AP lit vocabulary

AP Lit vocab sets 1, 2, 3

Adjunct

an addition or supplement to something else

Banality

something commonplace or cliché, unoriginal or common

Bellwether

leader or indicator of something

Caterwaul

loud and unpleasant noise, to howl or screech like a cat

Chimerical

outrageous or crazy, absurd

Effete

weak, lacking in energy, exhausted, unable to produce

Metaphor

a NON-LITERAL comparison between two things in order to suggest a resemblance

Elegiac

mournful, accepting

Hidebound

conservative, old-fashioned, stubborn

Hierarchy

a power structure/order in government

Indignation

reaction as though one has been disrespected

Liturgy

a religious ritual or ceremony

Morass

a difficult thing to work your way through, a challenge (literally: a swampy, wet, sticky environment)

Simile

a comparison of two things using the words like and as