Words for AP LIT

Pastoral
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Terms in this set (64)
Pastoral
a work of literature portraying an idealized version of country life
Cacophonous
involving or producing a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds
Whimsical
playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way/acting or behaving in a capricious manner
Fastidious
very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail
Officious
assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way, especially with regard to petty or trivial matters/intrusively enthusiastic in offering help or advice; interfering
Surreptitious
kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of
Complement
to make something perfect
Self-righteous
having or characterized by a certainty, especially an unfounded one, that one is totally correct or morally superior
Animosity
strong hostility/a feeling of strong dislike, ill will, or enmity that tends to display itself in action
Alienation
the state or experience of being isolated from a group or an activity to which one should belong or in which one should be involved
Nostalgiaa sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associationsSupplicationthe action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humblyVigorphysical strength and good health/healthy physical or mental energy or powerDoggerelcomic verse composed in irregular rhythm/verse or words that are badly written or expressedMixed Metaphora combination of two or more incompatible metaphors, which produces a ridiculous effectAuthoritarianfavoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority, especially that of the government, at the expense of personal freedomDiscoursewritten or spoken communication or debate/speak or write authoritatively about a topicTitularholding or constituting a purely formal position or title without any real authorityServilehaving or showing an excessive willingness to serve or please othersUxorioushaving or showing an excessive or submissive fondness for one's wifeTyrannicalexercising power in a cruel or arbitrary wayDubioushesitating or doubting, not to be relied uponCravencontemptibly lacking in courage; cowardlyDepravedmorally corrupt; wickedPedantica person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learningEffusiveexpressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt mannerTersesparing in the use of words; abruptEpigrammaticof the nature or in the style of an epigram; concise, clever, and amusingSeminaristA student training to be a priest at a Roman Catholic seminaryDemeanoroutward behavior or bearingLecheroushaving or showing excessive or offensive sexual desireDecorumbehavior in keeping with good taste and propriety, etiquetteReticulea woman's small handbag, originally netted and typically having a drawstring and decorated with embroidery or beadingAmbivalencethe state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someoneEffacementthe act of eliminating something, reduction to insignificanceSwaddlingwrap (someone, especially a baby) in garments or clothInvectiveinsulting, abusive, or highly critical languageCensuredexpress severe disapproval of (someone or something), typically in a formal statementQuintessencethe most perfect or typical example of a quality or classNymphomaniaca woman who has abnormally excessive and uncontrollable sexual desireSaturnistA person of a dull, grave, gloomy temperamentPagana person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world religionsNom de plumea pen nameChronographeran instrument for recording time with great accuracyDramatic Monologuea poem in the form of a speech or narrative by an imagined person, in which the speaker inadvertently reveals aspects of their character while describing a particular situation or series of eventsParallelismthe state of being parallel or of corresponding in some way/the use of successive verbal constructions in poetry or prose that correspond in grammatical structure, sound, meter, meaning, etc.Eschatologythe part of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankindDomineeringassert one's will over another in an arrogant wayAsceticcharacterized by or suggesting the practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasonsIndignantfeeling or showing anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair treatmentForebodingfearful apprehension; a feeling that something bad will happenMenacingsuggesting the presence of danger; threateningSanguinaryinvolving or causing much bloodshedVisagea person's face, with reference to the form or proportions of the features/the surface of an object presented to viewVigilantkeeping careful watch for possible danger or difficultiesPersecutionhostility and ill-treatment, especially because of race or political or religious beliefsVerminwild mammals and birds that are believed to be harmful to crops, farm animals, or game, or that carry disease, e.g., foxes, rodents, and insect pests/people perceived as despicable and as causing problems for the rest of societySocial Darwinismthe theory that human groups and races are subject to the same laws of natural selection as Charles Darwin had perceived in plants and animals in natureTruisma statement that is obviously true and says nothing new or interestingRhetoricthe art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniquesAuralrelating to the ear or the sense of hearingForthwith(especially in official use) immediately; without delayAmbiguitythe quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness; vaguenessVerisimilitudethe appearance of being true or real; believability