Vocab 5

Understatement

Ironic minimalizing of fact presenting something as less than it is.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration not meant to be taken literally.

Satire

A literary genre that attempts to expose humanity’s vice and folly through criticism and ridicule, with hopes for reform.

Amplify

To make something stronger or louder; in writing, to embellish a statement to draw more attention.

Pun

The usually humorous use of a word suggesting two or more meanings.

Statistic

Facts expressed in numbers obtained from analyzing information.

Antithesis

The rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentences.

Phrase

Two or more words acting as a single unit in grammar.

Clause

A grammatical unit with both a subject and a verb.

Antecedent

The word or group of words a pronoun replaces or refers to.

Lampoon

Publicly criticize by using ridicule, irony, or sarcasm.

Contention

A struggling together in opposition; strife.

Dissident

Disagreeing in opinion or attitude; a person who dissents.

Epitome

A person or thing that is typical of or possesses to a high degree the features of a whole class.

Eclectic

Selecting or choosing from various sources.

Impasse

A road or passage having no exit; a situation that is so difficult that no progress can be made.

Inconsequential

Lacking importance; trivial.

Viable

Practical, workable; capable of living or developing.

Conjecture

The formation or expression of an opinion or theory without sufficient evidence for proof.

Consensus

Majority opinion; general agreement or concord.