AP Lang Vocab

aegis

a shield; protection

rectify

to correct; to make right

enervate

to weaken

philanthropy

the act of donating money or work to those in need

boor

a rude or impolite person

fervent

eager; earnest

besiege

to overwhelm; to surround and attack

carrion

decaying flesh

ignoble

dishonorable; shameful

amorphous

shapeless; formless; vague

factious

causing disagreement

ephemeral

lasting only a brief time; short-lived

perspicacity

keenness of judgment

erotic

pertaining to sexual love

opulent

rich; luxurious; wealthy

maelstrom

a whirlpool; turbulence; an agitated state of mind

impotent

powerless; lacking strength

emendation

a correction

gloat

to think about or look at something with great satisfaction

effete

worn out; barren

impale

to pierce with a pointed object; to spear

bland

mild; tasteless; dull

extenuate

to make something seem less serious by providing partial excuses

bestial

savage; brutal

diaphanous

very sheer and light

bauble

a showy but useless thing

labyrinth

a complicated network of winding passages; a maze

impediment

a barrier; an obstruction

shard

a fragment

nihilism

total rejection of established laws

adventitious

accidental; nonessential

fecund

fertile; productive

pedestrian

ordinary or dull

edify

to improve someone morally

importune

to ask persistently; to beg

deviate

to turn aside from a course; to stray

bona fide

in good faith

glower

to stare angrily

cataclysm

a violent change

obfuscate

to confuse; to bewilder

antithesis

an exact opposite; an opposite extreme

chagrin

embarrassment; a complete loss of courage

parochial

local; narrow; limited

ambiguous

open to more than one interpretation

optimum

best; most favorable; ideal