AP Lang Study Guide

Comprehensive vocabulary and grammar review flashcards covering analytical terms, literary devices, and rhetoric.

agency

A thing or person that acts to produce a particular result.

austere

Severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance.

to abate

To lessen; to reduce.

acerbic

Bitter, sharp.

to admonish

To scold/reprimand.

aesthetic

The appearance of something/its beauty.

allegory

A story with a hidden meaning or purpose.

allusion

A subtle reference to something familiar.

ambiguous

Unclear.

ambivalent

Feeling two ways about something.

amicable

Having a spirit of friendliness.

analogy (analogous)

A comparison between two things.

anecdote

A story intended to illustrate a point.

apathy

Lack of emotion or interest.

auspicious

Favorable, promising, showing a sign of good things (*opposite: inauspicious).

colloquial

Used in ordinary or familiar conversation; not formal or literary.

contentious

Likely to cause an argument; controversial.

autonomy (autonomous)

The ability to act independently or without influence.

banal

Boring; lacking originality.

callous

Unfeeling, insensitive, or indifferent.

candid

Honest; frank.

caricature

A satiric portrait or representation.

catalyst

Something that causes change.

caustic

Capable of destroying or eating away.

clandestine

Secret, hidden.

coerce/coercion

To persuade an unwilling person by force/threat.

coherent

Clear/able to be understood.

complicit

To be guilty or responsible for something (even if you were not directly involved).

condescend

To look down upon.

conspicuous

Standing out; drawing attention.

conspiratorial

Plotting a revolt together in a secretive manner (conspiring against something).

contemptuous

Hateful.

contrived

Made up, deliberately created in a way that seems unreal.

ephemeral

Lasting for a very short time.

convivial

Friendly/lively.

to corroborate

To confirm/strengthen.

cursory

Hasty, not thorough.

cynical

Having a negative outlook.

deferential

Showing respect.

to defile

To spoil or desecrate.

to denounce

To publicly declare wrong/evil.

derisive

Expressing contempt or ridicule.

didactic

Intended to instruct, preachy.

disdainful

Looking down on something.

dogmatic

Slow to change opinion; stubborn in one’s views.

dubious

Not to be relied on; suspicious.

to edify/edified

To teach; to instruct morally.

egotistical

Self-centered, arrogant.

to embellish

To add details; to exaggerate.

elegiac

Mournful, sorrowful, or lamenting.

embody

A physical representation of something.

empirical

Based on observation or evidence.

engender

To bring about.

esoteric

Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest.

farcical

Ludicrous; absurd; mocking; humorous and highly improbable.

fortuitous

Happening by accident or chance (or good fortune) rather than design.

frivolous

Not having any serious purpose or value.

hedonistic

Engaged in the pursuit of pleasure; sensually self-indulgent.

indignant

Feeling or showing anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair treatment.

to exacerbate

To make worse.

explicit

Stated clearly.

implicit

Not expressed, but understood.

euphemism

A nice way of putting something difficult.

facetious

Playfully humorous; flippant.

fervent

Passionate.

genesis

The beginning/origin of something.

heresy

A belief contrary to orthodox doctrine.

hyperbole (hyperbolic)

Exaggeration/exaggerated.

impregnable

Unable to be captured/broken into.

inane

Silly, stupid.

indifferent

Not caring one way or the other; lacking a preference; neutral.

inherent

Something that is necessarily a part—by nature or definition—of something (not a verb; not to be confused with 'inherit').

irreverent

Showing a lack of respect for people or things that are generally taken seriously.

innocuous

Harmless.

interminable

Without end.

invariable/invariably

Never changing.

to lament

To feel or show sorrow; to bewail, bemoan, or complain about something.

laudatory

Praising.

malicious

Meaning harm.

to malign

To speak badly of.

mitigate

To lessen, make things better.

nebulous

Unclear, vague in a cloudy haze.

objective

Neutral or unbiased.

obsolete

No longer produced/used; out of date.

optimistic

Taking a positive outlook on things.

orthodox/unorthodox

Authorized or accepted practice/doctrine (unorthodox: not conforming to accepted practices).

ostensibly

On the surface/at first glance.

ostentatious

Showing off.

paradigm

A model or framework.

paradox

Something that is both true but also conflicting.

pedantic

Someone who is very concerned with the details of a subject and tends to overly show off their knowledge.

permeate

To spread throughout (something); pervade.

preclude

Prevent from happening; make impossible.

pretentious

Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent than it actually possesses.

patronize

To look down on someone and treat them as if they are inferior.

pejorative

Describing words or phrases that belittle or speak negatively of someone.

pernicious

Harmful.

perpetuate

To keep something going.

to peruse

To casually search through.

pessimistic

To have a negative outlook.