Tone Vocabulary List

Every week, you will have a tone word vocabulary test. It isn’t enough to know the definition of the word; you
must be able to use the word in a sentence. There will be 4 from each list for a total of 20 words per week.
They will be in order.

1. Positive Tone/ Attitude Words

WORD DEFINITION
Amiable friendly; sociable
Amused pleasurably entertained
Appreciative feeling or showing appreciation
Authoritative having an air of authority; accustomed to exercising authority; positive; peremptory; dictatorial
Benevolent desiring to help others; charitable / characterized by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings
Brave possessing or exhibiting courage or courageous endurance
Calm free from excitement or passion; tranquil
Cheerful promoting or inducing cheer; pleasant; bright (Cheery)
Compassionate having or showing mercy (sympathizing, sympathetic, tender)
Confident having strong belief or full assurance; sure (excessively bold; presumptuous)
Consoling Comforting / lessening the sorrow or grief
Content satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else.
Dreamy soothing; restful; quieting
Earnest intense or sincere state of mind
Ecstatic showing or feeling great enthusiasm
Elated very happy or proud; jubilant; in high spirits
Elevated exalted or noble; lofty; joyful
Encouraging to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence
Energetic possessing or exhibiting energy, especially in abundance; vigorous
Enthusiastic eager, fervent, zealous, passionate
Erudite learned or scholarly
Fanciful imaginary; unreal
Friendly like a friend; kind; helpful
Hopeful full of hope; expressing hope / promising advantage or success
Impassioned filled with intense feeling or passion; passionate; ardent.
Jovial joyous humor or a spirit of good-fellowship:
Jubilant showing great joy, satisfaction, or triumph; rejoicing; exultant
Lighthearted carefree; cheerful; gay
Loving warmly affectionate; fond
Optimistic hopeful or cheerful
Peaceful free from war, strife, commotion, violence, or disorder:
Playful pleasantly humorous or jesting
Proud highly gratifying to the feelings or self-esteem
Relaxed being free of or relieved from tension or anxiety
Reverent treating a subject with honor or respect
Romantic imbued with or dominated by idealism, a desire for adventure, chivalry, etc.
Sanguineous optimistic
Sentimental focusing on feelings
Soothing tranquilizing or calming, as a person or the feelings; relieve, comfort, or refresh
Sympathetic having a mutual understanding for
Vibrant full of vigor or energy
Whimsical spontaneously fanciful or playful
2. Negative Tone/Attitude Words

Accusatory charging of wrong doing

Aggravated to annoy; irritate; exasperate
Agitated to excite, disturb, or trouble
Angry feeling or expressing annoyance, animosity, or resentment; enraged
Apathetic indifferent due to lack of concern
Arrogant sense of superiority, self-importance, or entitlement
Audacious extremely bold or daring; recklessly brave; fearless
Belligerent of warlike character; aggressively hostile
Bitter exhibiting strong animosity as a result of grief or pain
Brash harsh, lacking tact
Callous insensitive to the feelings of others
Childish Childish foolish or petty
Choleric hot-tempered or easily angered
Coarse crude, rude, rough
Cold not affectionate, cordial, or friendly; unresponsive
Condemnatory declare to be wrong
Condescending patronizing because of dignity or superiority
Contemptuous showing or feeling that something is worthless
Contradictory inconsistent; logically opposite
Desperate being reckless or dangerous because of despair or urgency
Disgruntled displeased and discontented; sulky
Disinterested lack of interest; unbiased
Facetious not meant to be taken seriously or literally
Furious full of fury, violent passion, or rage; extremely angry; enraged.
Haughty disdainfully proud; snobbish; scornfully arrogant; supercilious
Indignant anger that is aroused because of an injustice
Inflammatory angry, enraged, inflamed or infected
Insulting to treat or speak to insolently or with contemptuous rudeness; affront.
Irreverent showing a lack of respect
Mocking treating with contempt or ridicule
Obnoxious highly objectionable or offensive; odious
Outraged an act of wanton cruelty or violence; any gross violation of law or decency.
Passive not reacting visibly to something that might be expected to produce manifestations of an
emotion or feeling.
Quarrelsome inclined to quarrel or disagree; belligerent
Ribald offensive in speech or manner
Ridiculing slightly contemptuous banter
Sarcastic bitterly scornful or sneering, mocking or contemptuous
Sardonic bitterly and scornfully sarcastic
Satiric using irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to expose, denounce, or deride vice or folly
Snooty aloof or supercilious; snobbish
Superficial concerned with or comprehending only what is on the surface or obvious
Surly unfriendly or hostile; menacingly irritable
Taunting ridiculing by naming faults or physical defects
Testy irritably impatient; touchy.
Threatening hostile, aggressive; menace
Turgid pompous or bombastic (using too many big words)
3. Humor-Irony-Sarcasm Tone/Attitude Words

Amused
Bantering
Bitter
Caustic
Comical
Condescending
Contemptuous
Critical
Cynical
Disdainful
Droll
Facetious
Flippant
Giddy
Humorous
Insolent
Ironic
Irreverent
Mock-heroic
Mocking
Mock-serious
Patronizing
Pompous
Quizzical
Ribald
Ridiculing
Sardonic
Satiric
Scornful
Sharp
Silly
Taunting
Teasing
Whimsical
Wry
4. Sorrow-Fear-Worry Tone/Attitude Words
Aggravated
Agitated
Anxious
Apologetic
Apprehensive
Concerned
Dejected
Despairing
Embarrassed
Fearful
Foreboding
Gloomy
Grave
Hollow
Hopeless
Horrific
Melancholy
Miserable
Morose
Mournful
Nervous
Numb
Ominous
Paranoid
Pessimistic
Pitiful
Remorseful
Resigned
Sad
Serious
Sober
Solemn
Somber
Staid
Upset

5. Neutral Tone/Attitude Words

Apathetic
Baffled
Candid
Ceremonial
Clinical
Contemplative
Detached
Disbelieving
Dramatic
Earnest
Elusive
Expectant
Factual
Fervent
Formal
Forthright
Frivolous
Humble
Informative
Inquisitive
Intimate
Learned
Matter-of-fact
Meditative
Nostalgic
Objective
Patriotic
Persuasive
Pleading
Questioning
Reflective
Reminiscent
Resigned
Restrained
Seductive
Sentimental
Serious
Shocking
Sincere
Unemotional
Urgent
Wistful