AP English Vocab 1 Flashcards
acquisitive
(adj.) able to get and retain ideas or (uh-kwiz-i-tiv) information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property In an __________ society, there is a great deal of emphasis on buying and selling.
SYNONYMS: greedy, grasping, avaricious, retentive
ANTONYMS: altruistic, unretentive
animadversion
(n.) a comment indicating strong criticism or disapproval (an-uh-mad-vur-zhuh) The inexperienced filmmaker was disheartened by the ________ of the film critic.
SYNONYMS: rebuke, reproof
ANTONYMS: praise, compliment
banal
(adj.) hackneyed, trite, commonplace (buh-nal, -nahl, beyn-)
The new play’s _______ dialogue made it seem more like a soap opera than a serious drama.
SYNONYMS: stale, insipid
ANTONYMS: fresh, novel, original, new
cacophonous
(adj.) harsh-sounding, raucous, discordant, dissonant (kuh-kof-uh-nuh s) The scene opened with _______ laughter coming from three witches gathered around a steaming cauldron.
ANTONYMS: harmonious, melodious, mellifluous
celerity
(n.) swiftness, rapidity of motion or action
(suh-ler-i-tee) Although the heavy snowfall was not expected, the highway department responded with surprising ____________________.
SYNONYMS: promptness, alacrity, speed
ANTONYMS: slowness, sluggishness, dilatoriness
dissemble
(v.) to disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression (di-sem-buh l)
The young man was unable to _________________ his feelings and admitted to having committed the crime.
SYNONYMS: dissimulate, mask, feign
eschew
(v.) to avoid, shun, keep away from (es-choo)
The young athletes promised the coach that they would train vigorously and____________________ bad habits.
SYNONYMS: abstain from, steer clear of, forgo
ANTONYMS: embrace, adopt
evince
(v.) to display clearly, to make evident, to provoke (i-vins) The crowd did not ____________________ any signs of panic but moved in an orderly fashion to the nearest exits.
SYNONYMS: exhibit, manifest, occasion
feckless
(adj.) lacking in spirit and strength; ineffective, weak; irresponsible, unreliable (fek-lis)
Although a _________________ youth, he eventually matured into a hard-working and responsible citizen.
SYNONYMS: feeble, helpless, incompetent, ineffectual
ANTONYMS: competent, capable, effective
halcyon
(n.) a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher; (adj.) of or relating to the halcyon; calm, peaceful; happy, golden; prosperous, affluent (hal-see-uhn)
The teacher read the legend of the ____________________, mythic bird that nested in a calm sea.
(adj.) The woman often spoke of the ____________________ days of her childhood.
SYNONYMS: tranquil, serene, placid
ANTONYMS: turbulent, chaotic, tumultuous
intrasigent
(adj.) refusing to compromise; irreconcilable
(in-tran-si-juh nt)
Little will get accomplished if the legislators of both parties maintain their________________ attitudes.
SYNONYMS: uncompromising, unyielding, obdurate
ANTONYMS: lukewarm, halfhearted, yielding
maelstrom
(n.) a whirlpool of great size and violence; a situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction (meyl-struh m)
Many innocent people caught in the ____________________ of the revolution lost their lives and property.
SYNONYMS: vortex, chaos, turbulence, tumult
nefarious
(adj.) wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards (ni-fair-ee-uh s)
Brutus and Cassius hatched a ____________________ plot to assassinate Julius Caesar on the steps of the Roman Senate.
SYNONYMS: iniquitous, reprehensible
ANTONYMS: virtuous, honorable, praiseworthy, meritorious
pejorative
(adj.) tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement, derogatory, deprecatory, belittling (pi-jawr-uh-tiv)
The lawyer was accused of making a ___________________ remark when referring to the defendant’s background.
ANTONYMS: complimentary, ameliorative
piquant
(adj.) stimulating to the taste or mind; spicy, pungent; appealingly provocative (pee-kuh nt)
The chef was an expert in making those ____________________ dishes that are characteristic of South Indian cooking.
SYNONYMS: tangy, zestful
ANTONYMS: bland, insipid, tasteless, mild
