AP Lang Vocab Unit 14

Alacrity

A cheerful readiness; brisk and eager action

Syn.: promptness, willingness, dispatch

Ant.: reluctance, unwillingness, hesitancy

Alleviate

To relieve, make more bearable

Syn.: lessen, lighten, allay, mitigate

Ant.: increase, intensify, worsen

Antithesis

The direct opposite, a sharp contrast

Syn.: contradictory, contrary

Ant.: same, similarly

Appall

To fill with dismay or horror

Syn.: shock, stun, stupefy, horrify

Ant.: please, cheer, gladden, elate, exhilarate

Bellicose

Warlike in manner or temperament; quarrelsome

Syn.: aggressive, combative, belligerent

Ant.: amicable, peaceable, conciliatory

Disparage

To belittle, speak slightingly of; to undervalue

Syn.: degrade, decry, run down, underrate

Ant.: praise, extol, laud

Dissonant

Not in harmony; disagreeing, at odds

Syn.: grating, strident, unmelodious, irreconcilable

Ant.: harmonious, agreeing

Droll

Amusingly odd

Syn.: comical, humorous, whimsical

Ant.: humorless, solemn, dour

Edict

An order issued by someone in authority

Syn.: command, decree, proclamation

Ant.: request

Elucidate

To clarify, explain

Syn.: interpret, expound, explicate

Ant.: obscure, muddy

Laud

To praise

Syn.: hail, extol, glorify, exalt

Ant.: criticize, censure, belittle, disparage

Loll

To act in a lazy manner; to lounge; to recline, droop

Syn.: laze, recline, slouch, loiter, sag

Ant.: straighten, rise

Loquacious

Talkative wordy; fond of talking

Syn.: gossipy, voluble, garrulous, long-winded

Ant.: silent, reticent, close mouthed, terse

Magnanimous

Generous in forgiving, above small meanness

Syn.: unselfish, charitable, noble, bighearted

Ant.: petty, selfish, unforgiving, spiteful

Mandatory

Required, obligatory

Syn.: compulsory, requisite, imperative

Ant.: optional, voluntary, discretionary

Nondescript

Ordinary, not outstanding; not easily classified

Syn.: plain, unremarkable, unimpressive

Ant.: distinctive, remarkable, vivid

Phlegmatic

Slow-moving , sluggish; unemotional

Syn.: lethargic, indolent, stolid, impassive

Ant.: emotional, sensitive, thin-skinned, excitable

Rescind

To repeal, cancel

Syn.: withdraw, revoke, retract, annul

Ant.: affirm, endorse, uphold, ratify

Vivacious

Lively, sprightly, full of energy

Syn.: spirited, animated, ebullient

Ant.: dull, spiritless, listless

Whet

To sharpen, put an edge on; to make keen or eager

Syn.: hone, excite, stimulate

Abt.: dull, blunt, stifle, dampen