Ap Lang Exam Vocab

Tone

the attitude of a writer, usually implied, towards the subject or the audience

Abhorring (Abhorrent)

to regard with horror or loathing; detest

Belligerent

hostile, aggressive

Callous

unfeeling, insensitive to the feelings of others

Deceitful

dishonest

Ebullience (Ebullient)

intense enthusiasm

Facetious

playful, humorous

Galling

causing exasperation

Haughty

proud and vain to the point of arrogance

Impertinent

irrelevant; not showing proper respect; rude

Jovial

happy

Lackadaisical

lacking enthusiasm and determination; carelessly lazy

Macabre

disturbing and horrifying because of involvement with or depiction of death and injury

Negative

unhappy, pessimistic

Objective

without prejudice, without discrimination; fair

Passionate

strong feelings or belief

Quizzical

questioning, eccentric, odd, amusing

Rage

violent, uncontrollable anger

Saccharine

excessively sweet

Tenderness

gentleness and kindness

academic

scholarly; not of practical relevance; of only theoretical interest

benevolent

characterized by or suggestive of doing good; kind

candid

truthful and straightforward; frank

depraved

morally corrupt, wicked

egalitarian

equality; relating to or believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities

fanciful

using the imagination; designed to be exotically ornamental rather than practical

gloomy

darkness, sadness, rejection, feeling distressed or pessimistic; dark or poorly lit, especially so as to appear depressing or frightening

hubris

arrogant presumption or excessive pride or self-confidence

incongruous

not coinciding, disharmonious; not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects of something

laudatory

expressing or conferring praise and commendation

malevolent

mean, angry, purposefully hateful; having or showing a wish to do evil to others

nostalgic

thinking about the past, wishing for something from the past

obsequious

polite and obedient in order to gain something

patronizing

condescending; treat with an apparent kindness that betrays a feeling of superiority

rancorous

marked with deep-seated hatred; characterized by bitterness or resentment

sanguine

optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation, cheerful; blood-red

tenuous

flimsy, weak; very slender or fine; insubstantial

unbiased

showing no prejudice for or against something; impartial

vehement

feel strongly, passionately; intense

wary

watchful; feeling or showing caution about possible dangers or problems

Aghast

shocked, filled with horror

Ambivalent

indecisive, mixed emotion; having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone

Cathartic

purging, cleansing; providing psychological relief through the open expression of strong emotions

Choleric

bad-tempered, irritable

Derisive

ridiculing, mocking, contemptuous

Didactic

instructive; intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive

Elegiac

expressing sorrow; mournful, melancholic, plaintive, sad

Fatalistic

deadly, pessimistic; relating to or characteristic of the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable

Incredulous

skeptical and disbelieving; (of a person or their manner) unwilling or unable to believe something

Lethargic

sleepy; sluggish and apathetic

Morose

sullen, ill-tempered

Pedantic

ostentatious, unimaginative; overly concerned with minute details or formalisms, especially in teaching

Petulant

(of a person or their manner) childishly sulky or bad-tempered

Polemical

of, relating to, or involving strongly critical, controversial, or heated writing or speech

Reproving

disapproval; reprimand or censure (someone)

Sardonic

scornful, very sarcastic; grimly mocking or cynical

Timorous

suffering from nervousness, lack of confidence

Vindictive

having or showing a strong or unreasoning desire for revenge

Whimsical

playful, funny, odd; playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way

Disparaging

regard or represent as being of little worth, derogatory

aloof

haughty, distant; not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant

apathetic

uncaring; uninvolved; showing or feeling no interest, enthusiasm, or concern

caustic

intense use of sarcasm; stinging; biting; sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way

conciliatory

appease; intended or likely to placate or pacify

dogmatic

authoritative, assertive, arrogant; inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true

enigmatic

difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious; inscrutable, perplexing, baffling

erudite

learned, polished, scholarly; having or showing great knowledge or learning

euphoric

extremely happy, overjoyed; characterized by or feeling intense excitement and happiness

florid

ornate, flowery; elaborately or excessively intricate or complicated; having a red or flushed complexion

indignant

marked by anger or annoyance aroused by injustice or at what is perceived as unfair treatment

lugubrious

dismal, mournful, gloomy; looking or sounding sad and unhappy; glum; melancholy

perfunctory

(of an action or gesture) carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection; performed merely as a routine duty; hasty and superficial; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm; indifferent or apathetic

poignant

evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret; touching, moving, pathetic

reticent

reserved, reluctant; not revealing one's thoughts or feelings readily

ribald

offensive in speech or gesture; referring to sexual matters in an amusingly rude or irreverent way

soporific

causing sleep, soothing; tending to induce drowsiness or sleep; a drug or other agent that induces sleep

supercilious

lofty pride, arrogant; behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others

tongue-in-cheek

ironic, facetious; without really meaning what one is saying or writing

wistful

full of wishful yearning; having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing

vivacious

full of animation and spirit; (especially of a woman) attractively lively and animated