AP Literature and Composition Units 1-3 Vocabulary Save

epitomize

be a perfect example of

irrascible

easily angered, irritable

malign

to speak harmful untruths about; speak evil of; slander; defame

rancor

bitter resentment or ill-will

rejuvenate

make young or youthful again; give new vigor to; reinvigorate; refresh

rue

to regret

temper

to moderate; soften

sanction

official permission or approval

surreptitious

secret, stealthy

Vaccilate

to sway physically; to be indecisive

fervent

eager; earnest

illustrious

well known, respected, and admired for past achievements

ignoble

dishonorable; shameful

homage

special honor or respect shown publicly

hallowed

holy, sacred

aegis

a shield; protection

sanctity

the state or quality of being holy, sacred, or saintly

irreverence

lack of respect

immutable

unchangeable

whimsical

(adj.) subject to odd ideas, notions, or fancies; playful; unpredictable

pensive

thoughtful

jocular

humorous, jesting, jolly, joking

morose

having a gloomy or sullen manner; not friendly or sociable

lucid

easy to understand, clear; rational, sane

deprecate

to express disapproval of

bereft

deprived of; made unhappy through a loss

misanthropic

disliking humankind and avoiding human society

genteel

well-mannered; refined; polite

nonchalant

cool and confident, unconcerned

venerate

to respect deeply

nostalgic

longing for the past

fastidious

very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail

feign

to pretend

congenial

(adj.) getting on well with others; agreeable, pleasant

fetter

a chain or shackle placed on the feet

requite

(v.) to make suitable repayment, as for a kindness, service, or favor; to make retaliation, as for an injury or wrong; to reciprocate

assuage

to make something unpleasant less severe

transcend

to rise above or beyond, exceed

idyllic

charming in a rustic way; naturally peaceful

efface

to erase

bygone

well in the past

sardonic

grimly or scornfully mocking, bitterly sarcastic

pretext

a false reason, deceptive excuse

ephemeral

lasting a very short time

mercurial

quick, shrewd, and unpredictable

beguile

To deceive; to charm; to enchant

lofty

very high

underscore

to emphasize

terse

brief and to the point

pique

to cause resentment; to provoke

doting

excessively fond, loving to excess

mundane

ordinary, commonplace

exhort

to urge strongly

perseverate

to repeat something insistently or redundantly

Emmanate

to come forth

ennui

dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy

petulant

peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset

garrulous

talkative, rambling

innocuous

not harmful or offensive

langour

Lack of physical or mental energy

verse

A single line of poetry

Prose

written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure (not poetry)

Diction

word choice

Syntax

Sentence structure

Denotation

The dictionary definition of a word

Connotation

an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning.

Conceit

A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects.

Tone

Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character

Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art, etc…

refrain

A line or set of lines repeated several times over the course of a poem.

lyrical

expressing a poet's inner feelings; emotional; full of images; song-like

Narrative

The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.

Anthropomorphism

the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object. (the perception of a divine being or beings in human form, or the recognition of human qualities in these beings.)

Personification

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

Apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love.

Hyperbole

exaggeration

Understatement

the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is.

Metaphor

A comparison without using like or as

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

visual imagery

descriptive language that appeals to the sense of sight

auditory imagery

use of language to represent an experience pertaining to sound

olfactory imagery

descriptive language that appeals to the sense of smell

tactile imagery

descriptive language that appeals to the sense of touch

gustatory imagery

descriptive language that appeals to the sense of taste

kinesthetic imagery

use of language to represent an experience pertaining to the movement of muscles, tendons, or joints

organic imagery

imagery relating to internal or emotional sensation: hunger, thirst, fatigue, fear.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

Paradox

A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.

Pun

a humorous play on words

Synecdoche

a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

Assonance

Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity

Consonance

Repetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity.

cacophony

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds

euphony

pleasant, harmonious sound

Rhyme

Repetition of sounds at the end of words

end rhyme

A word at the end of one line rhymes with a word at the end of another line

exact rhyme

Uses words with identical end sound

internal rhyme

a rhyme involving a word in the middle of a line and another at the end of the line or in the middle of the next.