Diction Terms

A comprehensive vocabulary review of 41 literary diction terms and their definitions.

Jargon

Specialized language; meaningful to a particular group/profession; unnecessarily specific.

Vulgar

In bad taste, indecent, lewd.

Scholarly

Educated, bookish, intelligent.

Insipid

Dull without flavor, uncreative, lacking interest.

Precise

Exact, accurate, strict; clearly expressed.

Esoteric

Difficult to understand, due to specialized language/knowledge; *jargon.

Connotative

Implicit, beyond the literal meaning.

Plain

Simple, not complicated.

Literal

Restricted to the facts; not exaggerated.

Colloquial

Informal, common; *slang, *idiomatic.

Artificial

Pretended, fake, robotic.

Detached

Aloof, disinterested, unbiased.

Didactic

Preachy, condescending, morally instructive.

Shocking

Causing surprise/disgust.

Pedantic

Overly concerned with formality and details; educated language.

Euphemistic

Substitution of harsh expressions with milder language.

Pretentious

Exaggerated or affected self-importance.

Sensuous

Filled with imagery (aimed at the senses).

Exact

Accurate, *precise.

Learned

*Scholarly, experienced, knowledgeable.

Symbolic

Uses concrete to represent abstract ideas.

Simple

*Plain, uncomplicated and lacking expertise.

Figurative

Uses figures of speech, not literal.

Bombastic

Overblown, *pretentious, lacks substance.

Abstruse

Hard to understand; *esoteric, *jargon, *idiomatic.

Grotesque

Distorted, extreme, departing from the natural or typical.

Sharp

Clear, *precise, exact.

Sentimental

Showing feeling (love, pity, nostalgia) rather than reason or thought.

Poetic

Beautiful, descriptive, figurative—for emotional impact.

Moralistic

Imposition of personal beliefs; *didactic.

Slang

Informal or non-standard; *colloquial.

Idiomatic

Particular to a specific region or group; *colloquial, *slang.

Concrete

Actual, specific, *literal.

Cultured

Experienced, educated, refined.

Picturesque

Visually charming, quaint, idealized.

Homespun

Homely, unpolished.

Provincial

Lacking urban knowledge; unsophisticated.

Trite

Stale, not original.

Obscure

Vague, cryptic, ambiguous.

Objective

Without bias; based in reality.

Observant

Awareness of details.