AP Lang Unit 7-9 Vocab

Sadlier Vocabulary Level H

abberation

(n.) a departure from what is proper, right, expected, or normal; a lapse from a sound mental state

ad hoc

(adj.) for this specific purpose; improvised; (adv.) with respect to this

bane

(n.) the source or cause of fatal injury, death, destruction, or ruin; death or ruin itself; poison.

bathos

(n.) the intrusion of commonplace or trite material into a context who tone is lofty or elevated; grossly insincere or exaggerated sentimentality; the lowest phase, nadir; and anticlimax, comedown

cantankerous

(adj.) ill-tempered, quarrelsome; difficult to get along or deal with.

casuistry

(n.) the determination of right and wrong in questions of conduct or conscience by the application of general ethical principles; specious argument.

de facto

(adj.) actually existing or in effect, although not legally required or sanctioned; (adv.) in reality, actually.

depredation

(n.) the act of preying upon or plundering

empathy

(n.) a sympathetic understanding of or identification with the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of someone or something else.

harbinger

(n.) a forerunner, herald; (v.) to herald the approach of.

hedonism

(n.) the belief that the attainment of pleasure is life’s chief aim; devotion to or pursuit of pleasure

lackluster

(adj.) lacking brilliance or vitality; dull

malcontent

(adj.) discontented with or in open defiance of prevailing conditions; (n.) such a person

mellifluous

(adj.) flowing sweetly or smoothly; honeyed

nepotism

(n.) undue favoritism to or excessive patronage of one’s relatives

pander

(v.) to cater to or provide satisfaction for the low tastes or vices of others; (n.) a person who does this.

peccadillo

(n.) a minor sin or offense; a trifling fault or shortcoming

piéce de résistance

(n.) the principal dish of a meal; the principal event, incident, or item; an outstanding accomplishment.

remand

(v.) to send or order back; in law, to send back to jail or to a lower court

syndrome

(n.) a group of symptoms or signs that collectively characterizes or indicates a disease, disorder, abnormality, etc.

avatar

(noun) An embodiment of a concept or philosophy, often in a person; an electronic image that represents and is manipulated by a computer user.

Syn: embodiment, virtual identity

beatitude

(noun) A perfect state of happiness or blessedness; a blessing.

Syn: bliss, rapture.

Ant: misery, despair

bête noire

(noun) Someone or something that one especially dislikes, dreads, or avoids.

Syn: pet peeve, bugbear, nemesis.

Ant: pet, idol

bode

(verb) To be an omen of; to indicate by signs.

Syn: presage, augur, foreshadow

dank

(adjective) Unpleasantly damp or wet.

Syn: clammy, moist, soggy.

Ant: dry, arid, parched, desiccated

ecumenical

(adjective) Worldwide or universal in influence or application.

Syn: general, comprehensive.

Ant: parochial, regional, insular

fervid

(adjective) Burning with enthusiasm or zeal; extremely heated.

Syn: ardent, zealous, fervent, earnest.

Ant: apathetic, indifferent, cool, blasé

fetid

(adjective) Having an unpleasant or offensive odor.

Syn: smelly, putrid, noisome, foul, malodorous.

Ant: fragrant, aromatic, perfumed, sweet

gargantuan

(adjective) Of immense size, volume, or capacity; enormous, prodigious.

Syn: huge, colossal, mammoth, gigantic.

Ant: tiny, minuscule, infinitesimal, dwarfish

heyday

(noun) The period of greatest power, vigor, success, or influence; the prime years.

Syn: golden age.

Ant: formative years, twilight years, decline

incubus

(noun) A demon or evil spirit supposed to haunt human beings in their bedrooms at night; anything that oppresses or weighs upon one, like a nightmare.

Syn: hobgoblin, millstone, burden

infrastructure

(noun) A basic foundation or framework; a system of public works; the resources and facilities required for an activity; permanent military installations.

Syn: base, basis, underpinning.

Ant: superstructure

inveigle

(verb) To entice, lure, or snare by flattery or artful inducements; to obtain or acquire by artifice.

Syn: induce, beguile, cajole, wheedle

kudos

(noun) The acclaim, prestige, or renown that comes as a result of some action or achievement.

Syn: glory, praise, accolades.

Ant: boos, disapproval, condemnations

lagniappe

(noun) An extra or unexpected gift or gratuity.

Syn: bonus

prolix

(adjective) Long-winded and wordy; tending to speak or write in such a way.

Syn: verbose, garrulous.

Ant: terse, laconic, succinct, pithy

protégé

(noun) Someone whose welfare, training, or career is under the patronage of an influential person; someone under the jurisdiction of a foreign country or government.

Syn: ward, charge, discipline, trainee.

Ant: sponsor, mentor, benefactor

sycophant

(noun) Someone who attempts to win favors or advance themselves by flattery or servile behavior; a slanderer or defamer.

Syn: yes-man, flunky bootlicker

tautology

(noun) Needless repetition of an idea by using different but equivalent words; a redundancy.

Syn: pleonasm

truckle

(verb) To yield or submit tamely or submissively.

Syn: kowtow, stoop, grovel.

Ant: resist, defy, stand up to

abeyance

a state of being temporarily inactive, suspended, or set aside

ambivalent

having opposite and conflicting feelings about someone or something

beleaguer

to set upon from all sides; to surround with an army; to trouble, harass

carte blanche

full freedom or authority to act at one's own discretion

cataclysm

a sudden, violent, or devastating upheaval; a surging flood, deluge

debauch

(v.) to corrupt morally, seduce; to indulge in dissipation; (n.) an act or occasion of dissipation or vice

eclat

dazzling or conspicuous success or acclaim; great brilliance

fastidious

overly demanding or hard to please; excessively careful in regard to details; easily disgusted

gambol

to jump or skip about playfully

imbue

to soak or stain thoroughly; to fill the mind

inchoate

just beginning; not fully shaped or formed

lampoon

(n.) a malicious satire; (v.) to satirize, ridicule

malleable

capable of being formed into different shapes; capable of being altered, adapted, or influenced

nemesis

an agent or force inflicting vengeance or punishment; retribution itself; an unbeatable rival

opt

to make a choice or decision

philistine

lacking in, hostile to, or smugly indifferent to cultural and artistic values or refinements

picaresque

involving or characteristic of clever rogues or adventurers

queasy

nauseated or uneasy; causing nausea or uneasiness; troubled

refractory

stubborn; hard or difficult to manage; not responsive to treatment or cure

savoir-faire

the ability to say and do the right thing in any situation; social competence