AP Lit Terms 2
Terms
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- metonymy
- A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated, as in the use of Washington for the United States government or of the sword for military power
- hyperbole
- A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect, as in I could sleep for a year or This book weighs a ton.
- allusion
- An instance of indirect reference: an allusion to classical mythology in a poem.
- participles
- A form of a verb that in some languages, such as English, can function independently as an adjective, as the past participle baked in We had some baked beans, and is used with an auxiliary verb to indicate tense, aspect, or voice, as the past participle baked in the passive sentence The beans were baked too long.
- enjambment
- The continuation of a syntactic unit from one line or couplet of a poem to the next with no pause.
- indelible
- Impossible to remove, erase, or wash away; permanent: indelible ink. Making a mark not easily erased or washed away: an indelible pen for labeling clothing. Unable to be forgotten; memorable: an indelible memory.
- macabre
- Suggesting the horror of death and decay; gruesome: macabre tales of war and plague in the Middle Ages. See Synonyms at ghastly. Constituting or including a representation of death.
- fawning
- To exhibit affection or attempt to please, as a dog does by wagging its tail, whining, or cringing.
- insurmountable
- not capable of being surmounted or overcome; "insurmountable disadvantages" [syn: unsurmountable] [ant: surmountable] 2: impossible to surmount [syn: insuperable]
- ponderous
- Having great weight. Unwieldy from weight or bulk. Lacking grace or fluency; labored and dull: a ponderous speech. See Synonyms at heavy.
- eschew
- To avoid; shun. See Synonyms at escape.
- callous
- Having calluses; toughened: callous skin on the elbow. Emotionally hardened; unfeeling: a callous indifference to the suffering of others.
- ephemeral
- Lasting for a markedly brief time: “There remain some truths too ephemeral to be captured in the cold pages of a court transcript†(Irving R. Kaufman). Living or lasting only for a day, as certain plants or insects do.
- hector
- To intimidate or dominate in a blustering way.
- imperative
- A command; an order. An obligation; a duty: social imperatives. A rule, principle, or instinct that compels a certain behavior: a people driven to aggression by territorial imperatives.
- didactic
- Intended to instruct. Morally instructive. Inclined to teach or moralize excessively.
- sardonic
- Scornfully or cynically mocking. See Synonyms at sarcastic.
- soliloquy
- A dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a character talks to himself or herself or reveals his or her thoughts without addressing a listener. A specific speech or piece of writing in this form of discourse. The act of speaking to oneself.
- replete
- Abundantly supplied; abounding: a stream replete with trout; an apartment replete with Empire furniture. Filled to satiation; gorged.
- delineate
- To draw or trace the outline of; sketch out. To represent pictorially; depict. To depict in words or gestures; describe. See Synonyms at represent
- sagacious
- Having or showing keen discernment, sound judgment, and farsightedness. See Synonyms at shrewd.
- idiosyncratic
- adj : peculiar to the individual; "we all have our own idiosyncratic gestures"; "Michelangelo's highly idiosyncratic style of painting"
- voluble
- Marked by a ready flow of speech; fluent. Turning easily on an axis; rotating. Botany. Twining or twisting: a voluble vine.
- enervate
- To weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of: “the luxury which enervates and destroys nations†(Henry David Thoreau). See Synonyms at deplete. Medicine. To remove a nerve or part of a nerve.
- litany
- A liturgical prayer consisting of a series of petitions recited by a leader alternating with fixed responses by the congregation. A repetitive or incantatory recital: “the litany of layoffs in recent months by corporate giants†(Sylvia Nasar).
- chagrin
- A keen feeling of mental unease, as of annoyance or embarrassment, caused by failure, disappointment, or a disconcerting event: To her chagrin, the party ended just as she arrived.
- conjugal
- Of or relating to marriage or the relationship of spouses.
- capriciousness
- Characterized by or subject to whim; impulsive and unpredictable. See Synonyms at arbitrary.
- apathetic
- Feeling or showing a lack of interest or concern; indifferent. Feeling or showing little or no emotion; unresponsive.
- coddle
- To cook in water just below the boiling point: coddle eggs. To treat indulgently; baby. See Synonyms at pamper.