Meaning: Two lines of verse that rhyme.

Part of speech: noun

Example: The poem ended with a beautiful couplet.

Category: Literature › Poetry

Synonyms:

• verse
• stanza

Meaning: A medieval tradition of expressing love in a noble and chaste manner.

Part of speech: noun

Example: Courtly love was a popular theme in medieval literature.

Category: Literature › Romance

Synonyms: romantic love

Meaning: an old woman, often with a negative connotation

Part of speech: noun

Example: The story featured a crone who cast spells.

Category: Literature

Synonyms:

• hag
• witch

Antonyms:

• maiden
• young woman

Meaning: A collection of stories or narratives.

Part of speech: noun

Example: The book contains various cro-tales from different cultures.

Category: Literature

Synonyms: stories

Meaning: a metrical foot in poetry with one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables

Part of speech: noun

Example: The word 'elephant' is a dactyl.

Category: Literature › Poetry

Meaning: a young woman or girl, often used in a historical context

Part of speech: noun

Example: The knight rescued the damsel in distress.

Category: Literature

Synonyms:

• maiden
• girl

Meaning: A story from the Bible about a young shepherd defeating a giant.

Part of speech: noun

Example: The match was a classic David and Goliath story.

Category: Literature › Biblical Stories

Synonyms: underdog story

Meaning: Immortal; not subject to death.

Part of speech: adjective

Example: The hero's deathless spirit inspired many.

Category: Literature › Poetry

Synonyms:

• immortal
• everlasting

Antonyms:

• mortal
• temporary

Meaning: a line of verse containing ten syllables.

Part of speech: noun

Example: The poem was written in decasyllable lines.

Category: Literature

Synonyms: ten-syllable line

Meaning: Brave deeds or heroic actions.

Part of speech: noun

Example: The story is filled with derring-do and adventure.

Category: Literature

Synonyms:

• heroism
• bravery

Meaning: A plot device where an unexpected power or event resolves a situation.

Part of speech: noun

Example: The ending of the movie was criticized for its deus ex machina.

Category: Literature

Synonyms: unexpected solution

Meaning: A person who keeps a diary.

Part of speech: noun

Example: As a diarist, she recorded her thoughts every day.

Category: Literature › Writing

Synonyms: journal keeper

Meaning: A book for recording daily events and thoughts.

Part of speech: noun

Example: She writes in her diary every night.

Category: Literature › Writing

Synonyms:

• journal
• notebook

Meaning: Relating to the works of Charles Dickens or his style.

Part of speech: adjective

Example: The story had a Dickensian atmosphere, full of vivid characters.

Category: Literature › Historical

Synonyms:

• Victorian
• literary

Meaning: a fictional character, a vampire in Bram Stoker's novel.

Part of speech: noun

Example: Dracula is a classic horror story.

Category: Literature › Fiction

Synonyms: vampire

Meaning: An imagined society characterized by great suffering or injustice.

Part of speech: noun

Example: The novel depicts a dystopia where freedom is nonexistent.

Category: Literature › Fiction

Synonyms: nightmare society

Antonyms: utopia

Meaning: A paradise or ideal place.

Part of speech: noun

Example: The garden was described as a beautiful Eden.

Category: Literature › Mythology

Synonyms:

• paradise
• heaven

Meaning: A book published in digital format.

Part of speech: noun

Example: I prefer reading an electronic book on my tablet.

Category: Literature

Synonyms:

• e-book
• digital book

Meaning: Expressing sorrow or lamentation, especially for something lost.

Part of speech: adjective

Example: The elegiac poem mourned the loss of a great hero.

Category: Literature

Synonyms:

• mournful
• sorrowful

Antonyms:

• joyful
• celebratory

Meaning: A pair of lines in poetry that expresses a lament.

Part of speech: noun

Example: The elegiac couplet captured the essence of loss.

Category: Literature › Poetry

Synonyms: poetic form

Meaning: Before; previously.

Part of speech: adverb

Example: Ere the sun rises, I will be awake.

Category: Literature

Meaning: A representative of ordinary people; a common man.

Part of speech: noun

Example: The character in the play is an Everyman, relatable to the audience.

Category: Literature › Character Types

Synonyms:

• common man
• average person

Meaning: Willingly or gladly.

Part of speech: adverb

Example: I would fain go to the concert.

Category: Literature

Synonyms:

• gladly
• willingly

Antonyms:

• unwillingly
• reluctantly

Meaning: A fictional character who helps a hero or heroine, often with magical powers.

Part of speech: noun

Example: Cinderella's fairy godmother transformed her for the ball.

Category: Literature › Fiction

Synonyms:

• guardian angel
• protector

Meaning: A story featuring magical beings and events.

Part of speech: noun

Example: She loves reading fairy stories to her children.

Category: Literature › Fiction

Synonyms:

• fairy tale
• fable

Meaning: A children's story about magical creatures and events.

Part of speech: noun

Example: She read her daughter a fairy tale before bed.

Category: Literature › Fiction

Synonyms:

• fable
• fantasy story

Meaning: Relating to a pact with the devil for knowledge or power.

Part of speech: adjective

Example: He made a Faustian bargain to achieve success.

Category: Literature › Themes

Synonyms:

• diabolical
• satanic

Meaning: An evil spirit or demon; a wicked person.

Part of speech: noun

Example: He was considered a fiend for his cruel actions.

Category: Literature › Fiction

Synonyms:

• demon
• villain

Antonyms:

• angel
• hero

Meaning: Extremely cruel or wicked.

Part of speech: adjective

Example: The villain devised a fiendish plan to take over the world.

Category: Literature › Fiction

Synonyms:

• wicked
• evil

Antonyms:

• kind
• benevolent

Meaning: A leaf of a fig tree, often used metaphorically to cover something shameful.

Part of speech: noun

Example: The fig leaf of the company's profits hid deeper financial issues.

Category: Literature › Metaphor

Synonyms:

• cover
• disguise

Meaning: Something that is made up or imagined.

Part of speech: noun

Example: The monster was just a figment of his imagination.

Category: Literature › Fiction

Synonyms:

• illusion
• fantasy

Meaning: Places of indulgence or luxury, often associated with sensual pleasures.

Part of speech: noun

Example: He was tempted by the flesh pots of the city.

Category: Literature

Meaning: A blank page at the beginning or end of a book.

Part of speech: noun

Example: He wrote a note on the flyleaf of the book.

Category: Literature

Synonyms: blank page

Meaning: To indicate or suggest something that will happen in the future.

Part of speech: verb

Example: The dark clouds foreshadow a storm.

Category: Literature

Synonyms:

• predict
• foretell

Antonyms:

• obscure
• confuse

Meaning: To have predicted something in the past.

Part of speech: verb

Example: The prophecy foretold the hero's arrival.

Category: Literature

Synonyms:

• predicted
• prophesied

Meaning: A novel by Mary Shelley about a scientist who creates a creature.

Part of speech: noun

Example: Frankenstein is a classic horror story.

Category: Literature › Fiction

Meaning: A challenge or ordeal, often involving a series of difficulties.

Part of speech: noun

Example: He had to run the gauntlet of criticism after his decision.

Category: Literature

Synonyms:

• challenge
• trial

Meaning: A tale about ghosts or supernatural events.

Part of speech: noun

Example: She told a ghost story around the campfire.

Category: Literature › Fiction

Synonyms:

• supernatural tale
• spooky story

Meaning: Expressed in a concise or aphoristic manner.

Part of speech: adjective

Example: His gnomic statements often left people puzzled.

Category: Literature › Writing Style

Synonyms:

• aphoristic
• pithy

Meaning: A piece or chunk of something, often used in a literary context.

Part of speech: noun

Example: He quoted a gobbet from the famous novel.

Category: Literature › Textual Analysis

Synonyms:

• piece
• chunk