AP Lang and Comp Vocab 4

egocentric

interested only in personal needs and wants, and not caring about other people

self-centered, self-important

ethnocentric

a belief in or assumption of the superiority of the social or cultural group that a person belongs to

*no synonym 

circuitous

lengthy because very indirect; roundabout

indirect

circumvent

to find a way of avoiding restrictions imposed by a rule or law without actually breaking it

to avoid, to evade

circumference

the distance around the edge of an object or a place that is roughly circular

*no synonym

circumlocution

the use of more words than necessary to express something, especially to avoid saying it directly

wordiness

castigate

to criticize or rebuke somebody or somebody’s behavior severely
criticize, reprimand, chastise

facetious

witty; intended to be humorous but often silly or inappropriate; joking at an inappropriate time.

witty, flippant

gauche

clumsy; lacking grace or tact in social situations

clumsy, awkward

impudent

showing a lack of respect and excessive boldness

disrespectful, brash

volatile

apt to become suddenly violent or dangerous; characterized by or prone to sudden change

unstable, explosivepulch

pulchritude

physical
beauty

vapid

lacking interest or liveliness; lacking strength, taste, or flavor

lifeless

inveterate

fixed in a habit or practice, especially a bad one; firmly established and of long standing

habitual

enigma

like a riddle; somebody or something that is not easily explained or understood

riddle, mystery

concise

Using as few words as possible to give the necessary information, or compressed in order to be brief.

concord

agreement, friendly relations, or peace

admonish

to rebuke somebody mildly but earnestly 2. to advise somebody to do or, more often, not to do something

to reprimand, to criticize

stereotype

An oversimplified standardized image of a person or group

*no synonym

didactic

instructive; tending to give instruction or advice, even when it is not welcome or not

incoherent

lacking cohesion and connection; not clearly expressed or well thought out, and consequently difficult to understand

unclear, incoherent

convoluted

intricate; complex

abstruse

difficult to understand

perplexing, confusing

vituperative

marked harshly abusive condemnation

insulting

Temporal

relating to time; brief and lasting only a short time 

time-related

banal

boringly ordinary and lacking in originality

dull, commonplace, clichéd

sloth

laziness or dislike of work or any kind of physical exertion

laziness, inactivity

epoch

a significant period in history or in somebody's life

era, age, period

placid

peaceful; tending or appearing to be calm and not easily excited, upset, or disturbed

calm, peaceful

requisite

necessary or appropriate for a specific purpose

necessary, required