list 9 Flashcards
(10 cards)
- Caustic
severely critical or sarcastic
A caustic chemical is capable of burning, corroding, or destroying living tissue. In terms of trait or tone, caustic means very harshly critical. If we’re talking about caustic sarcasm, we’re talking about sarcasm that is meant to cut deep. Acrimonious is a strong synonym; both words are intensely negative and suggest the intention to harm, insult, and criticize.
jacks tone toward piggy in LOTF
- Ebullient
overflowing with fervor, enthusiasm, or excitement; high-spirited.
Ebullient is a much stronger word than happy. Ebullient is like exultant with an extra punch of energy. This is the emotional equivalent of the fun parts of a roller coaster: it makes you want to type in all caps and use exclamation points and, like, 5 smiley face emojis. In fact, many people spend their entire lives seeking experiences that make them feel this way.
feeling at the end of disney movies
- Elegiac
expressing sorrow or lamentation; mournful or melancholy, especially toward the dead
In elegy is a mournful, melancholy, or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song. The adjective elegiac is useful when you’re talking about music, a movie, a book, or another work of art that has a sorrowful tone. Elegiac usually refers to something or someone that’s gone: a person who’s died, or a time in the past, especially if you feel a sense of longing for it.
harrys tone when discussing his memories of his godfather
- Empathetic
able to feel and identify with the feelings, thoughts, experiences, or attitudes of others
An empathetic person is someone who can share another person’s feelings. This differs from sympathy because sympathizing with someone just means you feel sorry for them and you’re on their side; empathy involves actually being able to share and identify with their feelings. Sympathizing suggests a deeper connection. Usually, what allows you to empathize rather than just sympathize is that you’ve experienced something similar. So if you feel sad when you see a painting of a woman weeping over a dying lover, that’s because you can imagine what it’s like to lose someone you love. This word is generally positive, but being too empathetic can sometimes be problematic depending on the situation. For example, it might be hard for a highly empathetic person to be a surgeon because they can’t handle sharing bad news with patients’ families.
luna empathizing with harry when he sees thestrals for the first time
- Facetious
not meant to be taken seriously or literally; cleverly humorous.
Facetious and sarcasm are often confused, but they are not quite the same. Sarcasm is more extreme and biting, whereas facetious is a bit lighter in connotation. If someone is speaking in a facetious tone, they’re likely using some wit and wordplay, but they’re not necessarily being full-on sarcastic, and they’re certainly not being sardonic. A facetious joke might be deemed inappropriate if the audience doesn’t pick up on the tone, but ultimately, this is a pretty light-hearted word.
Feste the fool is jesting facetiously with Lady Olivia. If she didn’t catch on to his facetious tone, his statements would likely be extremely offensive to her; instead, their banter is clever, light, and friendly.
- Incredulous
– disinclined or indisposed to believe; skeptical
If you are incredulous that means you can’t or won’t believe something. If you tell people about those aliens you met the other night, they’ll probably give you an incredulous look. Incredible describes something you can’t believe because it’s so right, like an incredible double rainbow; Incredulous describes how you feel when you can’t believe something because it’s so wrong, like when someone tells you leprechauns left two pots of gold.
Viola and Sebastian’s mood when they reunite
- Indignant
feeling, characterized by, or expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base
Indignant is from Latin indignus (meaning unworthy), and it’s how you feel when you’re angry because you don’t think you deserve the treatment you’ve received. You may be angry (even furious), if someone shoves you, but you are indignant if the shove is directed at someone weak or helpless, or if someone is punishing you for someone else’s actions. Have your parents ever blamed you for something your sibling did? You probably felt indignant after. This word has a negative connotation.
your mood when your parents blame you for something your little brother did
- Provocative
stirring, stimulating, irritating, or vexing
If something is provocative, it provokes a reaction. Provocative is often used to describe actions or ways of dressing that cause sexual feelings. However, a provocative book might get people talking about a controversial idea. A provocative statement, such as “I hate babies,” will get another kind of reaction. In terms of connotation, this word is neutral, but it does usually refer to things that make us uncomfortable in one way or another.
Miley Cyrus lyrics now compared to her older music
- Resigned
characterized by submissive acceptance
Resigned is a feeling or showing acceptance that something unpleasant will happen or will not change. If you are resigned to something, you accept an unpleasant situation or reality that you can do nothing about. When resigned, you have hopelessly given up; it’s the emotional equivalent of shrugging your shoulders and saying “Oh, well. This may as well happen.”
Okonkwo’s attitude at the end of Things Fall Apart.
- Sentimental
expressive of or appealing to tender emotions, like love, pity, or nostalgia
If you’re feeling sentimental, you have a deep attachment to whatever the subject is. When we talk about things having “sentimental value,” what we mean is that we are attached to them emotionally. They tend to remind us of things that are dear to us and evoke feelings like love and nostalgia. Sentimental generally has a positive connotation, but it can also be pretty heart-wrenching if we’re feeling sentimental about something or someone that is no longer around.
how Harry Potter feels when he sees pictures of or hears stories about his parents
