Friday, January 24, 2014

Vocabulary: Spring #3

apostate - a person who renounces a religious or political belief or principle
Tony was now titled apostate by the people in his church because he had given up his faith in Christianity.

effusive - expressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner
Albert, being unexpectedly effusive, voluntarily explained the meaning behind the poem.

impasse - a situation in which no progress is possible esp. because of disagreement; a deadlock
The situation came to an impasse because the husband and wife couldn't decide on a color of paint.

euphoria - a feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness
Oddly enough, he felt a sense of euphoria after nearly being ran over by a passing car.

lugubrious - looking or sounding sad and dismal
The girl was acting rather lugubrious and it concerned her parents.

bravado - a bold manner or a show of boldness intended to impress or intimidate
The mans impressive bravado intimidated everyone in the room.

consensus - general agreement
The jury finally came to a consensus and found the defendant guilty of manslaughter.

dichotomy - a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different
They ultimately rejected the dichotomy of left vs. right politics.

constrict - make narrower, esp. by encircling pressure
The python kills its prey by constricting it or wrapping its body around it and in turn suffocating it.

gothic - of or relating to the goths or their extinct east Germanic language, which provides the earliest manuscript evidence of any Germanic language
Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most well known gothic writers.

punctilio - a fine or pretty point of conduct of procedure 
They will not part with the least punctilio in their opinions and practices.

metamorphosis - the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages
The child seemed to go through a metamorphosis that day when he saved all of those people.

raconteur - a person who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way
The school teacher was a real raconteur and held the students attention for the whole class period.

quixotic - exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical
His theory about the universe was completely quixotic because he thought the sun and stars orbited the earth.

vendetta - a prolonged bitter quarrel with or campaign against someone
The congressman accused the papers of pursing a vendetta against him.

non sequitur - a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement
Having a character blurt out random things during the show was non sequitur and ruined it for me.

mystique - a fascinating aura of mystery, awe, and power surrounding someone or something
There was a certain mystique about him as he walked in the room and it drew everyone's attention.

quagmire - an awkward, complex, or hazardous situation
When Robert rushed home from work only to find his wife with another man, he found himself in a real quagmire.

parlous - full of danger or uncertainty; precarious
The two heroes embarked on a parlous journey of epic proportions.

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