AP Lit Vocab Words

Abscond (verb)

To run away secretly, often taking something along. Sentence example: He absconded with our club’s money.

Abstruse (adjective)

Difficult to understand. Sentence example: I was perplexed by our teacher’s abstruse explanation.

Accost (verb)

To approach and address (someone) boldly or aggressively. Sentence example: He was accosted by a stranger on the street in need of directions.

Acrimonious (adjective)

(Typically of speech or a debate) angry and bitter. Sentence example: The union representatives engaged in an acrimonious dispute about wages.

Acumen (noun)

Insightful cleverness. Sentence example: Thanks to our mother’s acumen we finally solved the riddle.

Admonish (verb)

To warn or reprimand in a gentle or earnest manner. Sentence example: My mother will admonish me if I come to dinner with dirty hands.

Allay (verb)

To diminish or put at rest (fear, suspicion, or worry). Sentence example: The report attempted to educate the public and allay fears.

Ambivalent (adjective)

Unable to decide. Sentence example: We were ambivalent about which movie to watch.

Apathetic (adjective)

Showing little interest or enthusiasm. Sentence example: My apathetic brother lay on the couch instead of going to the game.

Astute (adjective)

Having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one's advantage. Sentence example: Her promotion was announced by the company’s founder, who praised her acute business sense.

Austere (adjective)

Severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance. Sentence example: The teacher's austere demeanor intimidated the students.

Bereft (adjective)

Sorrowful through loss. Sentence example: She has been bereft since her beloved poodle died.

Bucolic (adjective)

Pleasantly rural or pastoral. Sentence example: We hiked through a bucolic region of the foothills.

Cantankerous (adjective)

Difficult or irritating to deal with; uncooperative. Sentence example: The cantankerous old man refused to move his car.

Chagrin (noun)

Distress or embarrassment at having failed or been humiliated. Sentence example: To my chagrin, I realized that my friend’s SAT score was higher than mine after comparing them.

Compunction (noun)

Anxiety or misgiving about an action. Sentence example: I still feel some compunction about not stopping to help them.

Deft (adjective)

Neatly skillful and quick in one's movements. Sentence example: The boxer exhibited deft footwork.

Disingenuous (adjective)

Not candid or sincere; pretending one knows less about something than one really does. Sentence example: He is being disingenuous when he claims he didn’t think you would care if he ate all the cookies.

Earnest (adjective)

Resulting from or showing sincere and intense conviction. Sentence example: The two students were in earnest conversation as they prepared for the debate.

Eclectic (adjective)

Composed of elements chosen from a variety of styles; heterogeneous. Sentence example: Her eclectic taste favored heavy old furniture, bright plastic plates, and abstract paintings.

Elucidate (verb)

To make clear; explain. Sentence example: The professor tried to elucidate what she viewed as the problems of the world.

Emulate (verb)

To imitate or try to equal. Sentence example: I try to emulate the people I most admire.

Enigmatic (adjective)

Something that is hard to understand or explain; mysterious. Sentence example: How the Universe was created is an enigmatic topic, because there are no written records of how it happened; everything about it is speculation and educated guesses.

Ephemeral (adjective)

Fleeting, momentary, brief. Sentence example: Summers and rainbows are beautiful but ephemeral.

Exacerbate (verb)

To make worse. Sentence example: Denying your guilt will only exacerbate your punishment.

Fastidious (adjective)

Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail; meticulous. Sentence example: He chooses his words with fastidious care.

Fortuitous (adjective)

Happening by accident or by chance. Sentence example: A fortuitous meeting on a train led to my parents marriage.

Gregarious (adjective)

Fond of company; sociable. Sentence example: He was a popular and gregarious man, the life of the party.

Haughty (adjective)

Arrogantly superior and disdainful. Sentence example: The haughty aristocrats never deigned to notice us.

Insouciant (adjective)

Carefree, nonchalant. Sentence example: It may be hard for you to find the discipline to study with such an insouciant attitude.

Lackadaisical (adjective)

Without vigor or interest. Sentence example: Her lackadaisical reaction confirmed my suspicion that he was not interested.

Loquacious (adjective)

Talkative. Sentence example: The loquacious students were asked to leave the library.

Lugubrious (adjective)

Mournful or gloomy. Sentence example: The overcast morning was appropriate for the lugubrious ceremony.

Lurid (adjective)

Vivid and gruesome in color and appearance, especially so as to create an unpleasantly harsh or unnatural effect. Sentence example: The more lurid details of the massacre were too frightening for the children.

Malevolent (adjective)

Hateful, with intensity. Sentence example: Malevolent forces must be resisted if we are to have peace.

Meander (verb)

To follow a winding course. Sentence example: I like to take my time and follow roads that meander.

Mellifluous (adjective)

Flowing smoothly like honey, often of a voice or sound. Sentence example: Her mellifluous voice soothed me.

Obfuscate (verb)

To make obscure or unclear. Sentence example: She used vague language to obfuscate her role in the plot.

Obsequious (adjective)

Exhibiting a fawning attentiveness. Sentence example: The obsequious assistant kept bowing while complementing the king.

Obstreperous (adjective)

Noisily and stubbornly defiant. Sentence example: The obstreperous children angered their parents.

Omniscient (adjective)

All-knowing. Sentence example: My omniscient mother knew it was me without turning around.

Pallid (adjective)

Pale, typically because of poor health. Sentence example: Sickness left the patient pallid and weak.

Parsimonious (adjective)

Unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy. Sentence example: My parsimonious mother would not buy me more clothes, she said she would get me hand me downs from my cousins, even though they are 10 years older than me and their clothes don’t fit.

Placid (adjective)

Calm and peaceful, with little movement or activity. Sentence example: The placid waters of a small lake offered tranquility.

Pontificate (verb)

To express one's opinions in a way considered annoyingly pompous (pretentious) and dogmatic (inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true); think Charlie Kirk’s debating ways. Sentence example: He pontificates that women should always be in the domestic sphere and submit to their husband.

Pugnacious (adjective)

Belligerent or quarrelsome; prone to fighting; also kind of like Charlie Kirk. Sentence example: I try to be diplomatic, but Charlie Kirk’s pugnacious nature usually leads to an argument.

Quell (verb)

To put an end to; to reduce. Sentence example: Extra police were called to quell the disturbance.

Querulous (adjective)

Complaining in a petulant (childishly sulky or bad-tempered) or whining manner. Sentence example: The Disney adult started to become querulous when they realized that the ride was only for kids and they were not allowed.

Quietude (noun)

A state of stillness, calmness, and quiet in a person or place. Sentence example: A gentle quietude permeated (surround, spread through, fill) the secluded woods.

Rambunctious (adjective)

Unruly, boisterous. Sentence example: The parents grew impatient with their rambunctious children.

Recalcitrant (adjective)

Stubbornly resistant to authority. Sentence example: Her teacher tried to get her to stop making the noise, but she was recalcitrant.

Render (verb)

To provide or give (a service, help, etc.). Sentence example: The teacher would render extra help to those he thought were in real need.

Sagacious (adjective)

Having or showing an ability to understand difficult ideas and situations and to make good decisions; wise. Sentence example: My sagacious grandmother wisely disputed my sisters’ and I fight, we were both satisfied at the end and made up quickly.

Salubrious (adjective)

Healthful or wholesome. Sentence example: We ate a salubrious meal of fruit, salad, and fish.

Serene (adjective)

Calm, peaceful, and untroubled; tranquil. Sentence example: Whenever my yoga teacher is demonstrating the tree pose, she closes her eyes and looks very serene.

Sycophant (noun)

A person who acts obsequiously to gain advantage. Sentence example: The sycophant buttered up his boss with praise.

Taciturn (adjective)

Untalkative; saying little. Sentence example: Our taciturn driver spoke only once.

Tempestuous (adjective)

Characterized by strong and turbulent or conflicting emotion; stormy. Sentence example: The politician was known for his reckless and tempestuous outbursts.

Thwart (verb)

To prevent someone from accomplishing something. Sentence example: He tried to thwart my progress by distracting me.

Ubiquitous (adjective)

Being present everywhere at once; widespread. Sentence example: I had never heard that song before last week, and now it is ubiquitous.

Unctious (adjective)

Excessively flattering. Sentence example: I prefer constructive criticism to unctuous praise.