AP LANG TONE LIST

1. Abashed

ashamed or embarrassed; also, disconcerted

Ex) She felt abashed after tripping on stage.

2. Abhorring

to regard with extreme aversion; to loathe, or detest.

Ex) He abhorring the taste of bittergourd.

3. Abstruse

difficult to understand.

Ex) The abstruse theories of quantum physics.

4. Absurd

ridiculous; silly.

Ex) It's absurd to think you can finish the project in one day.

5. Accusatory

a tone of accusation; to accuse of a crime or offense.

ex) "The speaker's accusatory tone implied guilt, suggesting the listener was responsible for wrongdoing."

Ex) The detective's accusatory glare made the suspect nervous.

6. Acerbic

tone of harshness or severity.

Ex) His acerbic criticism stung the young artist.

7. Acrimonious

angry and bitter.

Ex) The acrimonious debate between the politicians.

8. Admonishing

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

Ex) The teacher admonishing the students to focus on their studies.

9. Adoring

to regard with esteem, love, and respect; honor.

Ex) She adoring her grandmother's wisdom and kindness.

10. Affectionate

showing, indicating, or characterized by affection or love.

Ex) An affectionate hug from a loved one.

11. Affectation

speech or writing that is artificial.

Ex) His affectation of a British accent.

12. Ambiguous

open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations.

Ex) The ambiguous ending of the movie left audiences wondering.

13. Ambivalent

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

Ex) She felt ambivalent about accepting the new job offer.

14. Amused

pleasurably entertained, occupied, or diverted.

Ex) The audience amused by the comedian's jokes.

15. Animated

vigorous or spirited.

Ex) The animated discussion among the debaters.

16. Annoyed

to be irritated or bothered by something or someone.

Ex) She annoyed by the constant noise from the construction site.

17. Antagonistic

acting in opposition; opposing, esp. mutually/ hostile; unfriendly.

Ex) The antagonistic relationship between the two rival companies.

18. Anxious

full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried; solicitous/ earnestly desirous; eager.

Ex) He anxious about the upcoming exam results.

19. Apathetic

having or showing little or no emotion; indifferent or unresponsive.

Ex) His apathetic response to the news.

20. Apologetic

containing an apology or excuse for a faulty.

Ex) An apologetic letter after making a mistake.

21. Appreciative

feeling or expressing a feeling of gratitude.

Ex) An appreciative gesture of thanks.

22. Apprehensive

fearful or uneasiness about something that might happen.

Ex) She apprehensive about the job interview.

23. Approving

to speak or think favorably of, to judge favorably.

Ex) The teacher approving the student's effort.

24. Ardent

characterized by intense feeling; passionate; fervent; intensely devoted, eager, or enthusiastic; zealous; vehement; fierce.

Ex) An ardent supporter of the environmental cause.

25. Arrogant

making claims or pretensions to superior importance or rights; overbearingly assuming; insolently proud.

Ex) His arrogant attitude offended many.

26. Audacious

bold or daring; recklessly brave; fearless.

Ex) An audacious act of bravery.

27. Authoritarian

accustomed to exercising authority; peremptory; dictatorial.

Ex) An authoritarian leadership style.

28. Baffled

to confuse, bewilder, or perplex.

Ex) He baffled by the complex puzzle.

29. Bantering

playful conversation.

Ex) The bantering between friends at the coffee shop.

30. Belligerent

warlike; given to waging war.

Ex) A belligerent nation.

31. Bemused

bewildered, confused, lost in thought; preoccupied.

Ex) He bemused by the magician's tricks.

32. Benevolent

characterized by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings.

Ex) A benevolent donation to the orphanage.

33. Bewildered

completely puzzled or confused; perplexed.

Ex) She bewildered by the strange turn of events.

34. Biting

sarcastic, having a biting or sarcastic tone.

Ex) A biting remark aimed to hurt.

35. Bitter

characterized by intense antagonism or hostility.

Ex) The bitter feud between the two families.

36. Blithe

joyous, merry in disposition; glad; cheerful.

Ex) A blithe and carefree spirit.

37. Blunt

abrupt in manner; obtuse.

Ex) A blunt refusal to cooperate.

38. Bold

not hesitating or fearful in the face of danger or rebuff; courageous and daring.

Ex) A bold rescue attempt.

39. Boorish

possessing boring nature; tedious.

Ex) The boorish behavior of the impolite guest.

40. Brisk

quick and active; sharp and or stimulating.

Ex) A brisk walk in the morning.

41. Brusque

abrupt in manner; blunt; rough.

Ex) A brusque response without explanation.

42. Burlesque

an artistic composition, esp. literary or dramatic, that, for the sake of laughter, vulgarizes lofty material or treats ordinary material with mock dignity. (paradoy)

Ex) The burlesque performance making fun of political figures.

43. Calm

free from excitement or passion; tranquil.

Ex) A calm and peaceful evening.

44. Candid

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

Ex) A candid opinion without holding back.

45. Capricious

flighty; led by whims; erratic. (changeable)

Ex) A capricious decision to change plans at the last minute.

46. Casual

without definite or serious intention; careless or offhand.

Ex) A casual remark without much thought.

47. Caustic

making harsh, corrosive comments.

Ex) A caustic critique of the artwork.

48. Celebratory

feeling or expressing happiness and pride; glorify

Ex) A celebratory toast at the wedding.

49. Censorious

severely critical; faultfinding.

Ex) A censorious review of the book.

50. Ceremonial

of, pertaining to, or characterized by ceremony; formal; ritual.

Ex) A ceremonial procession with traditional costumes.

51. Cheerful

characterized by or expressive of good spirits or cheerfulness.

Ex) A cheerful disposition that brightens the room.

52. Cheery

in good spirits.

Ex) A cheery greeting in the morning.

53. Choleric

extremely irritable or easily angered; irascible.

Ex) A choleric outburst over a minor mistake.

54. Churlish

critical or harsh in a mean-spirited way.

Ex) A churlish comment that hurt their feelings.

55. Cliché

a overused expression or idea.

Ex) "Thinking outside the box" is a cliché.

56. Clinical

extremely objective and realistic; dispassionately analytic; unemotionally critical.

Ex) A clinical assessment of the patient's condition.

57. Colloquial

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

Ex) Using colloquial terms in everyday conversation.

58. Comforting

soothing in time of distress or conflict.

Ex) A comforting embrace during a difficult time.

59. Comic

funny; humorous.

Ex) A comic scene from a movie.

60. Commanding

imposing; having an air of superiority.

Ex) A commanding presence on stage.

61. Compassionate

having or showing compassion.

Ex) A compassionate response to the suffering of others.

62. Complex

characterized by a very complicated or involved form.

Ex) A complex mathematical equation.

63. Complicated

complex; unusually involved or tedious.

Ex) A complicated set of instructions.

64. Complimentary

conveying, or expressing a compliment.

Ex) A complimentary remark about their appearance.

65. Conceited

having an excessively favorable opinion of one’s self or abilities.

Ex) A conceited attitude that alienates others.

66. Concerned

interested, or having a connection or involvement.

Ex) He concerned about the welfare of the community.

67. Conciliatory

intended or likely to placate

or pacify

.

"a conciliatory approach"

Ex) A conciliatory argument to calm the situation.

68. Condemnatory

to express strong disapproval.

Ex) To condemnatory speech against corruption.

69. Condescending

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

Ex) A condescending tone towards the less experienced colleagues.

70. Confounded

to cause to be confused or perplexed.

Ex) He confounded by the unexpected plot twist.

71. Confute

to prove to be incorrect or wrong.

Ex) To confute an argument with solid evidence.

72. Contemptuous

scornful, showing contempt or disdain.

Ex) A contemptuous laugh expressing disapproval.

73. Contented

satisfied, ready to accept; willing.

Ex) He fully contented with his current situation.

74. Contentious

argumentative, quarrelsome.

Ex) A contentious debate with opposing viewpoints.

75. Conversational

spoken exchange of ideas, opinions, and feelings.

Ex) A conversational style that invites discussions.

76. Critical

inclined to find fault or to judge with severity.

Ex) A critical review of the performance.

77. Curt

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

Ex) His curt response that ended the discussion.

78. Cynical

bitterly distrustful, contemptuous, or pessimistic; sneering.1.

냉소적인

2.

부정적인

3.

자기 이익만 생각하는

Ex) A cynical outlook on life.

79. Demanding

calling for intensive effort or attention; taxing.

Ex) A demanding job with long hours.

80. Depressed

gloomy, morose; dejected; downcast.

Ex) Depressed mood after receiving bad news.

81. Derisive

characterized by or expressing contempt; mocking. 조롱



She gave a short,

**derisive** laugh

Ex) Derisive comments aimed at humiliating someone.

82. Derogatory

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

Ex) Derogatory remarks about someone's abilities.

83. Despairing

to be overcome by a sense of futility or defeat; defeatist.

Ex) Despairing after repeated failures.

84. Desperate

having an urgent need, desire.

Ex) Desperate situation with limited resources.

85. Detached

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

Ex) Detached viewpoint in the midst of chaos.

86. Diabolic

devilish; fiendish; outrageously wicked.

Ex) Diabolic scheme to cause destruction.

87. Didactic

intended for instruction; instructive.

Ex) A didactic lecture on morals.

88. Diffident

lacking confidence in one’s own ability, or worth; timid; shy.

Ex) Diffident behavior due to insecurity.

89. Direct

proceeding in a straight line or by the shortest course; straight; undeviating.

Ex) A direct route to the destination.

90. Disappointed

depressed or discouraged by the failure of one’s hopes or expectations.

Ex) Disappointed after missing the opportunity.

91. Disbelieving

to have no belief in; refuse or reject belief in.

Ex) Disbelieving the unbelievable story.

92. Disdainful

expressing contempt or disdain.

Ex) Disdainful attitude shown towards others.

93. Disgusted

to excite nausea or loathing in. To offend the taste or moral sense of.

Ex) Disgusted by the sight of the horrible and inhumane event.

94. Disrespectful

showing a lack of respect; rude and discourteous.

Ex) A disrespectful behavior towards elders.

95. Disturbed

marked by symptoms of mental illness.

Ex) To be disturbed by the haunting images.

96. Dogmatic

asserting opinions in a strict, arrogant manner; opinionated.

Ex) Dogmatic insistence on one's own beliefs.

97. Domineering

overbearing; tyrannical.

Ex) Domineering boss that never listen.

98. Doubtful

uncertain outcome or result.

Ex) Have doubtful intentions to do good.

99. Dramatic

of or pertaining to drama; excessively confrontational.

Ex) Dramatic exaggeration of minor problem.

100. Dreary

causing sadness or gloom.

Ex) Dreary and rainy weather.