AP Lit Vocab

Ascertain

to find out or learn with certainty

Contemptuous

in a scornful way that shows the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving disdain

Elude

evade or escape from (a danger, enemy, or pursuer), typically in a skillful or cunning way

Feign

to represent fictitiously; put on an appearance

Fervent

having or displaying a passionate intensity

Fractious

1. irritable and quarrelsome
2. difficult to control; unruly

Garrulous

excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, especially about trivial matters

Grotesque

1. comically or repulsively ugly or distorted
2.incongruous or inappropriate to a shocking degree

Harrowing

acutely distressing

Impetuous

marked by impulsive vehemence or passion

Incredulous

(of a person or their manner) unwilling or unable to believe something:

Ineffable

too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words

Insidious

proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects

Languid

displaying or having a disinclination for physical exertion or effort; slow and relaxed

Levity

humor or frivolity, especially the treatment of a serious matter with humor or in a manner lacking due respect

Obstinate

stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or chosen course of action, despite attempts to persuade one to do so.

Obtrusive

noticeable or prominent in an unwelcome or intrusive way:

Pander

to act as a person who profits from the weakness of others

Peremptory

leaving no opportunity for denial or refusal; imperative

Portentous

ominously significant

Prodigal

characterized by profuse or wasteful expenditure

Punctilious

extremely attentive to; strict or exact in the observance of the formalities or amenities of conduct or actions.

Redolent

suggestive; reminiscent (usually followed by of):verse redolent of Shakespeare.

Scorn

the feeling or belief that someone or something is worthless or despicable; contempt

Solemn

formal and dignified

Supercilious

behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others

Truculent

aggressively hostile; belligerent

Vacuous

having or showing a lack of intelligence or serious thought; lacking meaning, importance or substance

Vestige

a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists

Wistful

having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing: