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AP Language Diction Words Flashcards

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4187392329artificiallacking naturalness or spontaneity; forced; contrived; feigned; synthetic, counterfeit0
4187392330colloquialcharacteristic of or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or writing; informal1
4187393519colorfulrichly eventful or picturesque; presenting or suggesting vivid or striking scenes; spirited2
4187393520concreteconstituting an actual thing or instance; real; pertaining to or concerned with realities or actual instances rather than abstractions; particular3
4187393521connotativehaving the power of implying or suggesting something in addition to what is explicit; The set of associations implied by a word in addition to its literal meaning; an idea or meaning suggested by a thing4
4187394851culturedthe quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc5
4187394852elevatedformal6
4187394853emotionalpertaining to or involving emotion or the emotions; appealing to the emotions; showing or revealing strong emotions, temperamental, effusive, demonstrative, sentimental7
4187396547esotericunderstood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; private; secret; confidential; belonging to a select few8
4187396548euphemisticsubstituting a mild term for a harsher or distasteful one. "Upset Stomach" instead of puke, barf, up chuck9
4187397649exactcharacterized by or using strict accuracy10
4187397650grotesqueodd or unnatural in shape, appearance, or character; fantastically ugly or absurd; bizarre, distorted, deformed, weird11
4187399413homespununpolished; unsophisticated; simple; rustic: homespun humor12
4187399414idiomaticpeculiar to or characteristic of a particular language or dialect: idiomatic French. having a distinct style or character, esp. in the arts: idiomatic writing; an idiomatic composer. containing or using many idioms (idiom=an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements, as kick the bucket or hang one's head, or from the general grammatical rules of a language; regional speech or dialect eat crow)13
4187400581insipidwithout distinctive, interesting, or stimulating qualities; vapid: an insipid personality. bland14
4187400582jargonthe language, esp. the vocabulary, peculiar to a particular trade, profession, or group15
4187401853learnedhaving much knowledge; scholarly; erudite;16
4187401854moralisticCharacterized by or displaying a concern with morality; marked by narrow-minded morality17
4187403412obscurenot clear or plain; ambiguous, vague, or uncertain: an obscure sentence in the contract.; not clear to the understanding; hard to perceive: obscure motivations; not expressing the meaning clearly or plainly18
4187403413pedanticoverly concerned with minute details or formalisms, esp. in teaching; ostentatious (pretentious/intended to attract notice or attention of others) in one's learning19
4187405266picturesquestrikingly graphic or vivid; creating detailed mental images: a picturesque description of the Brazilian jungle; having pleasing or interesting qualities; strikingly effective in appearance20
4187405267plainclear to the mind; evident, manifest, or obvious; without intricacies or difficulties; with little or no embellishment, decoration, or enhancing elaboration; ordinary21
4187405268poeticpossessing the qualities or charm of poetry: poetic descriptions of nature22
4187406751precisedefinitely or strictly stated, defined, or fixed, carefully distinct, explicit23
4187406752pretentiouscharacterized by assumption of dignity or importance; making an exaggerated outward show; ostentatious;24
4187406753prosaicordinary, every day, opposite of poetic25
4187407986scholarlyconcerned with academic learning; of, like, or befitting a scholar; academic26
4187407987sensuousOf, relating to, or derived from the senses; Appealing to or gratifying the senses27
4189653191simplenot grand or sophisticated; unpretentious; not complex or complicated; natural, unembellished; ordinary28
4189653192slangvery informal usage in vocabulary and idiom that is characteristically more metaphorical, playful, elliptical, vivid, and ephemeral than ordinary language, as Hit the road.29
4189653193symboliccharacterized by or involving the use of symbols30
4189654803vulgurcharacterized by ignorance of or lack of good breeding or taste; indecent; obscene; lewd31

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