AP Literature Vocab 5-8

Consternation

Alarming dismay or concern

Anomaly

A deviation from the norm; an odd or peculiar occurance

Vitriolic

Harsh in tone; bitterly critical

Preamble

A Preliminary statement; an introduction

Coterie

A small group of people who share interests and meet frequently

Expiate

To make amends for

Compendium

A list or collection of items

Comprise

To include or consist of; contain

Sectarian

Narrowly confined to a particular group

Peregrination

Travel by walking

Contrive

To plan cleverly; devise

Hubris

Overbearing pride; arrogance

Platitude

An obvious remark; a cliche

Venerate

To respect or revere

Scullion

A servant for menial tasks

Quotidian

Everyday; commonplace

Gibberish

Nonsense; unintelligible speech

Inimical

Unfriendly; hostile; injurious

Nexus

To link, tie, or bond

Coeval

Of the same time period

Dilatory

Tending to delay or procrastinate

Convoluted

Complicated; intricate

Entreat

To earnestly request or petition

Anecdote

A short account of an incident

Incumbent

Obligatory; necessary

Pander

To exploit weaknesses of others; to cater to the vices of others

Otiose

Useless; futile

Puerile

Childish; juvenile

Aleatory

Dependent on luck or chance

Asperity

Roughness or harshness; severity

Renunciation

Rejection; refusal to acknowledge

Unimpeachable

Unquestionable; beyond doubt

Inveigh

To disapprove angrily; to protest

Accoutrement

An accessory item of dress or equipment

Eidetic

Pertaining to extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall

Innocuous

Harmless

Foist

To pass off as genuine or valuable

Plethora

An overabundance; excess

Flippancy

Disrespect

Incongruous

Incompatible; unsuitable for the situation

Disconcert

To frustrate; confuse

Prognosticate

To predict

Antediluvian

Extremely old; antiquated

Stringent

Restrictive; imposing demanding standards

Haughty

Condescendingly proud; arrogant

Sanctimonious

Showing false piety or righteousness

Imbroglio

An embarrassing situation

Churlish

Boorish or vulgar

Promulgate

To announce; to make known

Staid

Showing dignity and often strait-laced propriety

Livid

Extremely angry

Lurid

Shocking; explicit

Cogent

Convincing; reasonable

Lionize

To assign great social importance to; to retreat as a celebrity

Allay

To relieve; alleviate

Vitiate

To corrupt morally; to contaminate

Recalcitrant

Stubbornly resistant; showing opposition

Exegesis

An explanation of a text; a critical interpretation

Ameliorate

To make better; to improve

Profligate

Wasteful and immoral