American Lit Lessons 1-10 Vocab

vernacular

The native language or dialect of a country or region; everyday or informal language; using everyday language.

rhetorical

The effective use of words (particularly in prose composition) designed to be impressive; showy and oratorical.

provocative

Stimulating; pushing or tending toward action, thought, or strong feeling.

accentuate

To emphasize; to heighten the effect of; to pronounce or mark with an accent.

intricacy

Condition or state of being complex, involved, or detailed; elaborateness.

introspective

Given to examination of one's own thoughts and feelings; contemplative.

felicitous

Well chosen for the occasion; appropriate; apt; having an agreeable or delightful manner of writing or speaking.

usurping

To take (power, rights, position, etc.) by force, wrongfully, or without rights.

comprehensive

Of wide scope; inclusive; thorough.

ambiguous

Having more than one possible meaning; uncertain; vague or unclear.

prologue

introductory lines of a play; the preface to a literary work; an introductory or preceding event.

conjecture

An opinion without proof; guesswork; to speculate; to guess.

terse

Brief and to the point (in writing or speaking); concise.

misanthrope

An individual who dislikes or distrusts other human beings.

allegory

A symbolic story in which people, settings, or actions represent ideas or moral qualities.

dissolute

Lacking moral restraint; very wicked; immoral; undisciplined.

protagonist

The main character in a story or play; a person who plays a leading or active part in something.

despicable

Contemptible; deserving of scorn; vile.

incongruous

Not suitable or appropriate; not consistent; not conforming to a pattern.

ferocity

The quality or state of being fierce, savage, or relentless.

Symposium

A meeting for discussing a particular subject; a collection of writings on a subject.

Foreshadow

To indicate or suggest beforehand; to give a warning of.

Scrutinizing

To examine closely or critically.

Evasive

Avoiding by cleverness; not straightforward; misleading.

Infer

To conclude on the basis of reasoning or observation.

Lucid

Easily understood; clear; rational and sane

Perpetuates

To make perpetual; ongoing or constant; to cause to be remembered.

Evoke

To call forth; to bring out; to elicit; to produce (a reaction).

Epithet

A word or phrase that describes or characterizes a person or thing; a descriptive name.

Novice

An inexperienced person; a beginner.

Banter

Teasing or mocking in a good-natured, playful manner; to engage in such playfulness.

Connotation

The suggested, or implied, meaning of a word, not its strict literal meaning; an idea or feeling associated with a word.

Nostalgic

Having a longing for things past.

Stipend

Fixed or regular pay; a salary or allowance.

Affluent

Wealthy; abundant; plentiful

Reiterate

To restate; to repeat

Embellish

To decorate or adorn; to improve a story by adding details.

Brevity

Briefness of duration; shortness; the quality of being concise or to the point.

Imbibes

To drink; to drink in or absorb; to take in with the mind and keep (as in ideas or principles).

Laudable

Praiseworthy; commendable.

Anagram

A word or phrase formed from another word or phrase by changing the order of the letters.

Goad

A prod for driving cattle; anything that drives or urges; an irritating stimulus; to prod into action; to urge on.

Noncommittal

Not committing to any one position or course of action; not revealing one's purpose or position.

Assertion

The act of declaring something; a claim or declaration stated positively.

Quixotic

Impractically idealistic; marked by a romantic notion of noble or chivalric ideas and deeds.

Coherent

Logically connected; consistent; clearly expressed.

Fulminate

To talk or argue violently and loudly; to denounce; to explode suddenly.

Proboscis

The long snout of an animal; a nose, especially a prominent one; a tubular organ.

Inexplicable

Impossible to explain or understand.

Surmise

to guess or suppose; a guess based on little evidence.

Climactic

Of the highest point; of the most intense part of a story or event.

Fidelity

Loyalty, faithfulness; accuracy; accuracy of the reproduction of a sound or picture.

Anecdotes

A brief, entertaining account of an interesting incident.

Staunch

Loyal, steadfast; strong or solid; water-tight; to check the flow of (blood, etc.).

Prodigies

A person with extraordinary talents. especially a highly gifted child; an act or thing that causes amazement; a marvel.

Forte

Something that someone does very well; a strong point.

Epilogues

A short concluding section at the end of a literary work; speech at the end of a play.

Stigma

A mark of shame; a stain; in botany, the portion of a flower's pistil on which pollen is deposited for germination.

Hypochondriac

A person suffering from abnormal anxiety about his or her health; one who imagines he or she is sick or has symptoms of a disease.

Extemporaneous

Done, said, or performed with little or no preparation; unrehearsed; offhand.

subservient

submissive; obedient; useful or of service, especially as a subordinate

rudiments

a fundamental principle, rule, or step (usually used in the plural); an early or undeveloped form or stage of something

gibes

to make mocking remarks; to jeer; to scoff at; a derisive remark; a taunt

bumptious

conceited and arrogant; crudely and unpleasantly forward

repartee

a quick, witty reply or retort; skill in making clever, witty replies

consonant

in agreement, accord, harmony; any letter of the alphabet that is not a vowel

satiate

to satisfy an appetite fully; to provide with more than enough; to glut

sanction

authorized permission or approval; a step taken by a country to force another country to obey international law; to confirm, approve, or permit officially

vivacious

animated; lively; spirited; sprightly

cited

to quote; to mention by way of example or proof; to commend for bravery in an official report; to summon before a court

comely

having a pleasant appearance; attractive

miscreant

a villian; an evildoer; criminal; evil

flaunt

to show off; to display oneself proudly or conspicuously

erroneous

false; mistaken; incorrect

decadence

a process, condition, or period of decline or decay; deterioration; moral decay

stereotypes

a generalized, oversimplified view or opinion that members of a group rigidly apply to a thing, an idea, or another group

pretentious

claiming an undeserved distinction; affectedly grand

ostentatious

too showy; done in an overly elaborate way to attract attention

hypercritical

too severe in judgement

irascible

easily angered; given to outburst of temper; irritable

shrew

a mouselike animal that eats insect; a bad-tempered, nagging woman

lucrative

profitable; producing money or wealth

garrulous

talking too much, especially about unimportant things

abridge

to shorten the number of words; to condense

verbose

wordy; using or containing more words than necessary

invokes

to call upon a higher power for assistance; to ask or appeal for; to call forth

finality

the quality or condition of being complete or settled; conclusiveness

impromptu

without previous thought or preparation; spontaneous

supercilious

showing scorn and haughtiness; disdainful; aloof or conceited

emendations

a correction; a change in a written text

intangible

not capable of being touched; not material; vague or not easily defined

idiomatic

characteristic of a particular language

expletives

an oath or exclamation, usually profane; a word with no meaning of its own, used to complete the pattern of a phrase or sentence

affable

friendly, cordial, pleasant and easy to talk to; showing friendliness

bolster

a long narrow pillow; anything used as a support; to prop up, support, or reinforce

reciprocate

to give, do, or take in return; to move with a backward-forward motion

wistful

full of longing; yearning; wishful

furor

frenzied anger; rage; a public uproar or outburst of indignation; great enthusiasm for

subterfuge

a trick, excuse, or deception used to escape something unpleasant

tawdry

gaudy; showy and cheap