Learn: AP Lang & Comp Tonal Adjectives

acerbic

acidic; bitter; sharp

admonitory

serving to admonish; warning

bombastic

high-sounding; high-flown; inflated; pretentious

clinical

highly objective; scientific

contemptuous

expressing contempt; a lack of respect

contentious

quarrelsome, tending to argument or strife

cynical

sneeringly distrusftul

didactic

preachy; a sermon to teach a lesson about life

disdainful

expressing dislike or hate

disparaging

belittling

effusive

overflowing; lacking reserve

enigmatic

puzzling; riddle-like

erudite

characterized by great knowledge; scholarly

facetious

playfully humorous

flippant

lacking proper respect

iconoclastic

attacking traditional or popular ideas

impartial

attitude of being unbiased

indignant

attitude of being angry because of an injustice or unworthiness

insipid

lacking flavor or zest; unstimulating; flat; usually referencing thought or writing

insolent

boldly rude or disrespectful

irreverent

lacking seriousness

laconic

concise; succinct

languid

lacking in vigor or vitality

laudatory

pertaining to or expressing praise

lucid

easily understood; clear

moralistic

characterized by a narrow and conventional moral attitude

nostalgic

a wistful desire to return to a former time or place

obsequious

sucking up; praising an absurd amount; sycophantic

patronizing

to behave in an offensively condescending manner

pedantic

overly concerned with minute details or formalisms

pedestrian

lacking in vitality, imagination, distinction, etc.; commonplace; prosaic or dull

pithy

precisely meaningful; terse; cognent

plaintive

expressive of suffering or woe

precocious

prematurely developed

pretentious

ostentatious, exaggerated outward show; pompous

prosaic

matter of fact; dull; ordinary

ribald

lewd or vulgar humor

saccharine

overly sweet

sanctimonious

hypocritical show of religious devotion

sardonic

mocking; cynical

somber

gloomily dark

sophomoric

immature and over-confident

supercilious

disdainful; haughtily contemptuous

vociferous

characterized by loudness and vehemence

whimsical

given to whimsy or fanciful notions; capricious