AP Literature Vocabulary (2nd Quiz)

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

expressing sorrow or lamentation, especially for the dead

Hidebound

narrow-minded and rigid in opinions or prejudices

Hierarchy

a system of things or people arranged in order of rank

Indignation

anger or annoyance provoked by what is seen as unfair treatment

Liturgy

a religious ritual or ceremony

Morass

a patch of low, soft, wet ground; confusing situation in which one is entrapped, a challenge

Simile

a comparison of two things using the words like and as

Lament

to mourn the loss of something

Noisome

suffocating, foul-smelling

Personification

manifestation of, embodiment of, giving human traits to a non-human thing

Poltroon

coward, traitor

Proselyte

follower or believer

Raillery

messing around, banter

Ribald

vulgar, obscene

Aegis

under the wing or guidance of something

Apprise

to inform someone

Bibulous

drunken or incoherent

Figurative language

non-literal language, language that represents something else

Manifest

obvious, clear, embodied

Supine

laying up on your back, prostrate, weak, spineless

Vignette

a brief evocative description or small illustration/piece of writing

Claque

fan club or (smaller, more personal) dedicated group of followers

Deracinate

decimate or destroy

Indigenous

native to something

Lachrymose

tear-inducing, given to weeping

Pernicious

having a harmful effect in a subtle way

Sardonic

mocking or cynical, sarcastic

Symbol

a real object that is a representation of something else and has a deeper meaning

Obfuscate

to darken/obscure or confuse/bewilder

Polarize

to cause concentration around 2 conflicting opinions, to divide

Lexicon

special vocabulary or dictionary of a language

Microcosm

a miniature world or universe; a group as a model of a larger group or system

Premonition

a strong feeling that something unpleasant is about to happen

Allusion

a reference to a recognizable element

Paternalism

policy or practice of treating or governing people in the manner of a father dealing with his children

Incongruous

 Not fitting or in harmony with the surroundings of something

Purview

The scope of influence of certain concerns

Sanguine

Optimistic, hopeful; Literally: rosy-cheeked

Solecism

 a grammatical mistake in speech or writing

Vassal

Subordinate, lower assistant

Verisimilitude

A likeness to the truth, appearance of being real

Iambic Pentameter

A meter of a poem that has 10 syllables; blank verse

Bowdlerize

fail to cut parts out/ refusal to shorten/ truncate

Cozen

To trick/ to swindle

Dearth

scarcity or lack of something

Didactic

intended to teach, patronizing

Enclave

A closed coverage, a safe/secure place

Gratis

For free, without charge

Irony

A situation where there is a contrast between reality and expectations; Events or words are the opposite of what happened.