AP Lit 1 & 2 vocab

balk(v)

to stop or block abruptly

banal(adj)

dull, commonplace

bane(n)

burden

bashful(adj)

shy, excessively timid

beguile(v)

to trick or deceive

behemoth(n)

something of tremendous power and size

benevolent(adj)

marked by goodness or doing good

benign(adj)

favorable, not threatening, mild

bequeath(v)

to pass on, give

berate(v)

to scold vehemently

bereft(adj)

devoid of, without

boisterous(adj)

loud and full of energy

bombastic(adj)

excessively confident, pompous

bourgeois(n)

middle-class person, capitalist

brazen(adj)

excessively bold or brash

Abase

To humiliate or degrade someone.

Aberration

Something that differs from the norm; a deviation.

Abhor

To hate or detest.

Acerbic

Biting or bitter in tone or taste.

Acquiesce

To accept or comply passively; to agree without protest.

Acute

Having keen insight or a sharp mind.

Admonish

To caution, criticize, or reprove.

Affront

An insult or offense.

Aloof

Reserved or distant.

Ambiguous

Open to more than one interpretation; unclear.

Ambivalent

Having opposing feelings.

Amiable

Friendly and pleasant.

Analogous

Similar to; capable of supporting an analogy.

Anomaly

Something that does not fit into the normal order.

Assuage

To ease or pacify.