AP English MC Vocabulary Sets

Comprehensive vocabulary list pulled from AP English practice questions, categorized by set.

Censure

a formal, public, or strong expression of disapproval and condemnation

Vicarious

Experiencing something through someone else's experience

Vandal

Someone who intentionally damages property

Delineating

Clearly describe or outline the clear boundaries of something

Belated

after expected usual time

Participles

Verb that acts as an adjective, eg. the crying baby

Martyrdom

Self sacrifice for a cause

Conceit

Elaborate, far fetched, or surprising metaphor, usually consistent throughout whole story

Fawning

excessive flattery, submissive behavior, or people pleasing to win favor, approval, or safety

Ponderous

slow and clumsy, often because of immense size

Chastising

rebuking or scolding seriously

Deferential

inclined to or prone to respect, often to the point of ‘taking a back seat’

Pedantic

a description of the quality of some people to annoy people by correcting minor errors

Sardonic

grimly mocking

Reverie

a state of pleasant solitude of thought or daydreaming

Evanescence

the quality of fading away or disappearing

Harbinger

a person who announces the near arrival of another person

Sallow

an unhealthy, sickly yellow or brown skin tone

Petulant

in a childishly bad mood

Coddled

to treat in an overprotective way

Surreptitious

kept secret, especially as a taboo that would be looked down upon

Innate

inborn, natural

Hemp

A cannabis plant

Callous

Insensitive disregard for others

Solemn

Formal/Dignified

Indelible

Not able to be forgotten

Idyllic

Happy, peaceful, picturesque

Stalwart

Loyal, reliable, hardworking

Eschewal

Getting away from something undesirable

Microcosm

A small thing or place showing the characteristic of something larger

Remuneration

Money paid for work or service

Calumniating

Make false and defamatory statements

Hectoring

Talking in a bullying way

Didactic

Teaching something morally

Emulation

trying got one up someone typically by imitating them

Sagacious

good judgement and decision making

Comport

to behave in a specific manner

Chagrin

embarrassment at having failed

Capriciousness

being impulsive and unpredictable

Pseudointellectual

someone who thinks that they are smart but they aren't

Misanthropy

the general hatred, distrust, or disdain for the human species

Droll

curious or unusual in a way that provokes dry amusement

Malady

a disease or ailment

Grotesque

comically or repulsively ugly or distorted

Gout

a painful form of inflammatory arthritis, affects the feet

Squalor

state of being extremely dirty and unpleasant, especially as a result of poverty and neglect

Onslaught

fierce or destructive attack

Aristocrat

someone from the ruling class

Decadent

luxuriously self-indulgent

Interring

place in a grave or tomb, typically with funeral rites

Vitiating

spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of

Tenebrous

dark, shadowy, or obscure

Teeming

full of people or things; crowded

Plight

a dangerous, difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation

Vagabond

a person who wanders from place to place without a home or job

Raison d’etre

the most important reason or purpose for someone or somethings existence

Idiosyncrasies

Unique behavioral trait or mannerism (specific to an individual)

Opulence

Great wealth or luxuriousness

Regal

Fit for a monarch, especially in being magnificent

Lariat

A rope used as a lasso or for tethering

Fates

3 goddesses presiding over the birth and life of humans

Furies

Greek goddesses of vengeance and retribution

Cavalier

A haughty, offhand, or disdainful attitude

Sapient

Wise, or attempting to appear wise

Adage

A proverb or short statement expressing a general truth

Aberrant

Not conforming to an accepted or usual standard

Meritorious

Deserving reward or praise

Perilous

Full of danger or risk

Archetypal

The original, universal pattern or perfect example of something

Jingoism

An extreme form of nationalism or patriotism, characterized by an aggressive foreign policy

Execrations

Intense expressions of hatred, curses, or spoken denunciations

Stymie

Prevent or hinder the progress of

Rancor

Bitterness or resentfulness especially when long - standing

Epithets

An adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned

Chauvinistic

Exaggerated, unreasonable belief

Perfidy

Calculated Deception, Betrayal, Treachery, Faithlessness

Raucous

Sound/Behavior that is loud, unpleasant, harsh

Macabre

Something shockingly Gruesome, scary, or ugly

Staccato

Straight on beat that sounds short, sharp, and bouncy, this is usually a musical term but can be seen in poetry on occasion.

Bemoans

Expressing deep sorrow/mourning for something. Formal word

Syntax

Set of rules that govern how something is written. EX: A German sentence, and English sentence, they all follow specific rules that were made for the language.

Trenchant

Style of writing that is straight to the point

Euphemism

replacing harsh sounding words with something softer. EX: He has passed on instead of he has died

Superlicious

haughty disdain by someone who believes themself higher than the other

Pittance

a very small amount of money

Supplicative

the act of asking very humbly and submissively for something

Altruism

unselfish concern for the welfare of others at cost to oneself

Portentous

an ominous foreshadowing sign

Faustian

a quality of sacrificing principles to achieve immediate power or glory

Salient

the most noticeable or obvious aspects of an object

Reticent

someone that is shy about their feelings

Salacious

“juicy” sexual gossip

Avarice

super greedy desires

Ebullition

boiling

Tincture

soaked herbs in alcohol

Nefarious

extremely wicked

Cognizance

awareness

Undulations

rising and falling motions

Arabesque

intricate repeating pattern

Stolid

unemotional / impassive