Tone And Style Vocabulary

Front 1

Surrealistic

Back 1

Stressing imagery and the subconscious and sometimes distorting ordinary ideas in order to arrive at artstic truths.

Front 2

Terse

Back 2

Effectively concise, brief

Front 3

Trite

Back 3

Stale, worn out, as in trite expressions

Front 4

Wordy

Back 4

Using more words than necessary to say what you have to say

Front 5

Subjective

Back 5

Relying on ones own inner impressions, as opposed to being objective

Front 6

Stark

Back 6

Plain, harsh, completely (stark raving mad)

Simple or bare, when applied to style, sometimes even bleak or grim.

Front 7

Victorian

Back 7

Prudish, stuffy, and puritanical (qualities associated with Queen Victoria's reign)

Front 8

Whimsical

Back 8

Inclined to be playful, humorous, or fanciful

Front 9

Urbane

Back 9

Sophisticated, socially polished

Front 10

Objective

Back 10

Influenced by personal feelings

Seeing things from the outside, not subjectively.

Front 11

Poetical

Back 11

Having the qualities of poetry, such as pleasing rhythms or images

Front 12

Philosophical

Back 12

Interested in the study of basic truths of existence and reality.

Front 13

Metaphorical

Back 13

Having the characteristics of melodrams; emotions and plots are exaggerated; characterization is shallow

Front 14

Satirical

Back 14

Using sarcasm and irony, often humorously, to expose human folly

Front 15

Pious

Back 15

Having or displaying a reverence for God and religion (sometimes used pejoratively, when the display is excessive and overly righteous)

Front 16

Sardonic

Back 16

Mocking, taunting, bitter, scornful, sarcastic

Front 17

Psychological

Back 17

Having to do with human mind and human behavior.

Front 18

Mournful

Back 18

Feeling or expressing grief (like an elegy)

Front 19

Mundane

Back 19

Ordinary, common, as in everyday matters.

Front 20

Realistic

Back 20

Inclined to represent things as they really are

Front 21

Puritanical

Back 21

Strict or severe in matters of morality

Front 22

Romantic

Back 22

Having feelings or thoughts of love, but when associated with 19th century literature or any such literature, it suggests a syle that emphasizes freedom of form, imagery, and emotion.

Front 23

Journalistic

Back 23

characterized by the kind of language used in journalism

Front 24

Ominous

Back 24

Indicating or threatening upcoming evil or danger as dark clouds indicate that storm is coming.

Front 25

Pompous

Back 25

Displaying ones importance in an exaggerated way. Sometimes this quality is found in comic characters.

Front 26

Primitive

Back 26

Simple and crude. (Primitism in the arts tries to make use of a sophisticated way of what seems simple and crude)

Front 27

Parody

Back 27

A satirical imitation of something serious; must have enough elements of original to be recognized.

Front 28

Prurient

Back 28

Preoccupied with lewd and lustful thoughts.

Front 29

Sensuous

Back 29

Taking pleasure in things that appeal to the senses. (Sensual suggests a strong preoccupation with such things, especially sexual pleasures)

Front 30

Lyrical

Back 30

Intense, spontaneous, lyrical

Front 31

Persuasive

Back 31

Able to get a person to do something or to agree with one by an appeal to reason or other convincing devices.

Front 32

Nostalgic

Back 32

Inclined to long for or dwell on things of the past; sentimental

Front 33

Rhythmic

Back 33

Characterized by certain patterns, beats, or accents (as in dancing, music, poetry)

Front 34

Naturalistic

Back 34

Tending to present things in art and literature as they appear in nature or actuality.