AP Tone Words

Mr. Lorentz (United States of America)
These are great words to know for describing the tone of a passage!
52 words 759 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. accusatory
    containing or expressing blame
  2. apathetic
    showing little or no emotion or animation
  3. arch
    naughtily or annoyingly playful
  4. awe
    an overwhelming feeling of wonder or admiration
  5. bitter
    marked by strong resentment or cynicism
  6. cynical
    believing the worst of human nature and motives
  7. condescending
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
  8. callous
    emotionally hardened
  9. contemplative
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
  10. critical
    of a serious examination and judgment of something
  11. choleric
    characterized by anger
  12. contemptuous
    expressing extreme scorn
  13. caustic
    harsh or corrosive in tone
  14. conventional
    unimaginative and conformist
  15. disdainful
    having or showing arrogant superiority
  16. didactic
    instructive, especially excessively
  17. derisive
    expressing contempt or ridicule
  18. earnest
    devout or heartfelt
  19. erudite
    having or showing profound knowledge
  20. fanciful
    indulging in or influenced by the imagination
  21. forthright
    directly and without evasion; not roundabout
  22. gloomy
    filled with melancholy and despondency
  23. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
  24. indignant
    angered at something unjust or wrong
  25. intimate
    having or fostering a friendly and informal atmosphere
  26. judgmental
    relating to an assessment of a person, situation, or event
  27. jovial
    full of or showing high-spirited merriment
  28. laudatory
    full of or giving praise
  29. lyrical
    suitable for or suggestive of singing
  30. matter-of-fact
    not fanciful or imaginative
  31. mocking
    expressing contempt or ridicule
  32. morose
    showing a brooding ill humor
  33. malicious
    having the nature of threatening evil
  34. objective
    undistorted by emotion or personal bias
  35. optimistic
    emphasizing or displaying the positive
  36. obsequious
    attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
  37. patronizing
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
  38. pedantic
    marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning
  39. pessimistic
    expecting the worst possible outcome
  40. quizzical
    playfully vexing, especially by ridicule
  41. ribald
    humorously vulgar
  42. reverent
    feeling or showing profound respect or veneration
  43. ridicule
    the act of deriding or treating with contempt
  44. reflective
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
  45. sarcastic
    expressing or expressive of ridicule that wounds
  46. sardonic
    disdainfully or ironically humorous
  47. satiric
    exposing human folly to ridicule
  48. sincere
    open and genuine; not deceitful
  49. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
  50. strident
    being sharply insistent on being heard
  51. whimsical
    indulging in or influenced by the imagination
  52. sanguine
    confidently optimistic and cheerful
Created on Fri May 05 15:07:44 EDT 2017 (updated Fri May 05 15:31:40 EDT 2017)

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