AP Lit Vocabulary List 2

aesthetic

concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty

caveat

a warning or caution to prevent misunderstanding or discourage behavior

egregious

outstandingly bad

exacerbate

to make worse or more severe

innate

existing from birth, inborn

onerous

burdensome

plethora

excess; overabundance

salient

most noticeable or important

sublime

lofty or grand

vilify

to malign, to defame, to utter abusive statements against

buttress

prop up, strengthen

obfuscate

deliberately make something difficult to understand

pedantic

excessively concerned with book learning and formal rules

sage

wise

syntax

the rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences in a given language

alliteration

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

imagery

description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)

colloquialism

informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing

cacophony

harsh sounds

catharsis

a release of emotional tension