AP English Language and Composition Tone Words 1-10

Patronizing

Offensively condescending; to talk down to Synonyms: to look down on, treat as an inferior Antonyms:respect, dignity Other Forms: adverb-Patronizingly noun-Patronizingness Sentence: He was so patronizing to me when he was my boss.

Poignant

affecting the emotions; moving Synonyms: touching, heart rending, piteous Antonyms:insipid, zestless Other Forms: verb-Poignantly adjective- Pungent Sentence: The romance movie was so poignant that I had to leave the theater.

Unabashed

boldly certain of one's position; not ashamed Synonyms:shameless, unashamed, unblushing Antonyms:abashed, ashamed, sheepish Connotation: Positive, the word shows self-security and independence. Sentence: He was unabashed, even when his authority was questioned.

Forthright

direct, straightforward Synonyms:candid, direct, forthcoming Antonyms:dissembling, uncandid, unforthcoming Other Forms: adverb-forthrightly noun-forthrightness Sentence: I was forthright in scolding the dog for eating my homework.

Pretentious

expressive of affected, unwarranted, or exaggerated importance, worth, or stature Synonyms:arrogant, haughty Antonyms:humble, lowly Other Forms: adverb-pretentiously noun-pretentiousness Sentence: She felt pretentious while walking into the party.

Ambivalent

having mixed feelings about something Synonyms:conflicted, equivocal Antonyms: unambivalent Connotation: Negative, feeling of confusion or not understanding surrounds this word. Sentence: She was ambivalent about the upcoming election.

Brazen

insolent; defiantly bold Synonyms:brave, sassy Antonyms:meek, shy Other Forms: adverb-brazenly noun-brazenness Sentence: He was brazen in his argument during the debate.

Incensed

to arouse the extreme anger or indignation of Synonyms:dogged, enraged Antonyms:pleased, cheerful Connotation: Negative, due to the premise of anger the word withholds. Sentence: The dog incensed the cat greatly after eating her food.

Wry

twisted or perverse (as in sense of humor) Synonyms:ironic, crooked Antonyms:humorless, aligned Other Forms: adverb-wryly noun-wryness Sentence: Her wry humor caused the crowd to mumble at the comedy club.

Incredulous

skeptical; disclined to believe Synonyms:disbelieving, skeptical, doubting Antonyms:credulous, gullible Connotation: Negative, skepticism can ultimately lead to pessimism, thus causing this word to have a negative feel to it. Sentence:She was incredulous about the breaking news.