AP Lang Vocab (ALL)

Altruistic

Altruistic

showing a disinterested and selfless concern for well-being of others; unselfish

Ambivalent

having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone

Angular

a. stiff in character or manner; lacking smoothness or grace

b. having little flesh so that the shapes of your bones can be seen; thin and bony

Arrogant

having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance or abilities

Aversion

a strong dislike or inclination

Discern

perceive or recognize (something)

Disdain

the feeling that someone or something is unworthy of one’s consideration or respect; contempt

Disparage

regard or represent as being of little worth

Disparity

a great difference

Embellish

make (something) more attractive by the addition of decorative details or features

Engender

cause or give rise to (a feeling, situation, or condition)

Innocuous

not harmful or offensive

Insipid

lacking flavor

Lament

noun. a passionate expression of grief or sorrow

verb. mourn (a person’s loss or death)

Laud

praise (a person or their achievements) highly, especially in a public context

Obscure

not discovered or known about; uncertain

Ostentation

pretentious and vulgar display, especially of wealth and luxury, intended to impress or attract notice

Prodigal

spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant

Repudiate

refuse to accept or be associated with

Reticence

The state or quality of being reluctant

Revere

to regard with awe, deference, and devotion

Serene

unaffected by disturbance; calm

Subtle

so slight as to be difficult to detect or describe

Superfluous

being beyond what is required or sufficient

Taciturn

habitually silent, reserved, or uncommunicative

Antithesis

a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else

Ascend

go up or climb

Austere

serve or strict in manner, attitude or appearance

Autonomous

acting independently or having the freedom to do so

Banal

so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring

Benign

gentle; kindly

Capricious

given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior

Dawdle

waste time; be slow

Defamation

the action of damaging the good reputation of someone; slander or libel

Esoteric

intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest

Exacerbate

make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse

Extol

praise enthusiastically

Fastidious

very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail

Furtive

attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble; secretive

Gregarious

(of a person) fond of company; sociable

Hypocrite

a person who claim or pretends to have certain beliefs about what is right but who behaves in a way that disagrees with those beliefs

Innate

inborn; natural

Lethargic

feeling a lack of energy or a lack of interest in doing things; sluggish and apathetic

Melancholy

a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause

Opaque

not able to be seen through; not transparent

Prolific

present in large numbers or quantities; plentiful

Reprove

to voice or convey disapproval of

Symmetry

the quality of being made up of exactly similar parts facing each other or around an axis

Tranquil

free from disturbance; calm

Venerate

regard with great respect, revere

Abstruse

difficult to understand; obscure

Affable

friendly, good-natured, or easy to talk to

Audacity

the willingness to take bold risks; rude or disrespectful behavior

Contrite

feeling or expressing remorse or penitence; affected by guilt

Credulous

having or showing too great a readiness to believe things

Depravity

moral corruption; wickedness

Deprecate

to express disapproval of

Didactic

intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive

Dormant

Temporarily inactive

Inscrutable

impossible to understand or interpret

Vilify

speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner

Erudite

having or showing great knowledge or learning

Exotic

originating in or characteristic of a distant foreign country; attractive or striking because it is colorful or out of the ordinary

Fuse

join or blend to form a single entity

Immutable

unchanging over time or unable to be changed

Incorrigible

(of a person or their tendencies) not able to be corrected, improved, or reformed

Loathe

feel intense dislike or disgust for

Mitigate

to make less severe, serious, or painful

Nullify

make legally void; invalidate

Pacifistic

holding the belief that war and violence are unjustifiable; peaceable

Pretentious

attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed

Prologue

a separate introductory section of a literary or musical work

Recant

say that one no longer holds an opinion or belief, especially one considered heretical

Servile

having or showing an excessive willingness to serve or please others

Trepidation

a feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen

Aesthetic

concerned with beauty or the appreciate of beauty

Aloof

not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant

Archaic

(of a word or a style of language) no longer in everyday use but sometimes used to impart an old-fashioned flavor

Assuage

make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense; satisfy (an appetite or desire)

Belie

(of an appearance) fail to give a true notion or impression of (something); disguise or contradict

Contentious

causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial

Daunt

make (someone) feel intimidated or apprehensive

Debilitate

make (someone) weak and infirm

Discord

disagreement between people; lack or harmony between notes sounding together

Dissemination

the act of spreading something, especially information, widely; circulation

Dogmatic

inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true

Duplicity

deceitfulness; double-dealing

Egocentric

thinking only of oneself, without regard for the feelings or desires of others; self-centered

Euphemism

a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing

Gluttonous

excessively greedy