AP Lang Vocab 1-50

1. Abhorring

to regard with extreme repugnance or aversion; detest utterly; loathe; abominate

2. Abstruse

difficult to understand

3. Acerbic

harsh or severe, as of temper or expression; polemical

4. Admonishing

cautioning, advising, or counseling against something

5. Ambiguous

open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations

6. Ambivalent

uncertainty or fluctuation, esp. when caused by inability to make a choice or by a simultaneous desire to say or do two opposite or conflicting things

7. Antagonistic

acting in opposition; opposing, esp. mutually/ hostile; unfriendly

8. Apathetic

having or showing little or no emotion/ not interested or concerned; indifferent or unresponsive

9. Audacious

extremely bold or daring; recklessly brave; fearless

10. Authoritarian

having an air of authority; accustomed to exercising authority; positive; peremptory; dictatorial

11. Bantering

good-humored, playful conversation

12. Belligerent

warlike; given to waging war

13. Bemused

bewildered or confused/lost in thought; preoccupied

14. Benevolent

characterized by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings

15. Bewildered

completely puzzled or confused; perplexed

16. Blithe

joyous, merry, or gay in disposition; glad; cheerful

17. Brusque

abrupt in manner; blunt; rough

18. Candid

frank; outspoken; open and sincere / free from reservation, disguise, or subterfuge; straightforward

19. Capricious

flighty; led by whims; erratic

20. Caustic

making biting, corrosive comments

21. Censorious

severely critical; faultfinding

22. Choleric

extremely irritable or easily angered; irascible

23. Churlish

rude in a mean-spirited and surly way

24. Colloquial

characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or writing

25. Conciliatory

To overcome the distrust or animosity of; appease

26. Condescending

showing or implying a usually patronizing descent from dignity or superiority

27. Contemptuous

showing or expressing contempt or disdain; scornful

28. Contentious

tending to argument or strife; quarrelsome/ causing, involving, or characterized by argument or controversy

29. Credulous

having or showing too great a readiness to believe things on slight or uncertain evidence

30. Curt

rudely brief in speech or abrupt in manner/ brief; concise; terse; laconic

31. Cynical

scornful of the motives or virtues of others; bitterly or sneeringly distrustful, contemptuous, or pessimistic

32. Derisive

characterized by or expressing derision; contemptuous; mocking; disdainful

33. Derogatory

tending to lessen the merit or reputation of a person or thing; disparaging; depreciatory

34. Detached

impartial or objective; disinterested; unbiased/ not involved or concerned; aloof

35. Diabolic

having the qualities of a devil; devilish; fiendish; outrageously wicked

36. Didactic

intended for instruction; instructive

37. Diffident

lacking confidence in one's own ability, worth, or fitness; timid; shy

38. Disconcerting

causing one to feel unsettled; unsettling, unnerving, discomfiting, troubling

39. Dogmatic

asserting opinions in a doctrinaire or arrogant manner; opinionated

40. Dubious

wavering or hesitating in opinion; inclined to doubt

41. Duplicitous

deceitful

42. Earnest

serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous

43. Ebullient

overflowing with fervor, enthusiasm, or excitement; high-spirited; enthusiastic

44. Effusive

unduly demonstrative; lacking reserve

45. Egotistical

given to talking about oneself; vain; boastful; opinionated; indifferent to the well-being of others; selfish

46. Elegiac

expressing sorrow or lamentation

47. Elevated

exalted or noble; lofty/ exalted or noble; lofty

48. Empathetic

showing empathy or ready comprehension of others' states

49. Encouraging

to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence/ to stimulate by assistance, approval, etc.; to promote, advance, or foster

50. Enigmatic

difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious

51. Erudite

characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly

52. Eulogistic

To praise highly in speech or writing, especially in a formal eulogy

53. Euphoric

a feeling of happiness, confidence, or well-being sometimes exaggerated in pathological states as mania

54. Evasive

deliberately vague or ambiguous/ tending or seeking to evade; characterized by evasion

55. Exhilarated

to enliven; invigorate; stimulate/ to make cheerful or merry

56. Exuberant

effusively and almost uninhibitedly enthusiastic; lavishly abundant

57. Facetious

not meant to be taken seriously or literally/ amusing; humorous

58. Fanciful

characterized by or showing fancy; capricious or whimsical in appearance

59. Farcical

ludicrous; absurd; mocking; humorous and highly

60. Fatalistic

the acceptance of all things and events as inevitable; submission to fate

61. Fervent

having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm, etc.; ardent

62. Flippant

frivolously disrespectful, shallow, or lacking in seriousness; characterized by levity

63. Foreboding

a strong inner feeling or notion of a future misfortune, evil, etc.; presentiment; ominous

64. Frivolous

characterized by lack of seriousness or sense/ self-indulgently carefree; unconcerned about or lacking any serious purpose/ of little or no weight, worth, or importance; not worthy of serious notice

65. Haughty

disdainfully proud; snobbish; scornfully arrogant; supercilious

66. Histrionic

over the top; dramatic

67. Impassive

without emotion; apathetic; unmoved; calm; serene

68. Impertinent

insolently rude; uncivil; impudent; characterized by effrontery

69. Incisive

penetrating; cutting; biting; trenchant/ remarkably clear and direct; sharp; keen; acute

70. Incredulous

not credulous; disinclined or indisposed to believe; skeptical

71. Indifferent

without interest or concern; not caring; apathetic/ having no bias, prejudice, or preference;impartial; disinterested

72. Indignant

feeling, characterized by, or expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base

73. Inflammatory

tending to arouse anger, hostility, passion, etc.

74. Innocuous

not harmful or offensive

75. Insipid

without distinctive, interesting, or stimulating qualities; vapid

76. Insistent

earnest or emphatic in dwelling upon, maintaining, or demanding something; persistent; pertinacious

77. Insolent

boldly rude or disrespectful; contemptuously impertinent; insulting

78. Instructive

serving to instruct or inform; conveying instruction, knowledge, or information; enlightening

79. Introspective

given to examining own sensory and perceptual experiences

80. Irascible

easily provoked to anger; very irritable

81. Irreverent

showing lack of due respect or veneration

82. Jocund

cheerful; merry; gay; blithe; glad

83. Jovial

endowed with or characterized by a hearty, joyous humor or a spirit of good-fellowship

84. Laudatory

containing or expressing praise

85. Lofty

exalted in rank, dignity, or character; eminent/ elevated in style, tone, or sentiment, as writings or speech

86. Ludicrous

causing laughter because of absurdity; provoking or deserving derision; ridiculous; laughable

87. Lugubrious

mournful, dismal, or gloomy, esp. in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner

88. Lyrical

Expressing deep personal emotion or observations; highly enthusiastic; rhapsodic

89. Malicious

desiring to harm others or to see others suffer; ill-willed; spiteful

90. Matter-of-fact

adhering strictly to fact; not imaginative; direct or unemotional; straightforward; down-to-earth

91. Meditative

deeply or seriously thoughtful

92. Melancholy (melancholic)

characterized by or causing or expressing sadness

93. Melodramatic

exaggerated and emotional or sentimental; overdramatic

94. Mirthful

joyous; gay; jolly; arousing or provoking laughter

95. Mocking

to treat with ridicule or contempt; deride; to mimic, as in sport or derision

96. Mournful

feeling or expressing sorrow or grief; sorrowful; sad

97. Nonchalant

coolly unconcerned, indifferent, or unexcited; casual

98. Nonplussed

totally puzzled, perplexed, or confused

99. Nostalgic

unhappy about being away and longing for familiar things or persons

100. Obdurate

unmoved by persuasion, pity, or tender feelings; stubborn; unyielding; stubbornly resistant to moral influence