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AP English > Tone Words > Flashcards

Tone Words Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
1
Q

Acerbic

A

Harsh or severe, as of temper or expression

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2
Q

Acrimonious

A

Caustic, stinging, or bitter in nature, speech, behavior, etc.

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3
Q

Admiring

A

To regard with wonder or surprise

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4
Q

Ambivalent

A

Uncertainty or fluctuation, esp. when caused by inability to make a choice or by a simultaneous desire to say or do two opposite or conflicting things.

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5
Q

Admonitory

A

Tending or serving to admonish; warning

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6
Q

Ambiguous

A

Open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations; equivocal

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6
Q

Amused

A

Pleasurably entertained, occupied, or diverted.

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7
Q

Apologetic

A

Containing an apology or excuse for a fault, failure, insult, injury, etc.: “An apologetic letter to his creditors explained the delay.”

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8
Q

Apprehensive

A

Uneasy or fearful about something that might happen: “apprehensive for the safety of the mountain climbers.”

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9
Q

Arrogant

A

Making claims or pretensions to superior importance or rights; overbearingly assuming; insolently proud: “an arrogant public official.”

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10
Q

Assertive

A

Confidently aggressive or self-assured; positive: aggressive; dogmatic: “He is too assertive as a salesman.”

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11
Q

Audacious

A

Extremely bold or daring; recklessly brave; fearless: “an audacious explorer.”

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12
Q

Autoritative

A

Having due authority; having the sanction or weight of authority: “an authoritative opinion”

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13
Q

Bantering

A

An exchange of light, playful, teasing remarks; good-natured raillery.

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14
Q

Bellicose

A

Inclined or eager to fight; aggressively hostile; belligerent; pugnacious.

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15
Q

Benevolent

A

Characterized by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings: “a benevolent attitude; her benevolent smile.”

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16
Q

Bewildered

A

Completely puzzled or confused; perplexed.

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17
Q

Biting

A

Cutting; sarcastic: “a biting remark.”

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18
Q

Bitter

A

Characterized by intense antagonism or hostility: bitter hatred.

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19
Q

Brash

A

Impertinent; impudent; tactless: “a brash young man.”

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20
Q

Brusque

A

Abrupt in manner; blunt; rough: “A brusque welcome greeted his unexpected return.”

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21
Q

Cajoling

A

To persuade by flattery or promises; wheedle; coax.

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22
Q

Candid

A

Frank; outspoken; open and sincere: “a candid critic.”

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23
Q

Capricious

A

Subject to, led by, or indicative of a sudden, odd notion or unpredictable change; erratic: “He’s such a capricious boss I never know how he’ll react.”

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24
Q

Cautious

A

Showing, using, or characterized by caution: a cautious man; “To be cautious is often to show wisdom.”

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25
Q

Clandestine

A

Characterized by, done in, or executed with secrecy or concealment, especially for purposes of subversion or deception; private or surreptitious: “Their clandestine meetings went undiscovered for two years.”

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26
Q

Clinical

A

Extremely objective and realistic; dispassionately analytic; unemotionally critical: “She regarded him with clinical detachment.”

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27
Q

Compassionate

A

Having or showing compassion: a compassionate person; “a compassionate letter.”

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28
Q

Complacent

A

Pleased, especially with oneself or one’s merits, advantages, situation, etc., often without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied: “The voters are too complacent to change the government.”

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29
Q

Compliant

A

Suggesting an unhealthy mental state or attitude; unwholesomely gloomy, sensitive, extreme, etc

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30
Q

Concerned

A

Troubled or anxious: “a concerned look.”

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31
Q

Condescending

A

Showing or implying a usually patronizing descent from dignity or superiority: “They resented the older neighbors’ condescending cordiality.”

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32
Q

Confident

A

Having strong belief or full assurance; sure: “confident of fulfillment.”

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33
Q

Contemptuous

A

overconfident, holds in contempt

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34
Q

Contentious

A

thinks about himself to much, assertive

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35
Q

Contrite

A

short, precise

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36
Q

Cynical

A

cold-hearted, without thought,

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37
Q

Deferential

A

Tending or serving to admonish; warning

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38
Q

Detached

A

not connected, tangent

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39
Q

Determined

A

hard working, persistent

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40
Q

Didactic

A

intended to instruct

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41
Q

Diffident

A

lacking confidence

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42
Q

Disappointed

A

sad, unappeased

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43
Q

Disapproving

A

mad, not happy

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44
Q

Disdainful

A

scornful

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45
Q

Disgusted

A

to offend the good sense and morals

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46
Q

Dissatisfied

A

not sattisfied

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47
Q

Dour

A

sullen; gloomy: The captain’s dour look depressed us all.

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48
Q

Dramatic

A

causing attention

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49
Q

Dreary

A

sad, gloomy, cloudy

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50
Q

Droll

A

amusing in an odd way

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51
Q

Ecstatic

A

extremely excited and happy

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52
Q

Effusive

A

lacking restrain

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53
Q

Elegiac

A

expressing sorrow

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54
Q

Enthusiastic

A

happy, outgoing

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55
Q

Facetious

A

playfully humorous

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56
Q

Flippant

A

frivolously disrespectful, shallow, or lacking in seriousness; characterized by levity: The audience was shocked by his flippant remarks about patriotism.

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57
Q

Forceful

A

harsh, to the point

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58
Q

Frustrated

A

mad, angry

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59
Q

Giddy

A

happy, humorous, susceptible to laughter

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60
Q

Gloomy

A

sad, dreary

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61
Q

Guilt

A

feeling bad for something

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62
Q

Harsh

A

forceful, brutal

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63
Q

Haughty

A

overconfident, cocky, arrogant

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64
Q

Hectoring

A

bully

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65
Q

Histrionic

A

pertaining to actors

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66
Q

Hopeful

A

with hope, optimistic

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67
Q

Humble

A

modest

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68
Q

Humorous

A

funny

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69
Q

Impartial

A

just, fair

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70
Q

Impassive

A

without emotion, unmoving, apathetic

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71
Q

Imperious

A

with arrogance, domineering

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72
Q

Inperturbable

A

impassive

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73
Q

Implacable

A

unappeased

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74
Q

Incensed

A

pleasant smell, with adoration

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75
Q

Incisive

A

remarkably clear and direct

76
Q

Incredulous

A

disbelief, skeptical.

77
Q

Indifferent

A

impartial

78
Q

Indignant

A

shocked, strong displeasure to something insulting

79
Q

Inflammatory

A

tending to arouse anger, passion

80
Q

Informative

A

giving information

81
Q

Inscrutable

A

incapable of being investigated, analyzed, or scrutinized; impenetrable.

82
Q

Insolent

A

rude, does not have respect

83
Q

Inspiring

A

adding hope, inspiration

84
Q

Insular

A

detached, alone

85
Q

Intimate

A

private, personal

86
Q

Intractable

A

not easily controlled

87
Q

Intrepid

A

fearless

88
Q

Introspective

A

analyzing one self

89
Q

Ironic

A

unexpected, having irony

90
Q

Irate

A

susceptible to anger, easily angered

91
Q

Irreverent

A

profane, not religious

92
Q

Jingoistic

A

bellicose chauvinism

93
Q

Jocular

A

joking, facetious

94
Q

Joking

A

funny, facetious, jocular

95
Q

Lachrymose

A

mournful, causing tears

96
Q

Lamenting

A

to feel sorrow

97
Q

Laudatory

A

expressing praise

98
Q

Lugubrious

A

mournful, gloomy

99
Q

Macabre

A

gruesome horrifying

100
Q

Maudlin

A

tearfully or weakly emotional

101
Q

Melancholy

A

gloomy, depressed

102
Q

Mock-Heroic

A

an imitation or burlesque of something heroic.

103
Q

Mockiing

A

to ridicule, joke about

104
Q

Mock-Serious

A

jokingly serious

105
Q

Moralistic

A

pertaining to morals

106
Q

Morbid

A

gruesome

107
Q

Mordant

A

biting, bitter

108
Q

Mournful

A

tearful, sad

109
Q

Mystified

A

with mystery, shocked

110
Q

Naive

A

credulous

111
Q

Neutral

A

without a position

112
Q

Nostalgic

A

wistful yearning

113
Q

Objective

A

with a position/ point

114
Q

Obsequiois

A

obedient, dutiful, subservient

115
Q

Ominous

A

threatening, pertaining to harm

116
Q

Open-Minded

A

good listener, can see both sides

117
Q

Optimistic

A

with hope, positive

118
Q

Ostentatious

A

intended to attract attention

119
Q

Parochial

A

very narrow in scope or outlook

120
Q

Patriotic

A

nationalistic

121
Q

Patronizing

A

offensively condescending manner

122
Q

Pedantic

A

overly scholarly

123
Q

Pessimistic

A

not optimistic, negative

124
Q

Petulant

A

irritable, peevish, irate

125
Q

Phlegmatic

A

self possessed, calm

126
Q

Placid

A

calm or peaceful

127
Q

Plaintive

A

expressing sorrow or melancholy

128
Q

Pleading

A

begging

129
Q

Poignant

A

distressing, causing emotion

130
Q

Pragmatic

A

practical view of things

131
Q

Pretentious

A

full of pretense, not real

132
Q

Proud

A

with pride

133
Q

Pugnacious

A

inclined to quarrel, bellicose

134
Q

Querulous

A

full of complaints

135
Q

Quixotic

A

like Quixote, strange

136
Q

Reflective

A

pertaining to reflection

137
Q

Regretful

A

with regret, guilt, sorrow

138
Q

Remorseful

A

a sense of deep regret

139
Q

Reserved

A

calm

140
Q

Resigned

A

submissive or acquiescent.

141
Q

Resolute

A

impassive, unmoving

142
Q

Respectful

A

with respect

143
Q

Restrained

A

calm, nonviolent

144
Q

Reverent

A

religious, pious

145
Q

Sanctimonious

A

holy sacred

146
Q

Sanguine

A

cheerfully optimistic

147
Q

Sarcastic

A

with sarcasm

148
Q

Sardonic

A

mocking, scornful, biting

149
Q

Satiric

A

sardonic, mocking, daunting

150
Q

Saturnine

A

gloomy taciturn

151
Q

Scathing

A

mocking, biting, bitter

152
Q

Scholarly

A

with knowledge

153
Q

Scornful

A

mocking, sardonic

154
Q

Sententious

A

excessive moralizing

155
Q

Sentimental

A

with sentiment

156
Q

Serious

A

without humor, pointed

157
Q

Servile

A

subservient

158
Q

Shocked

A

with shock

159
Q

Skittish

A

restlessly or excessively lively: a skittish mood.

160
Q

Smug

A

contentedly confident of one’s ability, superiority, or correctness; complacent.

161
Q

Solemn

A

grave, sober, or mirthless, as a person, the face, speech, tone, or mood: solemn remarks.

162
Q

Somber

A

gloomy, depressing, or dismal: a somber mood.

163
Q

Spiteful

A

full of spite or malice; showing spite; malicious; malevolent; venomous: a spiteful child.

164
Q

Solid

A

adequate; sensible

165
Q

Strident

A

having a shrill, irritating quality or character: a strident tone in his writings.

166
Q

Subjective

A

existing in the mind; belonging to the thinking subject rather than to the object of thought (opposed to objective ).

167
Q

Subservient

A

serving or acting in a subordinate capacity; subordinate.

168
Q

Supercilious

A

haughtily disdainful or contemptuous, as a person or a facial expression.

169
Q

Surreptitous

A

obtained, done, made, etc., by stealth; secret or unauthorized; clandestine: a surreptitious glance.

170
Q

Sympathetic

A

characterized by, proceeding from, exhibiting, or feeling sympathy; sympathizing; compassionate: a sympathetic listener.

171
Q

Taunting

A

to reproach in a sarcastic, insulting, or jeering manner; mock.

172
Q

Thoughtful

A

showing consideration for others; considerate.

173
Q

Threatening

A

tending or intended to menace: threatening gestures.

174
Q

Timorous

A

full of fear; fearful: The noise made them timorous.

175
Q

Truculent

A

fierce; cruel; savagely brutal.

176
Q

Unctuous

A

characterized by excessive piousness or moralistic fervor, especially in an affected manner; excessively smooth, suave, or smug.

177
Q

Urgent

A

compelling or requiring immediate action or attention; imperative; pressing: an urgent matter.

178
Q

Vehement

A

zealous; ardent; impassioned: a vehement defense; vehement enthusiasm.

179
Q

Vexed

A

irritated; annoyed: vexed at the slow salesclerks.

180
Q

Vitriolic

A

very caustic; scathing: vitriolic criticism.

181
Q

Vituperative

A

verbal abuse or castigation; violent denunciation or condemnation.

182
Q

Wistful

A

characterized by melancholy; longing; yearning.

184
Q

Whimsical

A

of the nature of or proceeding from whimsy, as thoughts or actions: Her writing showed whimsical notions of human behavior

185
Q

Worshipful

A

feeling or showing worship.

186
Q

Wry

A

devious in course or purpose; misdirected.

187
Q

Zealous

A

ardently active, devoted, or diligent; full of, characterized by, or due to zeal. Synonyms: enthusiastic, eager, fervid, fervent, intense, passionate, warm. Antonyms: apathetic; lackadaisical.

188
Q

Unflagging

A

not declining in strength or vigour; tireless

189
Q

Worried

A

Having or characterized by worry; concerned; anxious: Their worried parents called the police.

AP English (1 decks)

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