ap Lang vocab

Abhorring

to regard with extreme repugnance or aversion; detest utterly; loathe; abominate

Abstruse

difficult to understand

Acerbic

harsh or severe, as of temper or expression; polemical

Admonishing

cautioning, advising, or counseling against something; reproving or scolding, especially in a mild and good-willed manner; reminding; exhortatory

Ambiguous

open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations

Ambivalent

uncertainty or fluctuation, esp. when caused by inability to make a choice or by a simultaneous desire to say or do two opposite or conflicting things

Antagonistic

acting in opposition; opposing, esp. mutually/ hostile; unfriendly

Apathetic

having or showing little or no emotion/ not interested or concerned; indifferent or unresponsive

Audacious

extremely bold or daring; recklessly brave; fearless

Authoritarian

having an air of authority; accustomed to exercising authority; positive; peremptory; dictatorial

Bantering

good-humored, playful conversation

Belligerent

warlike; given to waging war

Bemused

bewildered or confused/ lost in thought; preoccupied

Benevolent

characterized by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings

Bewildered

completely puzzled or confused; perplexed

Blithe

joyous, merry, or gay in disposition; glad; cheerful

Brusque

abrupt in manner; blunt; rough

Candid

frank; outspoken; open and sincere / free from reservation, disguise, or subterfuge; straightforward

Capricious

flighty; led by whims; erratic

Caustic

making biting, corrosive comments

Censorious

severely critical; faultfinding

Choleric

extremely irritable or easily angered; irascible

Churlish

rude in a mean-spirited and surly way

Colloquial

characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or writing

Conciliatory

To overcome the distrust or animosity of; appease

Condescending

showing or implying a usually patronizing descent from dignity or superiority

Contemptuous

showing or expressing contempt or disdain; scornful

Contentious

tending to argument or strife; quarrelsome/ causing, involving, or characterized by argument or controversy

Credulous

having or showing too great a readiness to believe things on slight or uncertain evidence

Curt

rudely brief in speech or abrupt in manner/ brief; concise; terse; laconic

Cynical

scornful of the motives or virtues of others; bitterly or sneeringly distrustful, contemptuous, or pessimistic

Derisive

characterized by or expressing derision; contemptuous; mocking; disdainful

Derogatory

tending to lessen the merit or reputation of a person or thing; disparaging; depreciatory

Detached

impartial or objective; disinterested; unbiased/ not involved or concerned; aloof

Diabolic

having the qualities of a devil; devilish; fiendish; outrageously wicked

Didactic

intended for instruction; instructive

Diffident

lacking confidence in one's own ability, worth, or fitness; timid; shy

Disconcerting

causing one to feel unsettled; unsettling, unnerving, discomfiting, troubling

Dogmatic

asserting opinions in a doctrinaire or arrogant manner; opinionated

Dubious

wavering or hesitating in opinion; inclined to doubt

Duplicitous

deceitful

Earnest

serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous

Ebullient

overflowing with fervor, enthusiasm, or excitement; high-spirited; enthusiastic

Effusive

unduly demonstrative; lacking reserve

Egotistical

given to talking about oneself; vain; boastful; opinionated; indifferent to the well-being of others; selfish

Elegiac

expressing sorrow or lamentation

Elevated

exalted or noble; lofty/ exalted or noble; lofty

Empathetic

showing empathy or ready comprehension of others' states

Encouraging

to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence/ to stimulate by assistance, approval, etc.; to promote, advance, or foster

Enigmatic

difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious

Erudite

characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly

Eulogistic

to praise highly in speech or writing, especially in a formal eulogy

Euphoric

a feeling of happiness, confidence, or well-being sometimes exaggerated in pathological states as mania

Evasive

deliberately vague or ambiguous; tending or seeking to evade; characterized by evasion

Exhilarated

to enliven; invigorate; stimulate; to make cheerful or merry

Exuberant

effusively and almost uninhibitedly enthusiastic; lavishly abundant

Facetious

not meant to be taken seriously or literally; amusing; humorous

Fanciful

characterized by or showing fancy; capricious or whimsical in appearance

Farcical

ludicrous; absurd; mocking; humorous and highly improbable

Fatalistic

the acceptance of all things and events as inevitable; submission to fate

Fervent

having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm; ardent

Flippant

frivolously disrespectful, shallow, or lacking in seriousness; characterized by levity

Foreboding

a strong inner feeling or notion of a future misfortune or evil; ominous presentiment

Frivolous

lacking seriousness or sense; self-indulgently carefree; of little or no importance

Haughty

disdainfully proud; snobbish; scornfully arrogant; supercilious

Histrionic

over the top; dramatic

Impassive

without emotion; apathetic; unmoved; calm; serene

Impertinent

insolently rude; uncivil; impudent; characterized by effrontery

Incisive

penetrating; sharp; remarkably clear and direct; keen

Incredulous

disinclined to believe; skeptical

Indifferent

without interest or concern; impartial; apathetic

Indignant

expressing strong displeasure at something unjust, offensive, or insulting

Inflammatory

tending to arouse anger, hostility, or passion

Innocuous

not harmful or offensive

Insipid

without distinctive or stimulating qualities; vapid

Insistent

earnest or emphatic in demanding or maintaining something; persistent

Insolent

boldly rude or disrespectful; contemptuously impertinent

Instructive

serving to instruct or inform; enlightening

Introspective

given to examining one’s own thoughts and perceptions

Irascible

easily provoked to anger; irritable

Irreverent

showing lack of due respect or veneration

Jocund

cheerful; merry; gay

Jovial

hearty, joyous, and good-natured

Laudatory

expressing praise

Lofty

exalted in rank or character; elevated in style or tone

Ludicrous

laughably absurd; ridiculous

Lugubrious

mournful, gloomy, or exaggeratedly sad

Lyrical

expressing deep personal emotion; enthusiastic; rhapsodic

Malicious

desiring to harm others; spiteful

Matter-of-fact

strictly factual; unemotional; straightforward

Meditative

deeply thoughtful

Melancholy (melancholic)

characterized by sadness

Melodramatic

exaggeratedly emotional or sentimental

Mirthful

joyous; cheerful; provoking laughter

Mocking

treating with ridicule or contempt; deriding

Mournful

expressing sorrow or grief

Nonchalant

casually unconcerned; indifferent

Nonplussed

completely puzzled or confused

Nostalgic

longing for familiar things or the past

Obdurate

stubbornly resistant to persuasion or moral influenc