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AP Lang Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| absolutism | words, phrases, or ideas that suggest something is ‘absolute’ or total (all encompassing) In morality, absolutism is the belief that there are absolutes of good and bad. |
| sanguine | optimistic/positive especially when it a tough situation |
| disinterested | Free from selfish motive or interest; Unbiased |
| uninterested | not having the mind or feelings engaged; not interested |
| decorous | marked by propriety and good taste; dignified and proper |
| new criticism | revolves around literary analysis, and emphasized reading, usually poetry, as an aesthetic object to examine not through context but through only the text. |
| loaded diction | any word or phrase that portrays either strong positive or negative connotations primarily used to influence an audience. |
| metaphysics | “Beyond nature,” a literary concept used to describe things beyond the physical--such as the emotional and intellectual states an individual goes through--typically through figurative language and conceits |
| literary naturalism | A late nineteenth century literary movement exploring how one’s environment and other influences shape their actions, choices, and beliefs. |
| romanticism | An artistic movement in the early 1800’s focusing on individualism, spirituality, nature, idealization, and imagination. |
| transcendentalism | A movement in the early 19th century which emphasized spiritual thinking over scientific thinking and critiqued social organizations like religion. |
| reader response theory | A theory that focuses on the reader’s reaction to a particular text, sometimes more than the text itself. |
| picaresque | novel that depicts the episodic adventures of a roguish, but appealing hero who is often a member of low class society. Usually male, and has to use his wits to survive. |
| a priori | knowledge considered to be true without previous experience or observation |
| a posterior | reasoning or knowledge based on experience or observation |
| nonpareil | having no match or equal, unrivaled |
| ad hoc | Done for a particular reason when necessary. |
| esoteric | Intended for or likely to be understood by a group of people with the same common knowledge or interest |
| platonic | (of love or friendship) intimate and affectionate but not sexual. |
| Platonic | capitalized: of, relating to, or characteristic of Plato or Platonism. Can also refer to ideals, thoughts, etc. that are not related to action (It is used this way in Gatsby.) |
| grotesque | Comically or repulsively ugly or distorted |
| pique | A feeling of irritation or resentment, resulting from an insult to one’s pride |
| conditional statement | an if-then statement that consists of two parts, an antecedent and a consequent. |
| amplification | the way a writer embellishes a sentence to emphasize certain points. |
| split infinitives | a construction consisting of an infinitive with an adverb or other word inserted between to and the verb |
| abstruse | difficult to comprehend or understand; obscure |
| relativism | the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute |
| sophism | a fallacious argument, especially one used deliberately to deceive. |
| precis | a summary or abstract of a text or speech where the tone and meaning of the original passage are maintained. Generally is ⅓ or ⅕ compared to original in length. |
| fallacy | A failure of reasoning that invalidates an argument. |
| epistemology | -The theory of knowledge, especially with regard to its methods, validity, and scope. Epistemology is the investigation of what distinguishes justified belief from opinion. -The study of knowledge, what we know, and how we can know it. |
| epistrophe | The repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences. It creates emphasis and rhythm. |
| fatalism | the attitude of mind which accepts whatever happens as having been bound or decreed to happen. |
| Reductio Ad Absurdum | when a speaker argues for their position by attempting to point out the absurdity in the alternative argument. |
| volubility | the quality of talking fluently, readily, or incessantly (talkativeness) |
| chagrin | Noun: distress or embarrassment at having failed or been humiliated Verb: feel distressed or humiliated |
| mood (in literature) | Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader |
| exigence | an issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompts someone to write or speak |
| rhetorical situation | a situation in which people's understanding can be changed through messages |
| rhetorical strategies | Methods and techniques that speakers use to achieve their speaking goals |
| sarcastic | Marked by or given to using irony in order to mock or convey contempt |
| sardonic | grimly mocking or cynical |
| effusive | emotionally excessive; overly demonstrative |
| apathetic | feeling or showing little emotion |
| flippant | (adj.) lacking in seriousness; disrespectful, saucy |
| ambivalent | having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone |
| euphemism | an inoffensive expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive |
| colloquial | characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation |
| allegory | a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one |
| allegorical | containing hidden symbolism but still containing the original plot and characters |
| alliteration | repetition of initial consonant sounds |
| consonance | repetition of consonant sounds |
| allusion | a reference to another work of literature, person, or event |
| aphorism | a concise statement of a truth or principle |
| ambiguity | an event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way |
| analogy | a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way |
| conceit (as a literary device) | comparing two very dissimilar things |
| pronoun antecedent | the noun or nouns that the pronoun replaces |
| participle | verb form used as an adjective |
| chiasmus | a reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases |
| litotes | a form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite |
| synecdoche | a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole |
| metonymy | substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it |
| apostrophe | address to an absent or imaginary person |
| disparaging | expressing the opinion that something is of little worth; derogatory |
| idiomatic | saying something that means something different than the literal meaning |
| didactic | intended to teach |
| anaphora | the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses |
| derisive | ridiculing, mocking |
| concession | Something given up or yielded |
| fallacy | a faulty or illegitimate argument, typically leading to an incorrect conclusion |
| caricature | an exaggerated portrayal of one's features |
| adage | a familiar proverb or wise saying |
| non sequitur | something that does not logically follow, random ideas or phrases that seem to have no connection |
| bombastic | (adj.) pompous or overblown in language; seems to have importance to conceal a lack of ideas |
| morose | having a gloomy or sullen manner; not friendly or sociable |
| trite | lacking in freshness and effectiveness due to constant use |
| affectation | a phony attitude; pose |
| caustic | biting in wit |
| polysyndeton | Deliberate use of many conjunctions |
| appositive | A word or phrase that renames a nearby noun or pronoun |
| erudite | (adj.) scholarly, learned, bookish, pedantic |
| banal | predictably boring, so unoriginal and common that it is obvious and boring |
| blithe | lacking concern or too casually mentioned, could also be carefree |
| syllepsis | use of a word with other words, with each of which it is understood differently |
| assonance | Repetition of vowel sounds, used to achieve emphasis |
| synesthesia | describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("taste the rainbow" |
| invective | insulting, abusive, highly critical language |
| antithesis | the direct opposite, a sharp contrast, could be a style or phrase in literature |
| jargon | vocabulary distinctive to a particular group of people |
| gerund | A verb form ending in -ing that is used as a noun; can be used as a subject, direct object, or indirect object |
| semantics | the set of rules by which we derive meaning from morphemes, words, and sentences in a given language; also, the study of meaning |
| ad hominem | In an argument, this is an attack on the person rather than on the opponent's ideas |
| morass | a complex or confusing situation that is hard to deal with |
| denunciate | to condemn openly |
| self-effacing | not drawing attention to oneself; modest |
| infinitive | the word "to" plus a verb, usually functioning as a noun, and often as a predicate, noun, adverbs, or adjectives in a sentence |
| facetious | (adj.) humorous, not meant seriously |
| asyndeton | omission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words |
| aposiopesis | stopping abruptly and leaving a statement unfinished |
| perspicacious | wise; insightful; acutely intelligent |
| paradox | a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true |
Created by:
ganga_sub
Popular English Verbs sets