AP Lang - Unit 7-9 Vocabulary

Abeyance

(n.) - temporarily inactive, suspended, or set aside.
Syn: postponement, suspension
Ant: continuation, renewal

Ambivalent

(adj.) - having opposite and conflicting feelings about someone or something.
Syn: Ambiguous of 2 minds, conflicted
Ant: certain, decided

Beleaguer

(v.) - to surround from with an army; to trouble, harass
Syn: besiege, encircle
Ant: liberate, assist

Carte blanche

(n.) - freedom, authority
Syn: blank-check, free rein
Ant: restriction, control

Catalclysm

(n.) - a sudden or violent upheaval; a surging flood
Syn: disaster, catastrophe
Ant: blessing, good fortune

Debauch

(v.) - to morally corrupt or seduce; throwing your life away or doing something bad for pleasure. (n.) - the act of doing so.
Syn: carouse (v.), orgy (n.)
Ant: uplift, purify

Éclat

(n.) - great sucess or acclaim; great brilliance (or performance/achievement).
Syn: celebrity, flair
Ant: simplicity, modesty

Fastidious

(adj.) - overly demanding, hard to please; very detailed-oriented.
Syn: precise, finicky
Ant: sloppy, slovenly

Gambol

(v.) - to jump or skip about playfully
Syn: frolic, cavort
Ant: lumber, plod

Imbue

(v.) - to soak or stain thoroughly; to fill the mind
Syn: infuse, inculcate
Ant: remove, expunge

Inochate

(adj.) - just beginning; not fully shaped or formed
Syn: incipent, embryonic
Ant: developed, complete

Lampoon

(n.) - the act of ridiculing with intent to cause emotional harm; a malicious satire. (v.) - to satirize, ridicule
Syn: burlesque (n.), parody (v.)
Ant: compliment, flattery (n.)

Malleable

(adj.) - capable of forming into different shapes; can be altered, adapted, or influenced.
Syn: pliable, impressionable
Ant: unyielding, ripid

Nemesis

(n.) - a powerful enemy inflicting vengeance or punishment that is hard to beat.
Syn: comeuppance, avenger
Ant: guardian angel, ally

Opt

(v.) - to make a choice/decision
Syn: choose, decide
Ant: reject, turn down

Philistine

(adj.) - showing a lack of interest to cultural and artistic values. (n.) - such a person.
Syn: boorish (adj.), pedant (n.)
Ant: refined (adj.), highbrow (n.)

Picaresque

(adj.) - a story about a clever rogue who goes on many funny, short adventures.
Syn: roguish, rascally
Ant: continuous, regular

Queasy

(adj.) - nauseated or uneasy, causing it; troubled.
Syn: unsettled, nauseous
Ant: calm, untroubled

Refractory

(adj.) - stubborn; hard to manage; not responsive to treatment or cure.
Syn: disobedient, mulish
Ant: docile, treatable

Savoir-faire

(n.) - being able to read the room in any situation; social competence
Syn: finesse, sophistication
Ant: tactlessness, boorishness

Aberration

(n.) - something unexpected, unfair, or not normal happening; mental.
Syn: deviation, irregularity
Ant: consistency, sanity

Ad hoc

(adj.) - for this specific purpose; improvised. (adv.) - adv of adj.
Syn: makeshift, impromptu (adj.)
Ant: permanent, long-standing (adj.)

Bane

(n.) - source/cause of fatal injury or destruction; death/ruin itself; poison.
Syn: spoiler, bête noire
Ant: comfort, solace

Bathos

(n.) - a sudden shift from a grand moment to a mundane one that seems hard to believe or fake.
Syn: Anticlimax, mawkishness
Ant: pathos, profundity

Cantankerous

(adj.) - ill-tempered; difficult to get along or deal with.
Syn: cranky, peevish
Ant: good-natured, genial

Casuistry

(n.) - using general/religious rules to solve specific, real-life moral problems; An argument that is not backed up; yapping.
Syn: quibbling, fallacy
Ant: directness, certainty

De facto

(adj.) - something existing without being officially recognized by law. (adv.) - “in reality” “actually”.
Syn: in actuality, in point of fact
Ant: de jure, by right

Depredation

(n.) - the act of preying upon and thieving.
Syn: looting, outrage
Ant: protecting, assisting

Empathy

(n.) - sympathetic; an understanding of feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of someone/something else.
Syn: sympathy, compassion
Ant: callousness, detachment

Harbinger

(n.) - a person, thing, or event that signals, foreshadows, or announces something else; herald. (v.) - to act as a herald.
Syn: precursor (n.) , presage (v.)
Ant: aftermath, sequel (n.)

Hedonism

(n.) - the belief that pleasure is the main goal in life; devotion to the pursuit of pleasure.
Syn: pleasure seeking, sensuality
Ant: puritanism, asceticism

Lackluster

(adj.) - lacking brilliance or vitality; dull.
Syn: inspid, drab
Ant: radiant, brilliant

Malcontent

(adj.) - rebellious; unsatisfied or discontented with how things are. (n.) - such a person.
Syn: disgruntled (adj.) , grumbler (n.)
Ant: complacent, contented (adj.)

Mellifluous

(adj.) - flowing sweetly/smoothly; honeyed.
Syn: euphonious, musical
Ant: strident, harsh

Nepotism

(n.) - unfair favoritism or popularity due to one’s relatives.
Syn: bias, patronage
Ant: fairness, impartiality

Pander

(v.) - to satisfy the immoral behavior/demands of others. (n.) - a person who does this.
Syn: indulge, cater to (v.)

Peccadillo

(n.) - a minor sin or offense that is not very serious.
Syn: lapse, white lie
Ant: atrocity, felony

Pièce de Résistance

(n.) - the main dish of a meal; the main event, incident, or item; outstanding accomplishment.
Syn: centerpiece, chef d’oeuvre
Ant: preliminary, hors d’oeuvre

Remand

(v.) - to send or order back; in law, to send back to jail or lower court.
Syn: remit, return
Ant: forward to, release

Syndrome

(n.) - a group of symptoms or signs that characterizes/indicates a disease, disorder, or abnormality.
Syn: complex, pattern

Avatar

(n.) - an embodiment; an electronic image that represents and is manipulated by an electronic user.
Syn: Embodiment, virtual identity

Beatitude

(n.) - a state of perfect happiness/blessedness; a blessing.
Syn: Bliss, rapture
Ant: Misery, despair

Bête Noire

(n.) - someone/something one very much hates, dreads, or avoids.
Syn: Pet peeve, bugbear
Ant: Pet, idol

Bode

(v.) - to be an omen of; to indicate by signs.
Syn: Presage, augur
Ant: Conceal, blanket

Dank

(adj.) - unpleasantly damp/wet.
Syn: Clammy, moist
Ant: Arid, desiccated

Ecumenical

(adj.) - worldwide/universal in influence or application.
Syn: General, comprehensive
Ant: Parochial, insular

Fervid

(adj.) - burning with enthusiasm; extremely heated.
Syn: Ardent, earnest
Ant: Apathetic, blasé

Fetid

(adj.) - having an unpleasant/offensive odor.
Syn: Putrid, malodorous
Ant: Aromatic, fragrant

Gargantuan

(adj.) - really big and enormous; immense size.
Syn: Colossal, mammoth
Ant: Infinitesimal, dwarfish

Heyday

(n.) - the prime or peak of a thing/person.
Syn: Golden age, roaring 20s
Ant: Formative years, twilight years

Incubus

(n.) - evil entities that are supposed to haunt one at night; anything oppressing/weighing upon one.
Syn: Hobgoblin, millstone
Ant: Angel, upliftment

Infrastructure

(n.) - basic foundation/framework; resources and facilities required for an activity; permanent military installation.
Syn: Basis, underpinning
Ant: Disorganization, chaos

Inveigle

(v.) - to entice or lure by flattery or artful inducements; to obtain/acquire by trickery.
Syn: Cajole, beguile
Ant: Discourage, repulse

Kudos

(n.) - public praise/honor one receives for an achievement.
Syn: Accolades, glory
Ant: Condemnation, disapproval

Lagniappe

(n.) - an extra/unexpected gift or gratuity.
Syn: Bonus, tip

Prolix

(adj.) - long-winded/wordy; worded writing or speaking.
Syn: Garrulous, wordy
Ant: Laconic, succinct

Protégé

(n.) - a person who receives support, guidance, and training from an older, more experienced, or influential person to help advance their career.
Syn: Trainee, charge
Ant: Mentor, benefactor

Sychophant

(n.) - someone who sleeps their way to the top; a slanderer, defamer.
Syn: Yes-man, flunky
Ant: Critic, rebel

Tautology

(n.) - re-explaining an idea in a different way; a redundancy
Syn: Pleonasm, redundancy
Ant: Contradiction

Truckle

(v.) - to yield or submit timely/submissively.
Syn: Kowtow, grovel
Ant: Stand up to, resist