Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Vocabulary #3

apostate- a person who forsakes their religion. 
Ex. She cheated on her husband she must be an apostate.
effusive- lacking reserve/ pouring out
Ex. My effusive enthusiasm showed I was happy to get the job.
impasse- a situation with no escape
Ex. We could not decide where to eat. We were at an impasse.
euphoria- intense happiness and self confidence
Ex. After winning the spelling bee I was in an euphoric state. 
lugubrious- mournful or gloomy
Ex. It was a lugubrious day for the girl who's grandpa had just passed away. bravado- a pretentious show of courage
Ex. He defeated the monster with extreme bravado.
consensus- majority of opinion
Ex. The consensus voted on Pisa for dinner.
dichotomy- division into two parts
Ex. During civil wars many countries undergo dichotomy.
constrict- to draw in or make smaller
Ex. The snake constricted its predator, crushing its bones. 
gothic- pertaining to European style during the 12th century
Ex. I am decorating my house with a gothic theme.
punctilio- a fine point or detail
Ex. We must go over the final punctilios of my wedding.
metamorphosis- a change of form or structure
Ex. The caterpillar metamorphosed into a butterfly.
raconteur- a good story teller
Ex. The raconteur told us stories about his childhood.
sine qua non- an essential element
Ex. We forgot the sine qua non for the cake.
quixotic- unpredictably extravagant 
Ex. The fact that he bought me a car on our first date was quixotic.
vendetta- a prolonged and bitter feud
Ex. The girl seem to have a vendetta against me she always kicked my leg during practice.
non sequitur- An inference with an ill logical conclusion
Ex. Her assumption that just because the boy and the girl were not in class because they were at the beach was absolutely non sequitur.
mystique- An aura of mystery or mystical power
Ex. His mystique was what first drew me to him.
quagmire- A bog or a difficult situation
Ex. When I went looking for alligators I got stuck in a quagmire.
parlous- Perilous  or dangerous
Ex. The parlous conditions mad me wish I was in the safety of my own warm bed.

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