Tone Words - AP English Language & Composition

admonitory

giving or conveying warning or reprimand.

bantering

playful teasing.

candid

clear, honest, open.

colloquial

having characteristics of ordinary conversation rather than formal speech.

condemnatory

expressing strong disapproval

contentious

likely to cause people to argue or disagree; argumentative; likely or willing to argue.

cynical

distrusting the sincerity of human motives.

dejected

sad and depressed because of failure, loss, etc.; dispirited

detached

not emotional; not influenced by emotions or personal interest.

didactic

teaching or lecturing (in a negative sense)

diffident

insecure, shy, lacking confidence in one's abilities.

disdainful

feeling strong dislike or disapproval for something or someone you think does not deserve respect; scornful, contemptuous.

earnest

sincere in intentions, purpose, or effort; genuine

effusive

marked by the expression of great or excessive emotion or enthusiasm; gushy; without reserve.

elegiac

expressing sorrow often for something now past; sorrowful, lamenting.

facetious

not meant to be taken seriously or literally; humorous, teasing, tongue-in-cheek.

fervent

having or displaying a passionate intensity; vehement; passionate.

foreboding

implying or seeming to imply that something bad is going to happen.

flippant

irreverent joking, disrespectful humor; marked by inappropriate humor.

haughty

having or showing the insulting attitude of people who think they are better, smarter, or more important than other people; snobbish; pompous

histrionic

overly theatrical or melodramatic; excessively dramatic, exaggerated, or overdone.

incisive

sharp; keen; penetrating.

incredulous

feeling or showing a lack of belief; disbelieving, skeptical, doubtful.

indignant

feeling or showing anger because of something that is unfair or wrong; offended; resentful.

inflammatory

causing anger.

inquisitive

curious or inquiring; tending to ask questions.

insipid

lacking distinctive qualities; not interesting or exciting; dull; boring.

irreverent

having or showing a lack of respect for someone or something that is usually treated with respect; lacking veneration, respect.

laudatory

expressing or giving praise

learned

having or showing a lot of learning, education, or knowledge; scholarly.

lugubrious

excessively sorrowful, mournful.

melancholy

having a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause; sad and pensive

moralistic

having or showing strong opinions about what is right and wrong; concerned with values of right and wrong; judging people and trying to make them behave according to standards of right and wrong

objective

free from personal feelings or prejudices; unbiased.

obsequious

too eager to help or obey someone important; obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree.

patronizing

looking down on; treating as inferior; condescending.

pedantic

making a show of knowledge.

petty

concerned with narrow, small, unimportant ideas.

poignant

causing a strong feeling of sadness or regret; keen or strong in the appeal to the reader/audience

pompous

having or showing the attitude of people who speak and behave in a very formal and serious way because they believe they are better, smarter, or more important than other people; haughty

pretentious

assuming dignity or importance.

sardonic

showing disapproval, dislike, disrespect for someone or something; bitterly scornful, mocking, sarcastic.

satiric

using irony, sarcasm, and/or ridicule to expose, denounce or deride vice or folly.

sentimental

appealing to the emotions especially in an excessive way; based on, showing, or resulting from feelings or emotions rather than reason or thought.

somber

very sad and serious; dark, gloomy, depressing.

staid

marked by settled sedateness and often prim self-restraint; serious and somber; boring or old-fashioned.

taunting

insulting or challenging someone in a sarcastic way.

turgid

excessively embellished in style or language; pompous or bombastic.

vexed

annoyed or worried.

vibrant

full of vigor, energy, or excitement.

whimsical

given to odd or fanciful ideas.