AP Language—Vocab Term 2 Abysmal - Verbose 20 WORDS

Word: Abysmal Definition: extremely hopeless Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: Logan has an abysmal attitude; he does not try at all because he always says he will fail no matter what.

Word: Alleviate Definition: to relieve Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: I took Advil to alleviate the pounding headache I had.

Word: Austere Definition: harsh, stern Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: Shannon has an austere personality; she does not smile very much and comes across as very harsh.

Word: Candor Definition: honesty Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: The teacher was struck by the student’s candor; when he did not due his homework he admitted to it immediately instead of making up a fake excuse.

Word: Concurrent Definition: happening at the same time Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: The concurrent traffic on both sides of the road created a massive jam that took hours to dissipate.

Word: De facto Definition: by fact (not by choice) Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: The state was plagued by de facto segregation as a result of different property taxes in different towns and cities.

Word: Disinterested Definition: not taking sides Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: Penelope tried to remain disinterested when her two friends got in a fight with each other.

Word: Enhance Definition: to improve Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: Studies show that acid found in almonds enhances the brain and improves its functioning ability.

Word: Faux Pas Definition: mistake, blunder Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: Tom made a bad faux pas by not taking his hat off when the Queen entered the room.

Word: Hermetic Definition: sealed off, airtight Part of Speech: adj Example Sentence: The police created a hermetic border around the crime scene so nobody could tamper with it. The letter was hermetically sealed.

Word: Ingenuous Definition: simple, sincere, without deception Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: Kelly has an ingenuous personality. She is never lies and always comes across as compassionate and sincere.

Word: Malleable Definition: easy to shape or bend Part of Speech: adj Example Sentence: Clay is a malleable substance because it can be molded very easily.

Word: Nullify Definition: to cancel out Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: Allison nullified the safety benefits of wearing a seatbelt by constantly speeding. In the end, she wasn’t anymore safe than when she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.

Word: PERIPATETIC Definition: traveling continually Part of Speech: adj Example Sentence: Touring music artists live a peripatetic life. They are always traveling from city to city.

Word: Proletariat Definition: the industrial working class Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: The mayor won his position by appealing to the proletariat voters and promising better working conditions.

Word: Rejuvenate Definition: to refresh Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: Joe’s Caribbean vacation and his time away from work rejuvenated his mind.

Word: Sardonic Definition: mocking Part of Speech: adj Example Sentence: Sally’s sardonic tone pushed people away because they did not like to be mocked.

Word: Succinct Definition: briefly and clearly expressed, short and sweet Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: Everyone appreciated the mayor’s succinct speech that did not go on and on for no reason.

Word: Tentative Definition: uncertain, unconfirmed Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: We made tentative plans to hang out at the movies and then later ended up not doing anything.

Word: Verbose Definition: wordy/using too many words Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: The essay was too verbose; the thesis and argument were lost in the excess of complicated words.

Word: Acquiesce Definition: to accept passively Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: Helen acquiesced knowledge by doing what was asked of her in class instead of going out and pursuing topics that interested her.

Word: Aloof Definition: uninvolved, keeping one’s distance Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: Jamie’s aloof attitude made people think that she did not want to get to know them and that she was standoffish.

Word: Avow Definition: to declare boldly Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: Keith avowed his love for Kelly and then asked her to prom.

Word: Caricature Definition: a purposely exaggerated portrait to prove a point Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: The street artist draws caricatures of people to both make money and entertain subjects.

Word: Confluence Definition: convergence, meeting Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: The confluence of the river occurred where the two separate streams merged. The confluence of negative characteristics made people strongly dislike Frank.

Word: Dearth Definition: very little, lack Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: The dearth of money prevented the school from getting new computers.

Word: Dissipate Definition: to thin out, to lessen Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: The pain took awhile to dissipate after I hit my funny bone on the door.

Word: Epitome Definition: a perfect example Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: Sally is the epitome of a good student because she always pays attention and does her homework.

Word: FELICITY Definition: happiness Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: Craig had a look of felicity on his face when he found out he got into college.

Word: Hindrance Definition: obstacle Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: The detour on the main road created a hindrance between the East and West sides of town .

Word: Insinuate Definition: to hint Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: The teacher insinuated that the question would be on the test without saying it outright.

Word: Mar Definition: to disfigure, to spoil Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: Sally spilled orange juice and marred all of the family photos.

Word: Obdurate Definition: stubborn and insensitive Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: Jack’s obdurate opinions sometimes work against him because he cannot see from anyone else’s point of view.

Word: Pernicious Definition: deadly, evil Part of Speech: adj Example Sentence: The potato crop was taken out by a pernicious plant disease that turned them all black within 72 hours.

Word: Proliferate Definition: to spread or grow rapidly Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: Disease can proliferate quickly, which is why some people with particular illnesses are put into quarantine. The strength of the storm proliferate quickly. It went from a tropical storm to a category 1 hurricane in a matter of hours.

Word: Relinquish Definition: to release/let go of/stop doing Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: The ruler would not relinquish control of the country even though he was voted out of office.

Word: Secular Definition: having nothing to do with religion Part of Speech: adj Example Sentence: A secular government is one that does not align with a particular religion.

Word: Succumb Definition: to surrender Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: After seeing so many pictures of Trippy, Ms. Nerlino’s students succumbed to the fact that she was the best dog.

Word: Theology Definition: study of religion Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: Many colleges require students to take one Theology course to study world religions.

Word: Vernacular Definition: everyday speech, slang Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: While academic essays require the use of formal English, we use vernacular while speaking to each other in class.

Word: Acute Definition: sharp Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: The test was difficult and required acute mental attention. The pain from the headache was acute.

Word: Ambivalent Definition: undecided Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: George gave an ambivalent answer about where he wanted to go to college because he did not know yet.

Word: Banal Definition: unoriginal, ordinary Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: Most teenagers dislike banal chores such as cleaning their rooms and sorting their laundry.

Word: Catharsis Definition: emotional renewal, purification Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: The process of exercising is a good form of catharsis that clears the mind and soul.

Word: Cognitive Definition: of or relating to mental processes Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: Reading frequently improves an individual’s cognitive ability.

Word: Debauchery Definition: wild living, excessive indulgence Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: Celebrities such as the Kardashians are often criticized for living a life of debauchery and spending tons of money on clothes and vacations.

Word: Divert Definition: to redirect Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: I tried to divert my mother’s attention by dancing and screaming while my sister snuck in the side window. The detour diverted cars from the main road to side roads.

Word: Erudite Definition: scholarly, learned Part of Speech: adj Example Sentence: The erudite professor is praised for his well-respected intelligence.

Word: FINESSE Definition: craftiness Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: The doctor sewed up the wound with finesse, making the stitches so small one couldn’t even see them.

Word: Intractable Definition: uncontrollable, stubborn, disobedient Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: The intractable child had a meltdown in the middle of the grocery store and the mother could not calm her down.

Word: Insular Definition: isolated (like an island – from the Latin word insula) Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: The island in the middle of the ocean had a very insular community that did not receive much news or materials from the rest of the world.

Word: Marshal Definition: to arrange in order, gather for a purpose Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: The teacher marshaled the students into the auditorium for the assembly.

Word: Obscure Definition: -not discovered of known about, uncertain -to darken, conceal Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: -Jane’s family history and origins are obscure. No records exist of her genealogy. -The large clouds obscured the sun.

Word: PERUSE Definition: to read carefully Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: The student perused the homework reading for hours in order to do well on the test.

Word: Provocative Definition: causing controversy Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: The professor was known for his provocative lectures that dealt with controversial issues. The celebrity was hounded by reporters when provocative photos were leaked to the Internet.

Word: Reparation Definition: compensation, the making of amends by money Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: After WWI, the Allied powers required Germany to pay harsh reparations.

Word: Sentient Definition: conscious Part of Speech: adj Example Sentence: Dogs are sentient beings who can sense and feel certain things.

Word: Superfluous Definition: unnecessary, extra Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: The teacher gave superfluous homework that did not have anything to do with what we were studying in class.

Word: Tirade Definition: a long, bitter speech Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: Bob always goes on tirades about how much he dislikes his job that include many curse words and don’t end for hours.

Word: Vicarious Definition: experienced through someone else Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: The mother lived vicariously through her daughter and made her daughter do everything she really wanted to do.