| Term | Definition |
|---|
| satiric | containing the use of ridicule, sarcasm, or irony to expose or attack follies, vices, or stupidites |
| whimsical | oddly out of the ordinary; fanciful, freakish; imaginative |
| dramatic | filled with action, emotion, or exciting qualities; vivid, striking |
| learned | knowledgeable, well informed |
| informative | education, instructive |
| somber | dark and gloomy; depressing and melancholy |
| urgent | calling for haste, immediate action; insistent, pressing |
| confident | self-assured, certain |
| mock-heroic | mocking or burlesquing any style, action, or character |
| objective | without bias or prejudice; detached |
| diffident | lacking self-confidence; timid, shy |
| didactic | intended for teaching or instruction; morally instructive; boringly pedantic or moralistic |
| ironic | meaning the opposite of what is expressed |
| petty | relatively worthless or unimportant; trivial, insignificant |
| factual | real; actual; unopinionated |
| restrained | self-disciplined, controlled |
| elegiac | fit for an elegy; sad, mournful, plaintive |
| disdainful | scornful and aloof |
| lugubrious | very sad or mournful, plaintive |
| pedantic | putting unnecessary stress on minor or trivial points of learning |
| indignant | feeling or expressing anger or scorn, especially at unjust, mean, or ungrateful action or treatment |
| bantering | teasing or making fun of in a playful, good natured way |
| flippant | frivolous and disrespectful; saucy, impertinent |
| condescending | patronizing; dealing with other in a proud or haughty way, as if lowering yourself to meet them on their level |
| patronizing | helping someone but in a haughty or snobbish way |
| facetious | joking or trying to be funny at an inappropriate time |
| clinical | purely scientific; dispassionately curious; impersonal |
| mock-serious | jokingly serious |
| inflammatory | rousing excitement, anger, or violence |
| benevolent | inclined to do good; kindly; charitable |
| burlesquing | to imitate derisively or comically; to make parody |
| fanciful | indulging in fantasies; imaginative in a playful way; whimsical |
| detached | not involved by emotion, interest; aloof; impartial |
| cynical | implies a contemptuous (lack of) belief in human goodness; sarcastic; sneering |
| incisive | sharp, keen, penetrating, acute |
| allusive | containing allusions |
| scornful | filled with contempt; showing disdain |
| effusive | expressing excessive emotion in an unrestrained manner; too demonstrative |
| colloquial | conversational |
| compassionate | sympathizing deeply; pitying |
| impartial | without prejudice or bias; fair; just |
| insipid | not exciting or interesting; dull; lifeless |
| pretentious | affectedly grand; ostentatious |
| vibrant | vigorous, energetic, radiant, sparkling, vivacious |
| irreverent | lacking respect |
| sentimental | showing feelings in an excessive, superficial, or maudlin way; mawkish |
| moralistic | imposing morals; rules to live by, on others |
| complimentary | expressing courtesy, respect, admiration, or praise |
| contemptuous | scornful; disdainful |
| sympathetic | expressing pity or compassion for another's trouble or suffering |
| taunting | reproaching in scornful or sarcastic language; jeering; mocking |
| concerned | involved or interested |
| angry | inflamed, mad |
| turgid | bombastic; pompous; grandiloquent |
| sardonic | disdainfully or bitterly sneering, ironic, or sarcastic |
| contentious | always ready to argue; quarrelsome |
| insolent | boldly disrespectful; impertinent; impudent |
| candid | frank, honest |
| remorseful | expressing a torturing sense of guilty felt over a wrong that one has done; pitying |
| humorous | funny, amusing, comical |
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