (being calm and almost without any emotion)

→ Despite the chaos around him, he remained phlegmatic and composed.

Rollick

Verb

1: to move or behave in a carefree joyous manner : frolic

→ The children rollicked in the meadow on a sunny afternoon.

Savoir-faire

Noun

1: capacity for appropriate action, especially a polished sureness in social behavior

Synonyms: poise, tact

→ She handled the tricky question with remarkable savoir-faire.

Surly

Adjective

1: menacing or threatening in appearance

2: irritably sullen and churlish in mood or manner

Synonyms: irritable, sullen, sulky

→ The surly waiter slammed the plates on the table without a word.

Truncate

Verb

1: to shorten by or as if by cutting off

→ The editor had to truncate the article to fit it into the magazine’s limited space.