Tone Words Flashcards
Acerbic
Harsh or severe, as of temper or expression
Acrimonious
Caustic, stinging, or bitter in nature, speech, behavior, etc.
Admiring
To regard with wonder or surprise
Ambivalent
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.
Admonitory
Tending or serving to admonish; warning
Ambiguous
Open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations; equivocal
Amused
Pleasurably entertained, occupied, or diverted.
Apologetic
Containing an apology or excuse for a fault, failure, insult, injury, etc.: “An apologetic letter to his creditors explained the delay.”
Apprehensive
Uneasy or fearful about something that might happen: “apprehensive for the safety of the mountain climbers.”
Arrogant
Making claims or pretensions to superior importance or rights; overbearingly assuming; insolently proud: “an arrogant public official.”
Assertive
Confidently aggressive or self-assured; positive: aggressive; dogmatic: “He is too assertive as a salesman.”
Audacious
Extremely bold or daring; recklessly brave; fearless: “an audacious explorer.”
Autoritative
Having due authority; having the sanction or weight of authority: “an authoritative opinion”
Bantering
An exchange of light, playful, teasing remarks; good-natured raillery.
Bellicose
Inclined or eager to fight; aggressively hostile; belligerent; pugnacious.
Benevolent
Characterized by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings: “a benevolent attitude; her benevolent smile.”
Bewildered
Completely puzzled or confused; perplexed.
Biting
Cutting; sarcastic: “a biting remark.”
Bitter
Characterized by intense antagonism or hostility: bitter hatred.
Brash
Impertinent; impudent; tactless: “a brash young man.”
Brusque
Abrupt in manner; blunt; rough: “A brusque welcome greeted his unexpected return.”
Cajoling
To persuade by flattery or promises; wheedle; coax.
Candid
Frank; outspoken; open and sincere: “a candid critic.”
Capricious
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.”
Cautious
Showing, using, or characterized by caution: a cautious man; “To be cautious is often to show wisdom.”
Clandestine
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.”
Clinical
Extremely objective and realistic; dispassionately analytic; unemotionally critical: “She regarded him with clinical detachment.”
Compassionate
Having or showing compassion: a compassionate person; “a compassionate letter.”
Complacent
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.”
Compliant
Suggesting an unhealthy mental state or attitude; unwholesomely gloomy, sensitive, extreme, etc
Concerned
Troubled or anxious: “a concerned look.”
Condescending
Showing or implying a usually patronizing descent from dignity or superiority: “They resented the older neighbors’ condescending cordiality.”
Confident
Having strong belief or full assurance; sure: “confident of fulfillment.”
Contemptuous
overconfident, holds in contempt
Contentious
thinks about himself to much, assertive
Contrite
short, precise
Cynical
cold-hearted, without thought,
Deferential
Tending or serving to admonish; warning
Detached
not connected, tangent
Determined
hard working, persistent
Didactic
intended to instruct
Diffident
lacking confidence
Disappointed
sad, unappeased
Disapproving
mad, not happy
Disdainful
scornful
Disgusted
to offend the good sense and morals
Dissatisfied
not sattisfied
Dour
sullen; gloomy: The captain’s dour look depressed us all.
Dramatic
causing attention
Dreary
sad, gloomy, cloudy
Droll
amusing in an odd way
Ecstatic
extremely excited and happy
Effusive
lacking restrain
Elegiac
expressing sorrow
Enthusiastic
happy, outgoing
Facetious
playfully humorous
Flippant
frivolously disrespectful, shallow, or lacking in seriousness; characterized by levity: The audience was shocked by his flippant remarks about patriotism.
Forceful
harsh, to the point
Frustrated
mad, angry
Giddy
happy, humorous, susceptible to laughter
Gloomy
sad, dreary
Guilt
feeling bad for something
Harsh
forceful, brutal
Haughty
overconfident, cocky, arrogant
Hectoring
bully
Histrionic
pertaining to actors
Hopeful
with hope, optimistic
Humble
modest
Humorous
funny
Impartial
just, fair
Impassive
without emotion, unmoving, apathetic
Imperious
with arrogance, domineering
Inperturbable
impassive
Implacable
unappeased
Incensed
pleasant smell, with adoration
Incisive
remarkably clear and direct
Incredulous
disbelief, skeptical.
Indifferent
impartial
Indignant
shocked, strong displeasure to something insulting
Inflammatory
tending to arouse anger, passion
Informative
giving information
Inscrutable
incapable of being investigated, analyzed, or scrutinized; impenetrable.
Insolent
rude, does not have respect
Inspiring
adding hope, inspiration
Insular
detached, alone
Intimate
private, personal
Intractable
not easily controlled
Intrepid
fearless
Introspective
analyzing one self
Ironic
unexpected, having irony
Irate
susceptible to anger, easily angered
Irreverent
profane, not religious
Jingoistic
bellicose chauvinism
Jocular
joking, facetious
Joking
funny, facetious, jocular
Lachrymose
mournful, causing tears
Lamenting
to feel sorrow
Laudatory
expressing praise
Lugubrious
mournful, gloomy
Macabre
gruesome horrifying
Maudlin
tearfully or weakly emotional
Melancholy
gloomy, depressed
Mock-Heroic
an imitation or burlesque of something heroic.
Mockiing
to ridicule, joke about
Mock-Serious
jokingly serious
Moralistic
pertaining to morals
Morbid
gruesome
Mordant
biting, bitter
Mournful
tearful, sad
Mystified
with mystery, shocked
Naive
credulous
Neutral
without a position
Nostalgic
wistful yearning
Objective
with a position/ point
Obsequiois
obedient, dutiful, subservient
Ominous
threatening, pertaining to harm
Open-Minded
good listener, can see both sides
Optimistic
with hope, positive
Ostentatious
intended to attract attention
Parochial
very narrow in scope or outlook
Patriotic
nationalistic
Patronizing
offensively condescending manner
Pedantic
overly scholarly
Pessimistic
not optimistic, negative
Petulant
irritable, peevish, irate
Phlegmatic
self possessed, calm
Placid
calm or peaceful
Plaintive
expressing sorrow or melancholy
Pleading
begging
Poignant
distressing, causing emotion
Pragmatic
practical view of things
Pretentious
full of pretense, not real
Proud
with pride
Pugnacious
inclined to quarrel, bellicose
Querulous
full of complaints
Quixotic
like Quixote, strange
Reflective
pertaining to reflection
Regretful
with regret, guilt, sorrow
Remorseful
a sense of deep regret
Reserved
calm
Resigned
submissive or acquiescent.
Resolute
impassive, unmoving
Respectful
with respect
Restrained
calm, nonviolent
Reverent
religious, pious
Sanctimonious
holy sacred
Sanguine
cheerfully optimistic
Sarcastic
with sarcasm
Sardonic
mocking, scornful, biting
Satiric
sardonic, mocking, daunting
Saturnine
gloomy taciturn
Scathing
mocking, biting, bitter
Scholarly
with knowledge
Scornful
mocking, sardonic
Sententious
excessive moralizing
Sentimental
with sentiment
Serious
without humor, pointed
Servile
subservient
Shocked
with shock
Skittish
restlessly or excessively lively: a skittish mood.
Smug
contentedly confident of one’s ability, superiority, or correctness; complacent.
Solemn
grave, sober, or mirthless, as a person, the face, speech, tone, or mood: solemn remarks.
Somber
gloomy, depressing, or dismal: a somber mood.
Spiteful
full of spite or malice; showing spite; malicious; malevolent; venomous: a spiteful child.
Solid
adequate; sensible
Strident
having a shrill, irritating quality or character: a strident tone in his writings.
Subjective
existing in the mind; belonging to the thinking subject rather than to the object of thought (opposed to objective ).
Subservient
serving or acting in a subordinate capacity; subordinate.
Supercilious
haughtily disdainful or contemptuous, as a person or a facial expression.
Surreptitous
obtained, done, made, etc., by stealth; secret or unauthorized; clandestine: a surreptitious glance.
Sympathetic
characterized by, proceeding from, exhibiting, or feeling sympathy; sympathizing; compassionate: a sympathetic listener.
Taunting
to reproach in a sarcastic, insulting, or jeering manner; mock.
Thoughtful
showing consideration for others; considerate.
Threatening
tending or intended to menace: threatening gestures.
Timorous
full of fear; fearful: The noise made them timorous.
Truculent
fierce; cruel; savagely brutal.
Unctuous
characterized by excessive piousness or moralistic fervor, especially in an affected manner; excessively smooth, suave, or smug.
Urgent
compelling or requiring immediate action or attention; imperative; pressing: an urgent matter.
Vehement
zealous; ardent; impassioned: a vehement defense; vehement enthusiasm.
Vexed
irritated; annoyed: vexed at the slow salesclerks.
Vitriolic
very caustic; scathing: vitriolic criticism.
Vituperative
verbal abuse or castigation; violent denunciation or condemnation.
Wistful
characterized by melancholy; longing; yearning.
Whimsical
of the nature of or proceeding from whimsy, as thoughts or actions: Her writing showed whimsical notions of human behavior
Worshipful
feeling or showing worship.
Wry
devious in course or purpose; misdirected.
Zealous
ardently active, devoted, or diligent; full of, characterized by, or due to zeal. Synonyms: enthusiastic, eager, fervid, fervent, intense, passionate, warm. Antonyms: apathetic; lackadaisical.
Unflagging
not declining in strength or vigour; tireless
Worried
Having or characterized by worry; concerned; anxious: Their worried parents called the police.
