Useful Vocabulary Flashcards
0
Q
syntax
A
ordering of words in a sentence and how it achieves tone, meaning, and point of view
1
Q
Diction
A
Word choice
2
Q
style
A
describes how author uses language to get his point across
3
Q
tone
A
attitude and mood created by style
4
Q
point of view
A
stance/opinion revealed by style and tone
5
Q
imagery
A
language used for sensual perception
6
Q
hyperbole
A
exaggeration
7
Q
understatement
A
presenting facts in a way that makes them seem less significant than they are
8
Q
simile
A
comparing two objects using “like” or “as.”
9
Q
metaphor
A
comparing objects not using “like” or “as”
10
Q
symbol
A
a word that represents something other than itself
11
Q
denotation
A
a word’s primary meaning (definition)
12
Q
connotation
A
the vast range of other meanings a word suggests
13
Q
oxymoron
A
an apparent contradiction of terms
14
Q
paradox
A
an apparent contradiction of ideas or statements
15
Q
personification
A
giving human qualities to an inanimate objects
16
Q
rhetorical question
A
a question with an obvious answer
17
Q
bombast
A
pompous language
18
Q
metonymy
A
one term substituted for another term which is closely associated
19
Q
synecdoche
A
metonymy restricted to a part signifying the whole
20
Q
theme
A
general ideas
21
Q
euphemism
A
words used to avoid employing an unpleasant or offensive term
22
Q
verbal irony
A
stating something but meaning the opposite (sarcasm)
23
Q
situational irony
A
a situation runs contrary to what is expected
24
satire
something portrayed in a way that is deliberately distorted to achieve comic effect.
25
Logos
appealing to reason and logic with hard facts, evidence, statistics, etc.
26
ethos
appeal to speaker's credibility (expert or authority)
27
pathos
appealing to emotions, values, or desires of the audience.
28
cogent
convincing; reasonable
29
didactic
intended to instruct
30
lucid
easily understood; clear
31
arbiter
judge who decides disputed issue
32
exculpate
free from guilt or pain
33
incontrovertible
unable to be denied or disputed
34
substantiated
supported with proof or evidence; verified
35
vinidicated
freed from blame
36
quandary
state of uncertainty or perplexity
37
indolent
lazy
38
insipid
uninterresting; unchallenging
39
listless
lacking energy
40
torpor
laziness; inactivity; dullness
41
disparity
inequality in age, rank, or degree; difference
42
impinge
hinder; interfere with
43
sanction
economic or military measure put in place to punish another country
44
florid
describing flowery or elaborate speech
45
opulent
exhibiting a display of great wealth
46
ostentatious
describing a showy or pretentious display
47
poignant
profoundly moving; touching
48
ebullience
intense enthusiasm
49
effusive
emotionally unrestrained; gushy
50
egregious
conspicuously bad or offensive
51
frenetic
wildly excited or active
52
gratuitous
given freely; unearned unwarranted
53
auspicious
favorable; promising
54
benevolent
well-meaning; generous
55
benign
kind and gentle
56
mollify
to calm or soothe
57
reclamation
act of making something useful again
58
dubious
doubtful; of unlikely authenticity
59
spurious
not genuine
60
astute
shrewd; clever
61
clandestine
secretive
62
coup
brilliantly executed plan
63
stratagem
clever trick to deceive or outwit
64
surreptitiously
done by secretive means
65
wily
cunning
66
ambivalent
simultaneously having opposing feelings; uncertain
67
apathetic
feeling or showing little emotion
68
arbitrary
determined by impulse rather than reason
69
capricious
impulsive and unpredictable
70
equivocate
to avoid making a definite statement
71
whimsical
subject to erratic behaviour; unpredictable
72
assiduous
hard-working
73
dogged
stubbornly persevering
74
intrepid
courageous; fearless
75
odurate
stubborn; inflexible
76
obstinate
stubbornly adhering to an opinion or course of action
77
proliferate
to grow or increase rapidly
78
tenacity
persistence
79
assimilation
to absorb; to make similar
80
consensus
general agreement
81
incumbent
imposed as a duty; obligatory
82
dogmatic
stubbornly adhering to unproved beliefs
83
enlightening
informative; contributing to one's awareness
84
impression
feeling or understanding resulting from an experience
85
profound
having great depth or seriousness
86
inherent
inborn; built-in
87
innate
possessed from birth; inborn
88
inveterate
long established; deep-rooted; habitual
89
transient
passing away with time
90
transitory
short-lived; temporary
91
affable
easy-going; friendly
92
amenable
responsive; agreeable
93
facetious
playfully humorous
94
dilettante
one with amateurish or superficial understanding of a field of knowledge
95
eclectic
made up of a variety of sources of styles
96
decorous
proper; marked by good taste
97
equanimity
quality of being calm and even tempered; composure
98
propriety
appropriateness of behavior
99
staid
unemotional; serious
100
disparage
to speak of in slighting way or negatively; to belittle
101
pejorative
describing words or phrases that belittle or speak negatively of someone
102
vilify
make vicious statements about
103
brusque
rudely abrupt
104
caustic
bitingly sarcastic or witty
105
fractious
quarrelsome; unruly
106
incorrigible
unable to be reformed
107
ingrate
an ungrateful person
108
insolent
insulting in manner or speech
109
pugnacious
combative; belligerent
110
deleterious
having a harmful effect; injurious
111
enmity
mutual hatred or ill-will
112
heinous
hatefully evil; abominable
113
malfeasance
wrongdoing; misconduct
114
rancorous
hateful; marked by deep-seated ill-will
115
hackneyed
worn out through overuse.
116
austere
without decoration; strict
117
mundane
commonplace; ordinary
118
ponderous
extremely dull
119
prosaic
unimaginative; dull
120
apprehension
anxiety or fear about the future
121
harbinger
something that indicates what is to come; a forerunner
122
trepidation
uncertainty, apprehension
123
naive
lacking sophistication
124
nascent
coming into existence; emerging
125
novel
strikingly new or unusual
126
candor
sincerity; openness
127
conflagration
a widespread fire
128
sonorous
producing a deep or full sound
129
comprehensive
large in scope or content
130
copious
plentiful; having a large quantity
131
pervasive
dispersed throughout
132
prodigious
enormous
133
replete
abundantly supplied; filled to capacity
134
laudatory
giving praise
135
facile
done or achieved with little effort; easy
136
fastidious
possessing careful attention to detail; difficult to please
137
hierarchy
a group organized by rank
138
pragmatic
practical
139
solvent
able to pay one's debts
140
anachronism
something out of place in time or sequence
141
anthropomorphism
attribution of humanlike characteristics to inanimate objects; animals, or forces of nature
142
apology
defense of an idea
143
apposition
a grammar construction in which a noun (or noun phrase) is placed with another as an explanation
144
archetype
a perfect example; an original pattern or model
145
chiasmus
an inversion in the second of two parallel phrases
146
gesticulating
making gestures while speaking
147
lexicon
word book describing language with definitions; a dictionary
148
panegyric
statement of high praise
149
paradigm
an example or model
150
parallelism
grammar construction in which two identical syntactic constructions are used
151
period
long, complex, grammatically correct sentence
152
pernicious
causing great harm
153
propitious
presenting favorable circumstances
154
sardonic
disdainfully or ironically humorous; harsh, bitter, or caustic
155
syllogism
form of deductive reasoning: a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion
