AP Language & Composition—Tone Words You Must Know 2015
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acerbic: expressing harsh or sharp criticism in a clever way
accusatory: assigning blame or fault
admonitory: serving to caution; warning
affable: friendly
amused: light, playful, or pleasant manner that appeals to the sense of humor
apathetic: showing little or no emotion; indifferent
ardent: passionate, zealous, fiery
authoritative: having the confident quality of someone who is respected/obeyed by others
belligerent: hostile, aggressive, inclined to fight
biased: prejudiced towards one side
bombastic: using words that are intended to impress people but do not express things clearly due to
the overblown, flamboyant style of the language.
brusque: rudely abrupt
callous: hardened, unfeeling, indifferent to the suffering of others
candid: honest, open, straightforward
caustic: very harsh and critical
clinical: highly objective; scientific
condescending: showing you believe you are more intelligent than others
contemplative: deeply thoughtful
contemptuous: showing deep hatred or disapproval
cynical: believing people are generally selfish and dishonest
derisive: showing you think someone/something is stupid, unimportant, or useless
detached: separated; disconnected; free of emotion
didactic: instructive; inclined to teach or moralize, often excessively
disingenuous: giving the false appearance of being honest or sincere (insincere)
disparaging: to speak of in a negative way; belittling
dogmatic: expressing personal beliefs as if they are correct and cannot be doubted
ebullient: lively and enthusiastic
effusive: emotionally unrestrained; gushy
encouraging: giving hope or promise
erudite: characterized by great knowledge; scholarly
facetious: speech that’s meant to be humorous but is usually inappropriate or silly
fanciful: imaginative; whimsical
flippant: casual speech that lacks proper respect
foreboding: marked by a sense of impending evil; ominous
frank: open and sincere in expression; straightforward
haughty: arrogant; vainly proud
humorous: amusing, witty
impartial: not in favor of one side or the other; unbiased
impassioned: having or showing strong feeling; fiery; ardent
imperious: arrogantly domineering or overbearing
incredulous: expressing disbelief; skeptical
indignant: expressing anger at unjust actions or treatment; expressing offense
indifferent: not caring one way or the other
irreverent: lacking respect; disrespectful of what is generally respected or accepted
laconic: expressing much in few words; concise; succinct
laudatory: expressing praise or admiration
lighthearted: free from care; cheerful
maudlin: foolishly or tearfully sentimental
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morose: sullen, withdrawn, gloomy
moralistic: showing strong opinions about what is right and wrong behavior
nostalgic: a bittersweet (pleasure and sadness) longing for the past, wishing to experience it again
obdurate: stubborn; inflexible
obsequious: overly eager to help or obey someone who is important (a suck up)
ominous: suggesting something bad is going to happen in the future
optimistic: the tendency to expect the best possible outcome; hopeful
patronizing: to talk to someone in a condescending manner
pedantic: excessively scholarly or bookish; ostentatious about one’s learning
pedestrian: lacking in vitality, imagination, distinction; prosaic or dull
pensive: dreamily thoughtful, usually marked by some sadness
poignant: profoundly moving; touching (a poignant memory)
pretentious: language purposely inflated to impress
prosaic: matter-of-fact; dull; ordinary
reverent: showing or feeling awe, respect, or veneration
ribald: vulgar or indecent in speech; coarsely mocking; irreverent
saccharine: overly sweet and sentimental in a way that does not seem genuine
sanctimonious: hypocritical show of religious devotion
scornful: a feeling, attitude, or expression of dislike and derision for someone
sentimental: swayed by feeling; excessively emotional (love, pity, nostalgia)
solemn: very serious or formal in manner, behavior, or expression
somber: sad and serious; gloomily dark
threatening: menacing, ominous
vociferous: expressing oneself in a loud, forceful manner
wistful: having slightly sad thoughts about something that made you happy in the past
Note from dictionary.com:
Sarcastic suggests sharp taunting and ridicule that wounds
Ironic implies a subtler form of mockery in which an intended meaning is conveyed implicitly
Caustic means corrosive and bitingly trenchant
Satirical implies exposure, especially of vice or folly, to ridicule
Sardonic is associated with scorn, derision, mockery, and often cynicism
Tongue-in-Cheek implies insincerity, and therefore is humor that should not be taken seriously. It is often
wry, subtle, and difficult to catch, due to the fact that the humor is delivered with a straight face and
meant to be taken seriously by the listener (but only for a moment until they realize it’s a joke). Facetious
is a typical synonym.