English Literary Terms Vocab 3

Front 1

Sentinel

Back 1

Guard; sentry

Front 2

Deference

Back 2

Respect

Front 3

Perilous

Back 3

Dangerous

Front 4

Encompassed

Back 4

Surrounded; enclosed

Front 5

Oscillation

Back 5

Regular back-and-forth movement

Front 6

Pivotal

Back 6

Central; acting as a point around which other things turn

Front 7

Appalling

Back 7

Frightful

Front 8

Gyration

Back 8

Circular movement; whirling

Front 9

Abrasion

Back 9

Scrape

Front 10

Malign

Back 10

Harmful; evil

Front 11

Dispositions

Back 11

Natures; characters

Front 12

Allegiance

Back 12

Loyalty

Front 13

Caliber

Back 13

Quality or ability

Front 14

Wantonly

Back 14

Carelessly, often with ill will

Front 15

Transition

Back 15

Passage from one condition, form, or stage to another

Front 16

Scrupled

Back 16

Hesitated because of feelings of guilt

Front 17

Appease

Back 17

Satisfy; pacify

Front 18

Avaricious

Back 18

Greedy

Front 19

Atrocious

Back 19

Evil; very bad

Front 20

Sordid

Back 20

Dirty; cheap; shameful

Front 21

Judicious

Back 21

Cautious; wise

Front 22

Appreciable

Back 22

Measurable

Front 23

Veritable

Back 23

Genuine; true

Front 24

Acute

Back 24

Keen; sharp

Front 25

Laborious

Back 25

Difficult; involving much hard work

Front 26

Reveling

Back 26

Taking pleasure

Front 27

Fastidious

Back 27

Difficult to please; critical

Front 28

Preposterous

Back 28

Ridiculous

Front 29

Gaudy

Back 29

Showy but lacking in good taste

Front 30

Poignant

Back 30

Emotionally moving

Front 31

Hysteria

Back 31

Uncontrolled excitement

Front 32

Atrocity

Back 32

Horrible; brutal

Front 33

Apocryphal

Back 33

Of questionable authority; false

Front 34

Alliances

Back 34

Close associations entered into for mutual benefit

Front 35

Intrigue

Back 35

Scheming; plotting

Front 36

Elation

Back 36

Celebration

Front 37

Perturbation

Back 37

Feeling of alarm or agitation

Front 38

Malicious

Back 38

Intentionally hurtful

Front 39

Reserve

Back 39

Self-restraint

Front 40

Petulance

Back 40

Irritability; impatience

Front 41

Mirth

Back 41

Joyfulness

Front 42

Divergence

Back 42

Variance; difference

Front 43

Turbulence

Back 43

Wild disorder

Front 44

Ludicrous

Back 44

Laughable; absurd

Front 45

Plaintive

Back 45

Expressing sadness

Front 46

Furtive

Back 46

Stealthy; hidden

Front 47

Rigorous

Back 47

Precise; severe

Front 48

Impassive

Back 48

Controlled; not revealing any emotions

Front 49

Reverberated

Back 49

Resounded; re-echoed

Front 50

Resonance

Back 50

Capacity to intensify sound

Front 51

Subsided

Back 51

Lessened

Front 52

Inexplicable

Back 52

Unable to be explained

Front 53

Inert

Back 53

Motionless

Front 54

Punctures

Back 54

Small holes

Front 55

Diminutive

Back 55

Very small; tiny

Front 56

Persistent

Back 56

Continuing

Front 57

Illumined

Back 57

Lighted up

Front 58

Intent

Back 58

Purposeful

Front 59

Appointed

Back 59

Assigned

Front 60

Solemn

Back 60

Serious

Front 61

Tactful

Back 61

Skilled in saying the right thing

Front 62

Clammy

Back 62

Cold and damp

Front 63

Plague

Back 63

Annoy

Front 64

Vanity

Back 64

Excessive pride

Front 65

Jilted

Back 65

Rejected (as a lover)

Front 66

Disputed

Back 66

Contested

Front 67

Nimbus

Back 67

Aura; halo

Front 68

Dwindled

Back 68

Diminished

Front 69

Amble

Back 69

Leisurely pace

Front 70

Irked

Back 70

Annoyed; irritated

Front 71

Jackleg

Back 71

Amateur; someone not correctly trained.

Front 72

Morose

Back 72

Gloomy

Front 73

Rued

Back 73

Regretted

Front 74

Guffawing

Back 74

Like a loud burst of laughter

Front 75

Omniscient point of view

Back 75

Point of view in which the narrator seems to know everything about all the characters or events

Front 76

Objective point of view

Back 76

Point of view in which the narrator reports without comment, much as a camera would record a scene

Front 77

Third-person limited point of view

Back 77

Point of view in which the narrator zooms in on the thoughts and feelings of a single character

Front 78

Satire

Back 78

Uses humor to critique people or institutions with the intention of improving them

Front 79

Exaggeration

Back 79

Overstating something to make it look ridiculous

Front 80

Irony

Back 80

Stating the opposite of what’s really meant

Front 81

Motivation

Back 81

The reason for a character’s actions

Front 82

Connotations

Back 82

The associations and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word or phrase, in addition to its strict dictionary definition

Front 83

Imagery

Back 83

Language that creates vivid sense impressions and suggests emotional states

Front 84

Dramatic Monologue

Back 84

A poem in which a character speaks directly to one or more listeners

Front 85

Protagonist

Back 85

The central character of a work of literature

Front 86

Antihero

Back 86

Contrasts with the hero archetype, or model, which appears over and over again in the traditional literature of many cultures

Front 87

Inference

Back 87

An educated guess based on facts presented in the text and on your own life experience

Front 88

Theme

Back 88

The truth about life that gives meaning to a story

Front 89

Stream of consciousness

Back 89

Technique that gives the reader the impression that they are listening in on the main character’s thoughts and memories as they flow randomly through that person’s mind

Front 90

Ambiguity

Back 90

The quality of being open to two or more, sometimes conflicting interpretations

Front 91

Rhythm

Back 91

The alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of prose or poetry

Front 92

Mood

Back 92

The overall feeling created in a piece of writing

Front 93

Repetition

Back 93

The recurrence of certain sounds, words, phrases, or lines in a poem to achieve rhythmic or emotional effects

Front 94

Refrain

Back 94

A repeated line in a poem used to achieve rhythmic or emotional effects

Front 95

Epithet

Back 95

A descriptive word or phrase that is frequently used to characterize a person or a thing