AP English Vocab Terms

Connubial

Having to do with marriage(adj)

Consternation

Shock or great surprise; dismay(n)

interlocutor

a person taking part in a conversation(n)

rimy

frosty(adj)

prodigiously

enormously, extremely, greatly(adv)

concilate

win over, make friendly, placate(vt)

countenance

facial expression(n)

vicariously

through a subsitute or representative(adv)

intimate

hint, imply(vt)

commiserate

sympathize with, console, pity(vt)

imperiously

in a commanding manner(adv)

livid

black and blue, as though bruised(adj)

vivacious

full of animation, spirited, lively(adj)

exonerate

to free from guilt or blame(vt)

scrutiny

close examination or inspection(n)

trenchant

keen, incisive; forceful, vigorous(adj)

imprecate

to invoke evil or a curse upon(vt)

beacon

a lighthouse; someone or something that offers warning(n)

assail

to attack with vigor(vt)

expectorate

to expel phlegm through coughing; to spit(vi)

terse

brief and to the point, concise; brusque, curt(adj)

presentiment

foreboding, a sense of impending misfortune(n)

regale

to entertain agreeably; to entertain with a feast(vt)

congenial

agreeable in nature; compatible(adj)

venerate

to revere, to feel a deep respect for(vt)

erudition

learning acquired through books or study(n)

ignominious

disgraceful, shameful(adj)

reticence

hesitation to speak(n)

vicious

malicious, spiteful(adj)

sanctify

to make holy(vt)

sagacious

keenly perceptive, wise(adj)

candid

honest and frank; unbiased, fair(adj) or candor(n)

ostentatiously

with showy display(adv)

corroborate

to confirm(vt)

felicitous

happy, appropriate(adj)

obstinacy

stubbornness(n)

supercilious

patronizingly haughty(adj)

condescend

to act as though coming down from a superior position(vi)

stipulate

to set as a condition(vt)

scrupulous

conscientiously honest; rigorously exact(adj)

pervade

to fill completely(vt)

affinity

close relationship; natural attraction(n)

mortify

to humiliate; to control through self-denial(vt)

confound

to throw into confusion(vt)

cogitate

to think seriously and deeply(about); ponder(vi)

peremptory

settled; admitting no discussion; final(adj)

formidable

exciting fear, dread(adj)

emasculate

to castrate; deprive of strength or virility(vt)

abet

to encourage or support, esp in wrongdoing

compunction(n)

a twinge of conscience; remorse(n)

beguile

to decieve; charm; pass (time) pleasantly(vt)

obsequious

showing too great willingness to serve; servile; fawning

aggrandize

to make greater or grander(vt)

tenuous

lacking a sound basis; flimsy(adj)

adjunct

something added but not essential(n)

fulminate

to issue a severe threat, to inveigh(vi)

inundate

to overwhelm as with a flood(vt)

insidious

subtly working harmfully; treacherous; beguiling but harmful(adj)

exacerbate

to increase the severity of; to aggravate(vt)

inveterate

confirmed by habit; firmly established by tradition, deep-rooted(adj)

diaphanous

so fine in texture as to be transparent(adj)

venerable

worthy of respect because of status, dignity(adj)

august

inspiring awe; venerable(adj)

lurid

glowing through haze; sensational(adj)

inscrutable

not easily understood; mysterious; enigmatic(adj)

spectral

ghostly(adj)

pall

cloth covering for a casket; dark covering(n)

sententious

fond of spouting maxims; given to pompous moralizing(adj)

alienist

psychiatrist; expert in mental illness, esp from a legal standpoint(n)

emissary

an agent dispatched on a mission(n)

lugubrious

deeply mournful(adj)

drollery

wry humor; a wry remark or tale

recrudescence

breaking out afresh; recurrence of something unpleasant(n)

alacrity, adj: alacritous

eager readiness(n)

obliquely

coming from an angle; indirectly(adv)

wanton

unrestrained in behavior or cruelty(adj)

languid

listless, sluggish; lacking vigor(adj)

voluble

speaking vehemently; glib(adj)

intrepid

unafraid, fearless(adj)

thrall

slave; someone under moral domination(n)

enthrall

captivate(vt)

purchase

a tight grip or hold(n)

incontinent

lacking self-restraint(adj)

recondite

beyond the grasp of ordinary understanding; esoteric; abstruse; obscure(adj)

serried

placed close together; compact(adj)

abject

of the lowest degree; degraded(adj)

evanescent, n: evanescence

fading away, vanishing(adj)

peroration

conclusion of a speech, often summative(n)

harlequin

clown; traditional comic character(n)

factitous

not genuine; forced(adj)

exultation, adj: exultant; vi: exult

unbridled joy(n)

tenebrous

dark, gloomy(adj)

sough

make a soft sound(vi)

invidious

exciting ill will; giving offense(adj)

harrow

cause mental distress; torment(vt)

usurp

seize by force something to which one has no right(vt)

emulation

rivalry to equal; imitation of someone admired(n)

mettle

quality of character; courage; ardor(n)

portentous

ominous; marvelous; significant(adj)

auspicious

promising(adj)