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.