AP Literature Vocabulary

1. ambiguous

unclear or open to multiple interpretations

2. rhetorical

intended to persuade or produce an effect

3. vernacular

common everyday language of a specific region

4. denotation

the literal, dictionary definition of a word

5. connotation

the implied meaning or emotional association of a word

6. nostalgic

longing for the past

7. assertion

a confident and forceful statement of belief

8. anecdote

a short, interesting personal story

9. perspective

a particular point of view

10. aphorism

a concise statement of a general truth

11. contradiction

ideas or statements that are opposed to one another

12. apostrophe

addressing an absent person or personified object

13. oxymoron

pairing two contradictory terms

14. allusion

an indirect reference to a person, place, or thing

15. syllogism

logical reasoning joining premises to reach a conclusion

16. satire

using humor or irony to criticize vice or folly

17. bildungsroman

a novel dealing with a character's formative years

18. foil

a character who contrasts with another to highlight specific traits

19. epistolary

relating to or written in the form of letters

20. epitaph

an inscription on a tombstone

21. parody

a humorous imitation of a particular style or genre

22. periodic sentence

a sentence with the main clause at the end

23. expletive

a word or phrase that adds no meaning to a sentence

24. irony

the expression of meaning using language that signifies the opposite

25. eulogy

a speech praising someone who has died

26. paradox

a self-contradictory statement that may be true

27. epiphany

a moment of sudden revelation or insight

28. onomatopoeia

words that imitate the sound they describe

29. diction

the specific choice and use of words

30. utopia

an imagined place where everything is perfect

31. hyperbole

deliberate and obvious exaggeration

32. antagonist

a character who opposes the protagonist

33. analogy

a comparison between two things for explanation

34. inductive

reasoning from specific instances to general principles

35. chiasmus

repeating words or concepts in reverse order

36. thesis

the primary argument or claim of a text

37. litotes

understatement using a double negative

38. ethos

an appeal based on the credibility of the speaker

39. pathos

an appeal to the emotions of the audience

40. logos

an appeal to logic and reason

41. propaganda

biased information used to promote a cause

42. didactic

intended to teach or provide moral instruction

43. allegory

a story with a hidden symbolic or moral meaning

44. in media res

starting a narrative in the middle of the action

45. colloquial

informal or conversational language

46. isocolon

sentences or phrases of equal length and structure

47. aesthetic

concerned with beauty or the appreciation of art

48. juxtaposition

placing two things together for contrasting effect

49. elegy

a poem of serious reflection, typically for the dead

50. zeugma

a word applying to two others in different senses

51. antihero

a protagonist who lacks traditional heroic qualities

52. catharsis

the release of strong or repressed emotions

53. epigraph

a quotation at the beginning of a literary work

54. motif

a recurring element, image, or idea in a story

55. parallelism

the use of corresponding grammatical structures

56. aside

a remark intended for the audience but not other characters

57. anadiplosis

repeating the last word of a clause at the start of the next

58. imagery

visually descriptive or figurative language

59. euphemism

a mild substitute for a harsh or blunt word

60. genre

a category or type of literature

61. voice

the distinctive style or personality of a writer

62. tone

the author's attitude toward the subject

63. theme

the central idea or underlying message of a work

64. protagonist

the main character of a narrative

65. denotation

the literal primary meaning of a word

66. mood

the atmosphere or feeling created for the reader

67. realism

representing a subject in a way that is true to life

68. prose

ordinary written language without metrical structure

69. audience

the intended readers or listeners of a work

70. asyndeton

the omission of conjunctions between parts of a sentence

71. polysyndeton

the repeated use of conjunctions in quick succession

72. deductive

reasoning from general principles to specific instances

73. assonance

the repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words

74. alliteration

the repetition of initial consonant sounds

75. consonance

the repetition of consonant sounds within words

76. invective

insulting, abusive, or highly critical language

77. persona

the character or "mask" an author assumes

78. syntax

the arrangement of words to create sentences

79. foreshadow

hints or warnings about future events in a story

80. personification

giving human characteristics to non-human things

81. anachronism

something placed in the wrong time period

82. synthesize

combining separate elements to form a whole

83. assertion

a confident claim or statement of fact

84. aposiopesis

suddenly breaking off in the middle of a sentence

85. archetype

a universal symbol, character, or pattern

86. bathos

an unintended shift from the serious to the ridiculous

87. homily

a religious or moralizing discourse

88. quatrain

a stanza of four lines

89. innuendo

an indirect hint or suggestive remark

90. pedantic

excessively concerned with minor rules or details

91. satire

criticism using humor, irony, or exaggeration

92. subtext

the underlying or implied meaning

93. Aristotelian Triangle

the relationship between speaker, audience, and subject

94. logical fallacy

an error in reasoning that invalidates an argument

95. appeal to authority

using an expert's opinion to support a claim

96. appeal to ignorance

arguing something is true because it hasn't been proven false

97. ad hominem

attacking the person instead of their argument

98. straw man

misrepresenting an argument to make it easier to attack

99. begging the question

assuming the conclusion of an argument in the premise

100. cogent

clear, logical, and convincing