Advanced Vocabulary from 'The Turn of the Screw' for APLit

Alacrity

cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness

Auspicious

favorable, promising success

Cacophony

harsh mixture of sounds; dissonance

Demeanor

outward behavior or bearing

Ephemeral

lasting for a very short time

Fastidious

very attentive to detail; meticulous

Geniality

warmth and friendliness of manner

Harbinger

something that foreshadows a future event

Imperious

domineering, commanding

Languid

lacking energy or vitality; weak

Malevolent

having evil intentions; malicious

Nebulous

vague, unclear, or ill-defined

Obfuscate

to make obscure or unclear

Perfidious

deceitful and untrustworthy

Propitious

favorable; likely to have a good outcome

Querulous

complaining in a whining manner

Reticent

reserved, reluctant to speak

Sagacious

having good judgment and keen mental discernment

Taciturn

reserved or uncommunicative in speech

Ubiquitous

present or found everywhere

Vacillate

to waver between different opinions

Wanton

deliberate and unprovoked; reckless

Xenial

hospitable, especially to strangers

Yoke

to join or bind together

Zealous

filled with enthusiasm or fervor