Date Assigned:06/06/2016Date Due:12/16/2016
AP Language “Hit Parade” List
This list was compiled from the most frequently occurring words on the AP Language Exam from its very beginning.
You should learn these words in a systematic way and practice using them in your writing throughout the year. You will be required to write various types of sentences using them
assertiona declaration or statement
clarityclearness in thought or expression
cogentconvincing; reasonable
coherent logically connected
cohesivecondition of sticking together
didacticintended to instruct
discourseverbal expression or exchange; conversation
eloquencethe ability to speak vividly or persuasively
emphasizeto give special attention to something, to stress
fluideasily flowing
implicationthe act of suggesting or hinting
lucideasily understood; clear
rhetoricthe art of using language effectively and persuasively
arbitera judge who decides a disputed issue
biasedprejudiced
exculpateto free from guilt or blame
impartialnot in favor of one side or the other, unbiased
incontrovertiblenot able to be denied or disputed
integritytrustworthiness; completeness
objectivitytreating facts without influence from personal feelings or prejudices
penitentexpressing remorse for one's misdeeds
plausibleseemingly valid or acceptable; credible
substantiatedsupported with proof or evidence; verified
vindicatedfreed from blame
condescendingtreating people as weak or inferior
contemptuousfeeling hatred; scornful
despoticexercising absolute power; tyrannical
dictatorialdomineering; oppressively overbearing
disdaincontempt, scorn
disdainto regard or treat with contempt; to look down on
haughtyarrogant; vainly proud
imperiousarrogantly domineering or overbearing
patronizingtreating in a condescending manner
convolutedintricate; complex
crypticdifficult to comprehend
futilehaving no useful purpose; pointless
impedeto slow the progress of
obscurerelatively unknown
obscureto conceal or make indistinct
quandarya state of uncertainty or perplexity
indolentlazy
insipiduninteresting; unchallenging
listlesslacking energy
torporlaziness; inactivity; dullness
alienatedremoved or disassociated from (friends, family, or homeland)
alliancea union of two or more groups
disparityinequality in age, rank, or degree; difference
servilesubmissive; like a servant
suppressedsubdued; kept from being circulated
embellishto make beautiful by ornamenting; to decorate
floriddescribing flowery or elaborate speech
opulentexhibiting a display of great wealth
ornateelaborately decorated
ostentatiousdescribing a showy or pretentious display
poignantprofoundly moving; touching
ebullienceintense enthusiasm
effusiveemotionally unrestrained; gushy
egregiousconspicuously bad or offensive
flagrantextremely or deliberately shocking or noticeable
freneticwildly excited or active
gratuitousgiven freely; unearned; unwarranted
superfluousextra; unnecessary
alleviateto ease a pain or burden
asyluma place of retreat or security
auspiciousfavorable; promising
benevolentwell-meaning; generous
benignkind and gentle
mollifyto calm or soothe
reclamationthe act of making something useful again
sanctionto give official authorization or approval
dubiousdoubtful; of unlikely authenticity
fabricatedmade; concocted to deceive
hypocrisythe practice of pretending to be something one is not; insincerity
slanderfalse charges and malicious oral statements about someone
spuriousnot genuine
astuteshrewd; clever
clandestinesecretive
coupa brilliantly executed plan
disingenuousnot straightforward; crafty
rusea crafty trick
stratagema clever trick used to deceive or outwit
surreptitiouslydone by secretive means
waryon guard
wilycunning
ambiguousopen to more than one interpretation
ambivalentsimultaneously having opposing feelings; uncertain
apatheticfeeling or showing little emotion
arbitrarydetermined by impulse rather than reason
capriciousimpulsive and unpredictable
equivocateto avoid making a definite statement
indifferentnot caring one way or the other
spontaneousunplanned; naturally occurring
whimsicalsubject to erratic behavior; unpredictable
inconsequentialunimportant
superficialconcerned only with what is on the surface or obvious; shallow
tenuoushaving little substance or strength; shaky; unsure, weak
trivialof little importance or significance
assiduoushard-working
compellingforceful; urgently demanding attention
diligentmarked by painstaking effort; hard-working
doggedstubbornly persevering
endureto put up with; to survive a hardship
intrepidcourageous; fearless
maverickone who is independent and resists adherence to a group
obduratestubborn; inflexible
obstinatestubbornly adhering to an opinion or a course of action
proliferateto grow or increase rapidly
tenacitypersistence
vitalityenergy; power to survive
assimilationto absorb; to make similar
consensusgeneral agreement
contextcircumstances of a situation; environment
derivedcopied or adapted from a source
incumbentimposed as a duty; obligatory
inevitablecertain to happen, unavoidable
malleableeasily shaped or formed; easily influenced
subdueto restrain; to hold back
acquireddeveloped or learned; not naturally occurring
conceptionthe ability to form or understand an idea
convictiona fixed or strong belief
dogmaticstubbornly adhering to unproved beliefs
enlighteninginformative; contributing to one's awareness
impressiona feeling or understanding resulting from an experience
intuitionthe power of knowing things without thinking; sharp insight
misconceptionan incorrect understanding or interpretation
perceptionawareness; insight
perspectivepoint of view
profoundhaving great depth or seriousness
inherentinborn; built-in
innatepossessed from birth; inborn
inveteratelong established; deep-rooted; habitual
omnipotentall-powerful
proximitycloseness
elusivedifficult to capture, as in something actually fleeting
emigrateto leave one country or region and settle in another
transientpassing away with time; passing from one place to another
transitoryshort-lived or temporary
affableeasy-going; friendly
amenableresponsive; agreeable
camaraderiegood will between friends
cordialfriendly; sincere
facetiousplayfully humorous
impingehinder; interfere with
lamentexpress grief for; mourn
melancholysadness; depression
sanctionan economic or military measure put in place to punish another country
truncatedshortened; cut off
aesthetichaving to do with the appreciation of beauty
anthologya collection of literary pieces
contemporarycurrent, modern; from the same time
dilettanteone with an amateurish or superficial understanding of a field of knowledge
eclecticmade up of a variety of sources or styles
excerpta selected part of a passage or scene
genredescribing a category or artistic endeavor
medleyan assortment or a mixture, especially of musical pieces
murala large painting applied directly to a wall or ceiling surface
narrativecharacterized by the telling of a story
narrativea story
parodyan artistic work that imitates the style of another work for comic effect
realismartistic representation that aims for visual accuracy
virtuosoa tremendously skilled artist
decorousproper; marked by good taste
equanimitythe quality of being calm and even-tempered; composure
modestquiet or humble in manner or appearance
proprietyappropriateness of behavior
prudentexercising good judgment or common sense
serenecalm
staidunemotional; serious
stoicindifferent to pleasure or pain; impassive
condemnto express strong disapproval of; denounce
discreditto cause to be doubted
disparageto speak of in a slighting way or negatively; to belittle
pejorativedescribing words or phrases that belittle or speak negatively of someone
plagiarismthe act of passing off the ideas or writing of another as one's own
vilifyto make vicious statements about
brusquerudely abrupt
causticbitingly sarcastic or witty
fractiousquarrelsome; unruly
incorrigibleunable to be reformed
ingratean ungrateful person
insolentinsulting in manner or speech
notoriousknown widely and usually unfavorably; infamous
pugnaciouscombative; belligerent
reprehensibleworthy of blame
brittleeasily broken when subjected to pressure
deleterioushaving a harmful effect; injurious
enmitymutual hatred or ill-will
heinoushatefully evil; abominable
malfeasancewrongdoing, misconduct
maliceextreme ill-will or spite
putridrotten
rancoroushateful; marked by deep-seated ill-will
toxicpoisonous
archaiccharacteristic of an earlier period; old-fashioned
hackneyedworn out through overuse; trite
medievalreferring to the Middle Ages; old-fashioned
obsoleteno longer in use; old-fashioned
austerewithout decoration; strict
mediocritythe state or quality of being average; of moderate to low quality
mundanecommonplace; ordinary
ponderousextremely dull
prosaicunimaginative; dull
sedentarynot migratory; settled
apprehensionanxiety or fear about the future
harbingersomething that indicates what is to come; a forerunner
ominousmenacing; threatening
premonitiona feeling about the future
timoroustimid; fearful about the future
trepidationuncertainty; apprehension
innovativeintroducing something new
naivelacking sophistication
nascentcoming into existence; emerging
novelstrikingly new or unusual
novicea beginner
candorsincerity; openness
frankopen and sincere in expression; straightforward
ariddescribing a dry, rainless climate
conflagrationa widespread fire
nocturnalof or occurring in the night
sonorousproducing a deep or full sound
ampledescribing a large amount of something
comprehensivelarge in scope or content
copiousplentiful; having a large quantity
permeatedspread or flowing throughout
pervasivedispersed throughout
prodigiousenormous
repleteabundantly supplied: filled to capacity
exemplarycommendable; worthy of imitation
idealizeto consider perfect
laudatorygiving praise
paramountof chief concern or importance
veneratedhighly respected
catalogto make an itemized list of
faciledone or achieved with little effort; easy
fastidiouspossessing careful attention to detail; difficult to please
hierarchya group organized by rank
meticulousextremely careful and precise
pragmaticpractical
solventable to pay one's debts
abstractnot applied to actual objects
anachronismsomething out of place in time or sequence
anthropomorphismthe attribution of humanlike characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, or forces of nature
apologydefense of an idea
apparatusequipment; a group of machines
appositiona grammar construction in which a noun (or noun phrase) is placed with another as an explanation
archetypea perfect example; an original pattern or model
chiasmusan inversion in the second of two parallel phrases
gesticulatingmaking gestures while speaking
hypotheticalexisting only as an assumption or speculation
lexicona word book describing language with definitions; a dictionary
metonymya type of figurative language in which one term is substituted for another term with which it is closely associated
oxymoronan apparent contradiction of terms
panegyricstatement of high praise
paradigman example or model
parallelisma grammar construction in which two identical syntactic constructions are used
perniciouscausing great harm
phenomenonan unusual, observable event
propitiouspresenting favorable circumstances; auspicious
rationallogical; motivated by reason rather than feeling
sardonicdisdainfully or ironically humorous; harsh, bitter, or caustic
syllogisma form of deductive reasoning; a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion
synecdochea form of metonymy that's restricted to cases where a part is used to signify the whole
theoreticallacking application or practical application
active voicethe opposite of passive voice; essentially any sentence with an active verb
ad homineman attack on the person rather than the issues at hand (a common fallacy)
alliterationthe repetition of a phonetic sound at the beginning of several words in a sentence
allusiona reference that recalls another work, another time in history, another famous person, and so forth
anadiplosisa wonderful technique of repetition in which the last word of the clause begins the next clause, creating a connection of ideas important to the author's purpose in some way
analogya term that signifies a relational comparison of or similarity between two objects or ideas
anaphorathe deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive poetic lines, prose sentences, clauses, or paragraphs
anastrophethe reversal of the natural order of words in a sentence or line of poetry
antithesisan observation or claim that is in opposition to your claim or an author's claim
aphorisma brief statement of an opinion or elemental truth
apostropheprayer-like, this is a direct address to someone who is not present, to a deity or muse, or to some other power
appositivealso called a noun phrase, this modifies the noun next to it
argument from ignorancean argument stating that something is true because it has never been proven false
asyndetonthe deliberate omission of conjunctions from a series of related independent clauses
bandwagonalso called vox populi, this argument is the "everyone's doing it" fallacy
begging the questionthis argument occurs when the speaker states a claim that includes a word or phrase that needs to be defined before the argument can proceed
cause and effectanother fallacy, this is also known as post hoc ergo propter hoc (Latin for "after this, therefore because of this"), and it falls under the general umbrella of a causality fallacy or false cause
chiasmusthis is an ABBA syntactical structure rather than the more common parallel ABAB structure
complex sentencea sentence structure that is a combination of a dependent clause and an independent clause
compound sentencea sentence structure made up of two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction
compound-complex sentencea combination of a compound and a complex sentence
connotationthe associations or moods that accompany a word
declarative sentencea basic statement or an assertion; the most common type of sentence
deductivea form of logical argumentation that uses claims or premises, where the author assumes that you will accept the claims as true and that you will then deduce the correct conclusion from the accepted premises at the outset
denotationthe opposite of connotation; quite literally the dictionary meaning of a word
dependent clausethis clause contains a noun and a verb but is set up with a subordinate conjunction, which makes the clause an incomplete thought
dialecta regional speech pattern; the way people talk in different parts of the world
dictionthe particular words an author uses in an essay
distractora possible answer that seems to be correct, but is either wrong or is not as good as other answers
ellipsisthree dots that indicate words have been left out of a quotation; they also can be used to create suspense
epanalepsislike chiasmus, this figure repeats the opening word or phrase at the end of the sentence to emphasize a statement or idea, but it is not an ABBA reversal
epistrophea minor device, this is the ending of a series of lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences with the same word or words
ethosone of the fundamental strategies of argumentation identified by Aristotle; basically an appeal to credibility
etymologythe study of the origin of words and their historical uses
euphemismto use a safer or nicer word for something others find inappropriate or unappealing
exclamatory sentencea sentence that conveys excitement or force
fallacya failure of logical reasoning
false analogyan argument using an inappropriate metaphor
false dilemmaalso known as an either/or fallacy; the suggestion is made in the argument that the problem or debate only has two solutions; can also be called the fallacy of the excluded middle
gerunda verb ending in "ing" that serves as a noun
hyperbolean exaggeration, fairly common in nonfiction prose arguments, that bolsters an argument
imageryany time one of the five senses (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory) is evoked by what you have read, you have encountered this
imperative sentencea command
independent clausea clause that can stand alone as a sentence; it must have a noun and a verb (subject and predicate)
inductivea form of logical argumentation that requires the use of examples
infinitivethe word "to" plus a verb, usually functioning as a noun, and often as a predicate in a sentence
interrogative sentence a question
ironythe use of words to express something other than and often the opposite of the literal meaning
jargona pattern of speech and vocabulary associated with a particular group of people
juxtapositionmaking one idea more dramatic by placing it next to its opposite
logosan appeal to reason; one of the fundamental strategies of argumentation identified by Aristotle
loose sentencean independent clause followed by all sorts of debris, usually dependent clauses
malapropisma wonderful form of word play in which one word is mistakenly substituted for another that sounds similar
metaphora figure of speech in which what is unknown is compared to something that is known in order to better gauge its importance
metonymya minor figure of speech in which the name of one thing is substituted for another with which it is closely associated