AP Language Vocabulary

AP Language Vocabulary Development

Innate

• Existing naturally rather than learned through experience.

Self-effacing

• Not drawing attention to oneself; being modest.

Ingratiating

• Behaving in a way intended to win approval or favor; charming or agreeable.

Mocking

• Making fun of someone by imitating them in a critical or derisive way.

Cultivated

• Refined and well-developed through training or education.

Exuberance

• The quality of being full of energy, excitement, and cheerfulness.

Ambivalent

• Having mixed or contradictory feelings about something.

Unwarranted

• Not justified or authorized.

Admonition

• A warning or reprimand, often with advice or counseling.

Aesthetic

• Concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty; a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement.

Innuendo

• An indirect or subtle suggestion, usually negative or offensive.

Monotony

• Lack of variety and interest; tedious repetition and routine.

Disavow

• To deny responsibility for or connection with; to refuse to acknowledge or accept.

Self-deprecating

• Modest or critical of oneself, often humorously so.

Meddling

• Interfering in someone else's affairs without permission or invitation.

Reproachful

• Expressing disapproval or disappointment; conveying a sense of blame or criticism.

Objective

• A goal or aim; something one's efforts are intended to achieve.

Subjective

• Based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions.

Wry

• Using or expressing dry, especially mocking, humor.

Bolster

• To support or strengthen; to reinforce or prop up.

Transformative

• Causing a significant change in someone or something.

Pedantic

• Excessively concerned with minor details or rules; overly focused on formal rules and trivial points.

Melodramatic

• Exaggerated and overemotional; excessively theatrical or sensational in manner or style.

Disdain

• The feeling that someone or something is unworthy of one's consideration or respect; contempt.

Reverential

• Feeling or showing deep respect and admiration.

Brash

• Self-assertive in a rude, noisy, or overbearing way; confident and aggressive to the point of being insensitive.

Omnipotent

• Having unlimited power; able to do anything.

Indignant

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

Empirical data

• Information acquired by observation or experimentation; factual information.

Condemnation

• The expression of strong disapproval; the act of condemning.

Intangible

• Unable to be touched or grasped; not having physical presence.

Undermine

• To erode the base or foundation of; to weaken or damage something, especially gradually or insidiously.

Implicit

• Implied or understood though not plainly expressed.

Explicit

• Stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt.

Moralize

• To comment on moral issues, typically with a judgmental tone; to try to improve someone's morals.

Reprehensible

• Deserving condemnation; very bad.

Candor

• The quality of being open and honest; frankness.

Refutation

• The act of proving a statement or theory to be wrong or false.

Incredulity

• The state of being unwilling or unable to believe something.

Whim

• A sudden desire or change of mind, especially one that is unusual or unexplained.

Indiscretion

• Behavior or speech that is unwise or displays a lack of good judgment.

Domesticity

• Home or family life.

Concrete

• Specific, tangible, or easily demonstrable; relating to actual things or events.

Abstract

• Existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence.

Mystical

• Inspiring a sense of mystery and wonder.

Jargon

• Special words or expressions used by a particular profession or group, and hard for others to understand.

Speculative

• Based on conjecture rather than knowledge.

Ad hominem argument

• Attacking the person making an argument rather than addressing the argument itself.

Preposition

• A word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause. Examples "in, at, on, to, from”.

Adverb

• A word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb or a word group, expressing a relation of place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, degree, etc. Typically verbs ending in "-ly".

Antecedent

• The word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers.
• Example: "The cat was very hungry and ate its food." - "cat” is the antecedent and “its” is the pronoun.