AP Lang Vocab

apathy

lack of emotion or interest

ambiguous

having more than one meaning; vague

fervent

passionate

vagrant

a wandering homeless person; a tramp

undermine

to weaken; to wear the foundation of

oblivious

unaware; unconscious

indifferent

not caring one way or the other; lacking a preference; neutral

obscure

unclear; clouded; partially hidden; hard to understand

objective

without bias (as opposed to subjective)

revere

to worship

discriminate

to differentiate; to make a clear distinction; to see the difference

embellish

to add details; to exaggerate

denounce

to speak out against; to condemn

innovate

to be creative; to introduce something new

stagnant

not moving

candid

honest; frank

impartial

unbiased; neutral

discern

to distinguish one thing from another

ostentatious

showing off

contentious

quarrelsome

profound

deep; insightful

enhance

to improve; to augment

phenomenon

an observable fact or occurrence

enduring

lasting

advocate

to speak in favor of; to support

reprove

to scold; to find fault with

pessimism

gloominess

cursory

hasty, not thorough

profligate

extremely wasteful; wildly extravagant

miser

someone who hoards money

jocular

joking

fracas

uproar; brawl

caricature

a satiric portrait or representation

corroborate

to confirm

precarious

dangerously unstable

expository

explanatory

bolster

to support; prop up

daunt

to intimidate; to discourage

inclined

tending toward one direction

uniform

constant; without variety

perceptive

having keen understanding; discerning

superficial

shallow; on the surface only

lucid

clear; easy to understand (elucidate)

immune

safe from harm; protected

aesthetic

concerned with art or beauty (not the same as ascetic)

solitude

the state of being alone

tentative

temporary; not final

contemporary

living at the same time; modern

provocative (provoke)

exciting; attracting attention

adversary

an opponent; enemy

prodigal

extravagant; wasteful

assess

to estimate the value of; to measure

deter

to prevent, especially by threatening

complacent

smug; self-satisfied; overly confident

contempt

disdain; hatred

eloquent

speaking well; articulate

virtue

moral excellence

vital

essential; necessary

guile

cunning; deceitfulness (not the same as guilt)

biased

prejudiced; not neutral

censor

to delete objectionable material (not the same as censure)

vulnerable

capable of being harmed

hypocritical

insincere

eccentric

odd; unusual; quirky

disdain

contempt; intense dislike

abstract

theoretical; lacking substance (the opposite of concrete)

valid

founded on fact or evidence

subtle

not obvious; hard to spot

enigma

mystery

inevitable

unavoidable; bound to happen

gravity (grave)

seriousness (secondary meaning)

banal

common; dull; ordinary

depravity

moral corruption

temper

to moderate; soften

censure

to blame; to criticize (not the same as censor)

inferred

derived by reasoning; implied, as a conclusion

diverse

varied

articulate

speaking well

apprehensive

fearful; worried

benevolent

good; king-hearted; generous

virulent

very harmful (like a virus)

pious (piety)

deadly religious

skeptical

doubting

provincial

narrow-minded; unsophisticated

resignation

acceptance of a situation (secondary meaning)

illuminate

to light up; make clear

resolution

the solution of a problem

servile

overly submissive; cringing; like a servant

diligent

hard-working

refute

to disprove

anarchy

lack of government; chaos

miser

one who saves greedily

discord

disagreement

monotonous

without variety; tiresome

trivial

unimportant; insignificant

extol

to praise

indulgent

pampering oneself; satisfying one's own desires

erratic

irregular; without direction

insipid

bland; boring; tasteless

euphony

pleasant sound