Vocabulary # 4

apostate- A person who renounces a religious or political belief or principle
- They considered all sinners apostates.
effusive- Expressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner
-Once the play was over, they gave the actors an effusive praise.
impasse- A situation in which no progress is possible, esp. because of disagreement
-Their work had reached an impasse because they were not able to produce enough information for use in further studies.
euphoria- A feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness
-She felt a sense of panic, as if she were being watched, but upon walking away felt a sudden euphoria.
lugubrious- Looking or sounding sad and dismal
-The love songs of Lil Rob were very lugubrious, so I asked her to turn down the radio.
bravado- A bold manner or a show of boldness intended to impress or intimidate
-Beowulf's bravado was increasingly high by the third monster.
consensus- General agreement
-The consensus of the group was to meet once a week.
dichotomy- A division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different
-There is a big dichotomy between thoughts and actions.
constrict- Make narrower
-Leather straps will stretch when wet, but will constrict when they dry out again.
gothic- portrayed fantastic tales dealing with horror, despair, the grotesque and other "dark" subjects
-When touring France one may see many gothic cathedrals.
punctilio- A fine or petty point of conduct or procedure
-His punctilio poise helped him succeed in getting the job.
metamorphosis- to give form to dreams & fantasies
-I felt angry for about a limit of two hours and then a strange metamorphosis came over me.
raconteur- A person who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way
-The crowd became silent as the raconteur began to speak.
sine qua non- An essential condition; a thing that is absolutely necessary
-Sugar is a sine qua non to make a cake
quixotic- Exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical
-The quixotic little girl wanted her parents to buy her an iPhone 5.
vendetta- A prolonged bitter quarrel with or campaign against someone
-The vendetta against him was swift and mercyless
non sequitur- A conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement
-The professor's lecture was a jumble of non sequiturs and irrelevant observations
mystique- An air of secrecy surrounding a particular activity or subject
-There is a certain mystique about psychics and fortune tellers
quagmire- An awkward, complex, or hazardous situation
-The war in Vietnam is often referred to as a quagmire for the US.
parlous- Full of danger or uncertainty
-Walking around at night seems like a parlous idea for 3 young girls.



(I used goggle & Katelyn as a source)