Tone Words Flashcards

Flashcards for review of tone words and definitions from lecture notes.

Bewildered

completely puzzled or confused; perplexed.

Inflammatory

tending to arouse anger or hostility.

Farcical

ludicrous; absurd; humorous and highly improbable.

Admonishing

cautioning, reproving or scolding; especially in a mild and good-willed manner; reminding.

Caustic

making harsh, corrosive comments.

Overbearing

domineering; dictatorial; haughty, or rudely arrogant.

Somber

gloomy, depressing, or dismal; extremely serious; grave.

Apprehensive

fearful or uneasiness about something that might happen.

Nostalgic

longing for past events.

Placid

pleasantly calm or peaceful.

Indifferent

without interest or concern; not caring; apathetic.

Casual

without definite or serious intention; careless or offhand.

Belligerent

warlike; given to waging war.

Arrogant

exaggerating one's own worth or importance often by an overbearing manner

Irreverent

showing lack of respect or veneration.

Affectionate

showing, indicating, or characterized by affection or love.

Ambiguous

open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations.

Laudatory

containing or expressing praise.

Lofty

exalted in rank, dignity, or character; elevated in style, tone, or sentiment.

Desperate

having an urgent need, desire.

Detached

impartial or objective; disinterested; unbiased, not concerned; aloof.

Matter-of-fact

adhering strictly to fact; not imaginative.

Vexed

irritated; annoyed.

Exhilarated

very happy and excited or elated

Reverent

deeply respectful; showing great esteem.

Censorious

severely critical; fault finding.

Candid

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

Modest

having or showing humility; free from ostentation or showy extravagance.

Obdurate

stubborn; unyielding; stubbornly resistant to moral influence.

Reticent

disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved; restrained.

Informative

giving information; instructive.

Dogmatic

asserting opinions in a strict, arrogant manner; opinionated.

Pretentious

characterized by assumption of importance or dignity.

Sardonic

characterized by scorn; mocking; cynical; sneering.

Endearing

inspiring affection or warmth.

Bemused

bewildered, confused, lost in thought; preoccupied.

Embarrassed

self-conscious or ill at ease.

Appreciative

feeling or expressing a feeling of gratitude.

Objective

not influenced by personal feelings or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased.

Timorous

full of fear; fearful.

Pedantic

ostentatious in one’s learning; overly concerned with minute details, esp. in teaching.

Sly

cunning or wily; stealthy, insidious, or secretive.

Resigned

submissive or acquiescent.

Blunt

abrupt in manner; obtuse.

Jovial

endowed with or characterized by a hearty, joyous humor.

Lugubrious

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

Benevolent

characterized by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings.

Sophomoric

intellectually pretentious, overconfident, conceited; immature.

Boorish

unmannered, crude, insensitive

Colloquial

characteristic of conversation rather than formal speech or writing; also informal.

Choleric

extremely irritable or easily angered; irascible.

Condescending

showing or implying a sense of superiority; talking down to others.

Eulogistic

praising in speech or writing, especially in the form of a eulogy.

Vitriolic

very caustic; scathing.

Ominous

foreboding; threatening; inauspicious.

Didactic

intended for instruction; instructive.

Exuberant

uninhibitedly enthusiastic; excessively abundant.

Exhortatory

advising, urging, or earnestly.

Suspicious

openly distrustful.

Incredulous

not credulous; skeptical.

Subdued

quiet; inhibited; repressed; controlled.

Contentious

argumentative, quarrelsome.

Restrained

not excessive or extravagant; low-key

Ardent

characterized by intense feeling; passionate; fervent; intensely devoted, eager, or enthusiastic

Wistful

characterized by melancholy; longing; yearning; pensive.

Erudite

characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly.

Mournful

feeling or expressing sorrow or grief; sorrowful; sad.

Histrionic

over the top dramatic.

Whimsical

given to whimsy or fanciful notions; capricious.

Frivolous

characterized by lack of seriousness.

Ambivalent

uncertainty or fluctuation, or do two opposite or conflicting things.

Insolent

boldly rude or disrespectful; contemptuously impertinent; insulting.

Moralistic

characterized by or displaying a concern with morality.

Foreboding

a strong inner feeling or notion of a future misfortune, evil.

Curt

rudely brief in speech or abrupt; brief; concise; terse; laconic.

Earnest

serious in intention or sincerely zealous.

Righteous

believing one’s self to be morally right and just; guiltless.

Critical

inclined to find fault or to judge with severity.

Terse

neatly or effectively concise; brief and pithy, as language.

Grim

harsh, surly, forbidding, or morbid air.

Introspective

given to examining one’s own sensory and perceptual experiences.

Derogatory

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

Speculative

theoretical, rather than practical.

Sprightly

animated, vivacious, or lively.

Melancholic

characterized by or causing or expressing sadness.

Self-deprecating

belittling or undervaluing oneself; excessively modest.

Apologetic

containing an apology or excuse for a faulty.

Sentimental

overly emotional; mawkishly susceptible or tender.

Solemn

grave, sober, or mirthless, as a person, the face, speech, tone, or mood.

Provocative

tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate; inciting, stimulating, irritating, or vexing.

Ironic

containing or exemplifying irony; coincidental; unexpected.

Frantic

desperate or wild with excitement, passion, fear, pain, etc.; frenzied.

Zealous

ardently active, devoted, or diligent.

Meditative

deeply or seriously thoughtful.

Cheerful

characterized by or expressive of good spirits or cheerfulness.

Irascible

easily provoked to anger; very irritable.

Dubious

questionable motives, inclined to doubt.

Stolid

not easily stirred or moved mentally; unemotional.

Acerbic

tone of harshness or severity.

Impassioned

filled with emotion.