Cultural Sphere and Arts: English Vocabulary List

dating back to the ancient past

"The building is archaic."

"The word is archaic and nobody uses it in everyday conversation anymore."

expressing or displaying the sadness and sorrow felt due to loss, death, or a past event

"The poem has an elegiac tone."

"The poem has an elegiac tone and mourns the loss of someone who died young."

able to create many great intellectual or creative ideas, things, etc.

"The soil is fecund."

"The soil is fecund and produces abundant crops of corn and wheat every single year."

expressing oneself in a lofty or overly elaborate manner to impress others

"His speech is grandiloquent."

"His speech is grandiloquent and uses fancy words to impress the audience without saying much."

displaying simplicity, immaturity, or inexperience

"The argument is jejune."

"The argument is jejune and shows a lack of mature thought or understanding."

extremely sorrowful and serious

"His face is lugubrious."

"His face is lugubrious and looks sad even when he is telling a funny joke."

not being interested, fond, or understanding of serious works of music, art, literature, etc.

"He has a philistine attitude."

"He has a philistine attitude and dismisses art and literature as a waste of time."

(mainly of ideas, opinions, or remarks) used so often that it no longer has the same effect or originality

"The saying is trite."

"The saying is trite and overused so it has lost its original meaning and power."

a technique used in speech and writing to exaggerate the extent of something

"Hyperbole exaggerates for dramatic effect."

"Hyperbole is a deliberate exaggeration used for rhetorical emphasis"

a drawing, speech, or text aiming to criticize something or someone in a humorous manner

"Political lampoon published."

"The newspaper published a sharp political lampoon criticizing the government decision last week."

the humorous and incorrect use of a word that sounds similar to the intended word

"Her malapropism made everyone laugh."

"The character was famous for her malapropisms such as saying pineapple of perfection instead of pinnacle."

the constant lack of change and variety that is boring

"The monotony of the job bored him."

"The monotony of his assembly line job drove him to listen to podcasts just to stay mentally alert."

a manuscript that was written on, erased, and written on again and again, while the previous text was still partially visible

"It is a palimpsest."

"The manuscript is a medieval palimpsest."

an introductory or preliminary section of a book, statute, document, etc. giving information about its purpose

"The preamble introduces the constitution."

"The preamble to the constitution outlines the fundamental purposes and guiding principles of the entire document."

the beginning section of a movie, book, play, etc. that introduces the work

"The prologue gives background to the story."

"A prologue is an introductory section of a literary work that sets the scene and provides context before the main narrative action begins."

the act of repeating the key points or parts of something in order to summarize it

"The professor ended with a recapitulation of the main points."

"The professor's recapitulation of the previous lecture helped students understand the complex concepts before the exam."

a piece of writing or a speech that is long and boring

"The man wrote a long screed against the government."

"The angry customer wrote a long screed against the company filled with complaints about every minor inconvenience."

to delete the sections or words that are believed to be offensive or inappropriate from a play, movie, book, etc.

"Do not bowdlerize classic literature for children."

"The publisher decided to bowdlerize the classic novel by removing all swear words and adult content from the text."

to bring ideas, texts, things, etc. together and create something new

"Conflate the data points."

"The journalist was careful not to conflate the two separate issues in her report because they had very different causes and required different solutions."

relating to the enjoyment or appreciation of beauty or art, especially visual art

"The painting has aesthetic value."

"The architect focused on creating a harmonious and pleasing aesthetic for the new public library."

including a wide range of people with different nationalities and cultures

"The city is cosmopolitan."

"The cosmopolitan city attracts people from all over the world and you can hear many different languages spoken on the streets."

lacking elements that arouse interest, cause excitement, or show imagination

"The story was pedestrian."

"Her presentation was disappointingly pedestrian, lacking any original insights or creative flair."

possessing the quality of being very boring, slow, and serious, particularly used for speeches and writings

"His speech was ponderous."

"The professor's ponderous lecture on ancient history nearly put everyone to sleep."

a literary device that uses a mixture of unpleasant, inharmonious, and harsh sounds to show disorder or chaos

"The street filled with unbearable cacophony yesterday"

"The cacophony of car horns and construction noise made it impossible to concentrate on her work."

a slow and constant increase in the loudness of a musical piece

"The music reached a crescendo."

"The orchestra's performance built to a powerful crescendo, filling the concert hall with sound."

being an artificial, fake, or inferior substitute for something genuine or authentic

"The coffee is ersatz."

"The coffee is ersatz and made from roasted grains instead of real coffee beans."

a song, musical piece, poem, etc. that expresses the feeling of sorrow and sadness after a loss or death

"A lament for the dead."

"The mournful lament expressed the profound sorrow felt by the community after the tragedy."