AP English Literature – Summer Reading 2025 Vocabulary Mastery

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering the bolded terms and their key synonyms from the AP English Literature Summer Reading packet. Use these cards to master definitions, connotations, and usage before class and the first vocabulary test.

Proscribe (v.)

To forbid, outlaw, or prohibit by authority.

Debauch (v.)

To corrupt morally; lead into excessive indulgence or immorality.

Debauchery (n.)

Excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures; immoral self-indulgence.

Profligacy / Profligate (n./adj.)

Reckless extravagance or shamelessly immoral behavior.

Licentious (adj.)

Sexually unrestrained; morally lawless.

Prurient (adj.)

Having or showing excessive interest in sexual matters.

Salacious (adj.)

Lustful, lecherous, or erotically suggestive in a distasteful way.

Demagogue (n.)

A political leader who gains support by appealing to emotions rather than reason.

Demagoguery (n.)

Actions or rhetoric used by a demagogue to manipulate public opinion.

Umbrage (n.)

Offense, annoyance, or resentment (often in the phrase “take umbrage”).

Travail (n.)

Hardship, painful effort, or arduous labor.

Veracity (n.)

Truthfulness; conformity to fact.

Veracious (adj.)

Habitually truthful; accurate.

Voracious (adj.)

Very hungry or exceedingly eager; devouring in great quantities.

Rapacious (adj.)

Aggressively greedy; plundering.

Rapacity (n.)

Extreme greed; predatory selfishness.

Encomium (n.)

A formal expression of high praise.

Plaudits (n.)

Enthusiastic approval or applause.

Accolades (n.)

Expressions of praise or honor; awards.

Laudation (n.)

Act of praising; a tribute.

Panegyric (n.)

An elaborate public speech or written text in praise of someone or something.

Banal (adj.)

Commonplace, trite, or unoriginal.

Prosaic (adj.)

Dull, ordinary, lacking imagination.

Dereliction (n.)

Neglect of duty or responsibility.

Derelict (adj.)

Run-down or neglected; abandoned.

Derelict (n.)

A homeless or jobless person; something abandoned.

Travesty (n.)

A grotesque or absurd imitation; a false, distorted representation.

Anathema (n.)

Something or someone intensely disliked or formally cursed; a taboo.

Perfidy (n.)

Deliberate breach of faith; treachery.

Perfidious (adj.)

Disloyal; treacherous; deceitful.

Treachery (n.)

Betrayal of trust; deceptive action or nature.

Treacherous (adj.)

Hazardous or traitorous; guilty of betrayal.

Ignominy (n.)

Public shame or disgrace.

Ignominious (adj.)

Deserving or causing disgrace or shame.

Pyrrhic (adj.)

Describing a victory won at too great a cost.

Surfeit (n.)

An excessive amount; overabundance.

Dour (adj.)

Stern, severe, or gloomy in manner or appearance.

Slothful (adj.)

Lazy, indolent, disinclined to effort.

Sloth (n.)

Habitual laziness; also, a slow-moving mammal.

Pithy (adj.)

Concise and forcefully expressive.

Terse (adj.)

Brief and to the point; curt.

Laconic (adj.)

Using very few words; concise to the point of seeming rude.

Orotund (adj.)

Pompous and full-sounding in speech or writing.

Bloviating (adj./ger.)

Speaking pompously and windily; verbose pontificating.

Bombastic (adj.)

High-sounding but with little meaning; inflated language.

Nemesis (n.)

An archenemy or unbeatable rival; agent of retribution.

Acquisitive (adj.)

Greedy for material gain; eager to acquire.

Pariah (n.)

An outcast; one despised or rejected by society.

Paradigm (n.)

A typical example or model; a pattern of thought.

Ebullient (adj.)

Cheerful and full of energy; bubbly.

Ebullience (n.)

Liveliness and enthusiasm; exuberance.

Culpable (adj.)

Deserving blame; guilty.

Culpability (n.)

Responsibility for a fault or wrong; blameworthiness.

Exculpate (v.)

To clear from alleged fault or guilt; exonerate.

Exonerate (v.)

To absolve from blame or responsibility.

Recondite (adj.)

Little-known, abstruse; difficult to understand.

Arcane (adj.)

Understood by few; mysterious or secret.

Esoteric (adj.)

Intended for or understood by a small, specialized group.

Abstruse (adj.)

Hard to comprehend; obscure.

Obscure (adj.)

Not clear or plain; hard to understand or see.

Peremptory (adj.)

Leaving no opportunity for denial; final and commanding.

Countermand (v.)

To revoke or cancel an order by issuing a contrary command.

Pertinacious (adj.)

Stubbornly persistent; holding firmly to an opinion or course.

Lambent (adj.)

Softly glowing or flickering (as of light or flame).

Peccadillo (n.)

A minor offense or slight fault.

Cupidity (n.)

Greedy desire for wealth; avarice.

Tawdry (adj.)

Cheap and gaudy in appearance or quality.

Meretricious (adj.)

Attracting attention in a vulgar manner; falsely showy.

Internecine (adj.)

Mutually destructive; deadly to both sides.

Imbroglio (n.)

A complicated, messy, or embarrassing situation.

Impetus (n.)

A driving force; stimulus or impulse that prompts activity.

Perspicacious (adj.)

Having keen understanding or insight; mentally sharp.

Confluence (n.)

A coming together or flowing together of streams, ideas, or cultures.

Effluence (n.)

Outflow; something that flows out, often pollution.

Simplistic (adj.)

Overly simple, ignoring complexities.

Ablutions (n.)

Washing or cleansing, especially as a ritual; one’s morning washing routine.

Abstemious (adj.)

Moderate; sparing in eating and drinking; self-denying.

Amulet (n.)

A charm believed to protect against evil or bring luck.

Talisman (n.)

An object thought to confer magical protection or good fortune.

Mitigate (v.)

To make less severe or painful; lessen the impact.

Alleviate (v.)

To relieve or reduce (pain, hardship, etc.).

Analogous (adj.)

Comparable in certain respects; similar or equivalent.

Apparition (n.)

A ghost or ghostlike image; an unexpected appearance.

Specter (n.)

A haunting or disturbing ghost or image.

Wraith (n.)

A shadowy or ghostlike figure, especially one seen just before death.

Parse (v.)

To analyze carefully, especially grammatically; examine closely.

Peruse (v.)

To read thoroughly and attentively; examine in detail.

Artifice (n.)

Clever trick or crafty device; ingenuity.

Ruse (n.)

A clever scheme or trick used to deceive.

Machination (n.)

A crafty plot or scheme, especially for evil ends.

Stratagem (n.)

A strategic plan, trick, or maneuver to gain an advantage.

Ploy (n.)

A tactical move or trick to gain benefit.

Gambit (n.)

A calculated move or opening tactic intended to secure an advantage.

Admonish (v.)

To warn, caution, or gently scold.

Exhort (v.)

To urge strongly; encourage earnestly.

Importune (v.)

To beg persistently and urgently.

Atrophy (n./v.)

A wasting away or decline from disuse; to wither.

Attenuate (v.)

To weaken in force, intensity, or value.

Guile (n.)

Cunning, deceitful intelligence.

Guileless (adj.)

Naively honest; devoid of deceit.