| Term | Definition |
|---|
| abhorrent | detestable |
| abominable | very unpleasant |
| acquittal | a discharge |
| apothecary | druggist |
| apprehension | anticipation of future trouble |
| auspicious | favorable |
| chivalrous | considerate and courteous |
| conciliate | to win over |
| contempt | feeling of scorn or extreme |
| cordiality | a heartfelt act |
| convict | to prove guilty |
| credibility | being believable |
| culprit | a person guilty of or responsible for an offense |
| cynical | having little faith in human nature |
| disperse | to send, drive, or distribute in different directions |
| dogged | persistent |
| eccentricity | peculiarity |
| eddy | a small whirlpool |
| elusive | different to find or catch |
| erratic | inconsistent |
| expound | to explain or interpret |
| facade | outward appearance especially a deceptive one |
| feeble | weak |
| fraught | filled with a specified element |
| futile | useless |
| gallant | brave and chivalrous |
| humble | having or showing low sense of self |
| hypocrite | person whyo is two-faced |
| inconspicous | not noticeable or prominet |
| indict | to accuse a person formally by legal process |
| indulge | to take pleasure freely |
| judicious | sensible |
| malignant | dangerous or harmful in some effect or influence |
| mutilate | to disfigure or destroy especially by cutting |
| nocturnal | of or in the night |
| oblivious | unmindful |
| oppressive | harsh or cruel |
| perjury | act of willfully telling an untruth under oath |
| perpetual | continuing or enduring forever |
| populace | all the inhabitants of a place |
| primeval | of or pertaining to the first age especially of the world |
| procure | to obtain |
| profane | blasphemous |
| provoke | to irritate or anger |
| prowess | exceptional or superior skill, ability, or strength |
| ruefully | regretfully |
| simultaneous | existing, occurring, or operating at the same time |
| timid | easily frightened |
| torment | to abuse |
| unfathomable | an act that is difficult to comprehend |
| vague | uncertain or ill-defined |
| vexation | that which is annoying or distressing |
| allegory | story or poem in which the characters, setting, and events stand for other people or events or for abstract ideas or qualities. Can be read for a literal meaning and on a second, symbolic meaning |
| alliteration | repetition of the same sound in a sequence of words, usually at the beginning of a word |
| allusion | a brief reference to a person, place, thing, event, or idea in history or literature |
| antagonist | the character, force, or collection of forces in fiction or drama taht opposes the protagonist and gives rise to the conflict of the story; an opponent of the protagonist |
| archetype | a term used to describe universal symbols that evoke deep and unconscious respnses in a reader. In literature characters, images, and themes that symbollically embody universal meanings and basic human experiences, regardless of when or where they live, are considered archetypes |
| climax | the point in the plot that creates the greatest intensity, suspense, or interest. After this point, nothing can remain the same; greatest turning point. |
| conflict | the struggle within the plot between opposing forces. The protagonist engages in the conflict with the antagonist |
| connotation | associations and implications that go beyond the written word |
| couplet | two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme and have the same meter |
| denotation | dictionary definition of a word |
| flashback | scene that interrupts the normal chronological flow of events in a story to depict something that happened at a earlier time |
| foreshadowing | use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in the story, often used in to build suspense or tension in a story |
| soliloquy | a long speech made by a character who is onstage alone and who reveals his private feelings to the audience |
| monologue | a long speech made by a character to other characters |
| symbol | something that means more than it is; an object, person, situation, or action that in addition to its liberal meaning suggests other meanings as well |
| theme | an insight about human life that is revealed in a literary work |
| thesis | the organizing thought of an entire essay or piece of writing and which contains a subject and an opinion |
| tone | the writers attitude towards the story, poem, characters, or audience. A writer's tone may be formal or informal, friendly or anxious, personal, or anxious |
| tragedy | a play in which a major character suffers a downfall |
| hyperbole | major exagerated statement that adds emphasis without intending to be literally true |
| metaphor | a literary device in which a direct comparison is made between two things essentially unlike |
| onomatopoeia | use of words that imitate sounds |
| oxymoron | a condensed form of parodox in which two contorodictory words are used together |
| paraphrase | a prose restatement of the central ideas of a poem in your language |
| personification | a literary device in which human attributes are given to a non-human such as an animal, object, or concept |
| plot | sequence of events in a story usually involves characters and a conflict |
| point of view | the perspective or vantage point from which a story or poem is told |
| acuteness | a sensitivity that is keen and highly developed |
| adversary | a person, group, or force that opposes or attacks |
| amenities | any feature that provides comfort, convenience, or pleasure |
| appall | dismay |
| aristocrat | anything regarded as the best, most elegant, or most stylish |
| array | order or arrangement |
| articulate | to utter clearly and distinctly; pronounced with clarity |
| calamity | a great misfortune or disaster |
| conjuration | supernatural accomplishment by spell or invocation |
| conspicuous | easily seen or noticed;readily visible or observable |
| contagion | the communication of disease by direct or indirect contact |
| cunning | crafty or sly |
| extremity | the end part of a limb, as a foot or hand |
| innate | existing in one from birth; inborn; native |
| insinuate | to suggest or hint slyly |
| menacing | threatening or foreshadowing evil |
| palpable | capable of being touched or felt; tangible |
| primeval | of or pertaining to the first age especially of the world |
| primitive | early in the history of the world |
| rouse | to bring out of a state of sleep, inactivity, or fancied security |
| vigor | active strength or force |
| epiphany | a literary work or section of a work presenting, usually symbolically, such a moment of revelation and insight |
| verisimilitude | something, as an assertion, having merely the appearance of truth |
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