1. AP Language—Vocab Term 2
Abysmal - Verbose
20 WORDS

2. 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.

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

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

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

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. 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.

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

25. 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.

26. 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.

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

28. 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.

29. 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.

30. 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.

31. 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 .

32. 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.

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

34. 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.

35. 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.

36. 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.

37. 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.

38. 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.

39. 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.

40. 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.

41. 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.

42. 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.

43. 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.

44. 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.

45. 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.

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

47. 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.

48. 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.

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

50. 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.

51. 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.

52. 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.

53. 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.

54. 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.

55. 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.

56. 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.

57. 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.

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

59. 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.

60. 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.

61. 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.