English 11 - set 12 tone words Flashcards
acerbic
adj. 1. sour in taste;
2. sharp or bitter of temper,
mood or expression
bemused
adj. 1. caused to be bewildered,
confused;
2. caused to be engrossed
in thought
brusque
adj. abrupt and curt in manner
or speech, often to the
point of rudeness; blunt
colloquial
adj. characteristic of or
appropriate to the spoken
language or to writing that
seeks the effect of speech;
informal
earnest
adj. 1. marked by or showing
deep sincerity or
seriousness; 2. of an
important or weighty
nature; grave
effusive
adj. unrestrained or excessive
in emotional expression;
gushy
empathetic
adj. characteristic of
understanding another’s
situation, feelings, and
motives
facetious
adj. playfully jocular;
humorous
flippant
adj. marked by disrespectful
levity or indifference
insolent
adj. 1. presumptuous and
insulting in manner or
speech; arrogant;
2. audaciously impudent;
impertinent
insouciant
adj. blithely unconcerned;
nonchalant
patronizing
adj. in an offensively
condescending manner
sardonic
adj. scornfully mocking and
derisive
somber
adj. 1. dark, gloomy;
2. melancholy, dismal
strident
adj. loud, harsh and grating;
shrill, i.e. a strident voice
vitriolic
adj. bitterly scathing; caustic,
i.e. vitriolic criticism
timorous
adj. full of apprehensiveness;
timid
whimsical
adj. 1. capricious, playful, or
fanciful, i.e. a whimsical
prank; 2. characterized by
erratic behavior or
unpredictability, i.e. a
whimsical personality
wry
adj. dryly humorous, often with
a touch of irony
stately
adj. 1. dignified, formal;
2. majestic, lofty
