9AC Vocabulary Lists by Unit: 2023-2024

Short Story Vocab: Sem. 1

1. Audacious: 1) Very confident and daring attitude or behavior, perhaps recklessly so; 2) Original and bold
(ideas, art, clothing, etc.) 3) Contemptuous of law, religion, or decorum (contempt is deep hate or
disapproval). Noun form = audacity
2. Bitter: Exhibiting strong animosity/dislike because of pain or grief
3. Caustic: Intense use of sarcasm or stinging/biting comments (words that wound/cause emotional pain);
acerbic, sharp, cutting.
4. Contemplative: Deeply or seriously thoughtful. Meditating, thinking, or reflecting on an issue or
scene/situation.
5. Detached: 1) Exhibiting aloof objectivity (aloof = remote in manner/behavior/attitude); to be free from
prejudice or self-interest (as in you have no agenda or motivation behind your attitude); emotionally
removed from a situation. 2) Can also be someone who is emotionally-distant or cold.
6. Forthright: Directly frank without hesitation (frank = open, honest, candid); someone being forthright or
frank “tells it like it is.”
7. Foreboding: With fearful apprehension; marked by an omen, prediction, or presentiment especially of
coming evil or doom. When there are signs/a feeling that something bad is about to happen.
8. Hostile: Having or showing unfriendly feelings. Unfriendly, antagonistic; reflects a condition that is not
hospitable, friendly, or conducive for positive growth. Having an intimidating, antagonistic or offensive
nature. Marked by malevolence (malevolence = a desire to harm that stems from ill will/spite/hatred).
People and places and situations can all be hostile. Hostile does NOT mean physically violent.
9. Indignant: Feeling angry because of an injustice; anger aroused by an injustice
10. Ironic: 1) Characterized by often poignant difference or incongruity between what is expected and what
actually is 2) Humorously sarcastic or mocking
11. Irreverent: Having or showing a lack of respect for something or someone that is usually treated with
respect; Satire is often irreverent at heart.
12. Jovial: Showing high spirited, good-humored cheerfulness and conviviality (relating to being good
company/sociable); cheery, merry, jolly, mirthful, merry. This is NOT a perfect synonym for “happy.”
13. Malevolent: Having or showing a desire to harm another; arising from intense and vicious ill will (ill will is
when you wish harm upon someone), spite, or hatred; malicious
14. Objective: An unbiased view; able to leave personal judgments aside, able to observe something without
emotional or judgement
15. Ominous: Suggestive that bad things will come; foreboding of evil; inauspicious; portentous
16. Sardonic: Scornfully, disdainfully, or ironically humorous. Mocking someone with disdain (making fun of
someone because you hate or disapprove of them)
17. Satiric: Ridiculing someone or something in order to show their weakness, shortcomings, or follies
(foolishness) in order to make a point or teach.
18. Sanguine/Sanguineous: Eager hopefulness, confidently optimistic & cheerful; having a
temperament/mood of cheerfulness
19. Taunting: Being contemptuously or bitterly challenging or insulting to another person; insulting words
designed to provoke a reaction of some kind (like a fight or argument or tears)
20. Unnerving: When we become unnerved (nervous, afraid, upset, or unable to think clearly) because we
are near to panic; To unnerve is to cause or become nervous, afraid, upset, unable to think clearly; to
 cause one to be deprived of strength or vigor (ability to move). If we heard a scary sound downstairs
when we are home alone, we would likely describe the feeling or situation as unnerving.
21. Whimsical: 1) Determined by chance, impulse/whim rather than reason or necessity 2) Fanciful, creative;
indulging in fancy/imagination

The Catcher in the Rye Vocab: Sem. 1

1. Apathetic – Indifferent due to lack of energy or concern

2. Disdainful – Scornful, contemptuous, feeling or belief that something or someone is worthless or
despicable; showing arrogant superiority to someone you feel is unworthy on some level
3. Facetious – Cleverly amusing in tone, humorous, comedic; treating serious issues with deliberately
inappropriate humor, flippant
4. Funereal – Having the mournful, somber character of a funeral; sepulchral; gloomy & joyous occasion that
is reminiscent of a burial
5. Hyperbolic – With exaggeration, marked in its heavy overstatement; inflated beyond the truth or
reasonableness.
6. Insipid – Lacking interest, impact, or significance: inspires NO excitement, attention, curiosity or interest.
Lacking taste/flavor on a metaphorical level (bland, vapid = syn)
7. Insolent – Rude of impolite; showing disregard for people
8. Lamentable – Unfortunate, marked by regret; bad/sad/sorry/pitiable because something is undesirable or
has negative qualities; deplorable (syn)
9. Lugubrious – Extreme mournfulness, full of sorrow or sadness that comes with heavy loss; sad in an
exaggerated or insincere manner
10. Melancholic – Sorrowful; showing sorrow or unhappiness
11. Melodramatic – Emotional or dramatic in a way that is very extreme or exaggerated; characteristic of
acting on the stage
12. Nostalgic – Pleasure and sadness that is caused by remembering something from the past and wishing
you could experience it again
13. Ostentatious – Displaying knowledge or wealth that is meant to attract attention, admiration, or envy
14. Pedantic – 1) Showing off book learning/academic background/knowledge of trivia in a tiresome, boring
manner. Unimaginative and dull; 2) Narrowly or stodgily (very old-fashioned) or often very ostentatiously
learned
15. Pretentious – Having or showing the unpleasant quality of people who want to be regarded as more
impressive, successful, or important than they really are
16. Remorseful – Regretful; penitent; contrite
17. Reverent – Treating a subject with honor and respect, similar to how we’d be in a religious environment.
Can be reverent toward non-religious things, too.
18. Sentimental – 1) Weakly emotional: relies more on emotion than reason (like having a sentimental
attachment); 2) Expressive of tender emotions, such as nostalgia, love, pity; 3) Can be overly and
insincerely emotional
19. Wry – Slightly sarcastic in a humorous way; clever with a bit of irony; mocking

The Book Thief Vocab: Sem 2

1. Austere: 1) Grave, serious, sober (sober = serious or solemn) 2) practicing great self-denial (like a monk)
3) Severely simple, not elaborate (a person’s home or dress)
2. Bantering – Playful or witty; cleverly amusing in tone
3. Benevolent – Suggestive of goodwill, kindness, generosity
 4. Callous – Unfeeling, insensitive to the feelings of others
5. Compassionate – Sympathetic and showing concern for others
6. Condescending: Possessing a feeling of superiority; looking down on someone
7. Cynical – Questioning the basic sincerity and goodness of people
8. Derisive – ridiculing; mocking often with contempt or disdain; abusing vocally
9. Elegiac: Mournful, lamenting, sorrowful; expressing sorrow often for something past or lost
10. Frivolous – Superficial, without serious purpose or value, silly, giddy
11. Haughty – Proud and vain to the point of arrogance
12. Hollow – Meaningless, without significance, empty
13. Lyrical – Expressing deep emotion (perhaps a poet’s inner feelings); emotional; song-like & melodic
14. Morose: Gloomy, sullen, surly, despondent
15. Obsequious: Polite and obedient in order to gain something
16. Petulant – Ill-humored; showing sudden, impatient irritation especially over something trivial
17. Poignant – 1) Painfully affecting the feelings; emotionally cutting, piercing, touching;
2) Designed to make an impression
18. Quizzical – 1) Puzzled, perplexed, questioning; Archaic meaning 2)odd, eccentric, comical
19. Remorseful: Regretful, penitent; contrite
20. Sinister: 1) Threatens to be harmful, evil, or just plain trouble 2) wicked or dishonorable
21. Vexed – 1) feeling or showing irritation, annoyance or distress 2) difficult and often frustrating to deal
with or understand; a vexed look or demeanor, a vexed question, a vexed system, a vexed relationship
22. Woeful – Wretched (in quality); unhappy, anguished

Poetry: Sem. 2

1. Didactic – Instructive, sometimes excessively so. Speaker attempts to educate or instruct the reader.
Teachers, coaches, mentors are didactic by default, but the term is mostly used in a negative way when
someone or something, like a movie, is overly instructive.
2. Earnest – 1) Devout or heartfelt, open and genuine. 2) Purposeful & undistracted by anything not related
to the goal 3) Serious, firm belief in the validity of your opinion
3. Effusive – Expressing feelings of gratitude, approval, or pleasure in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner
4. Erudite – Learned, polished, scholarly; having or showing profound knowledge
5. Learned – Highly educated; showing profound knowledge. Scholarly, erudite
6. Moralistic – Characterized by strong feelings of what is right and what is wrong; can be narrow sense of
morality (comes off as judgmental)
7. Oppressive – Overwhelming or depressive to the spirit or senses; unreasonably burdensome or severe
8. Patronizing – With an air of condescension, condescending
9. Ribald – Humorously vulgar and offensive
10. Romantic – 1) Fanciful, impractical, unrealistic, dominated by idealism 2) loving, amorous
11. Self-Righteous – Narrow-mindedly moralistic; Having or showing a strong belief that your beliefs and
actions or opinions are right or other peoples are wrong