Vocabulary #4

Apostate - adj. not faithful to religion or party or cause; noun a disloyal person who betrays or deserts his cause or religion or political party or friend etc.

• My apostate friend left me waiting in the supermarket for a girl he thought was cute.

Effusive - adj. extravagantly demonstrative; uttered with unrestrained enthusiasm

• The effusive drama club students were not shy in their efforts to act in public.

Impasse - noun a street with only one way in or out; a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible

• The government was once at an impasse because the economy was not getting any better.

Euphoria - noun a feeling of great (usually exaggerated) elation

• The euphoric melody of the song sent everyone's mind in a trance.

Lugubrious - adj. excessively mournful

• The lugubrious tree cried everyday of his life and never once felt the feeling on happiness.

Bravado - noun a swaggering show of courage

• The lion's bravado helped to win his pride's pride back from the hyenas.

Consensus - noun agreement in the judgment or opinion reached by a group as a whole

• A consensus was reached after long hours locked up in their bedrooms.

Dichotomy - noun being twofold; a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses

• The dichotomy of our government is Republicans and Democrats.

Constrict - verb become tight or as if tight; squeeze or press together

• Onix takes his rock-solid body structure to constrict his enemies until they give up.

Gothic - adj. characterized by gloom and mystery and the grotesque

• Poe's later poems where characterized with gothic traits.

Punctilio - noun strict observance of formalities; a fine point of etiquette or petty formality

• On Fridays, even the smallest punctilio formal attire makes a difference.

Metamorphosis - noun a complete change of physical form or substance especially as by magic or witchcraft; the marked and rapid transformation of a larva into an adult that occurs in some animals; a striking change in appearance or character or circumstances

• The metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly was a wonderful change to watch.

Raconteur - noun a person skilled in telling anecdotes

• The raconteur would make a great impromptu storyteller.

Sine qua non - an indispensable condition

• Your ugly facial feature are sine qua non.

Quixotic - adj. not sensible about practical matters; unrealistic

• Mournful trees are quixotic because trees don't have feelings.

Vendetta - noun a feud in which members of the opposing parties murder each other

• The vendetta issued to the head counselor was so slow and detailed that it was difficult to imagine.

Non Sequitur - an inference or a conclusion that does not follow from the premises.

•  To even think that I murdered a man was non sequitur.

Mystique - noun an aura of heightened value or interest or meaning surrounding a person or thing

•  The mystique of the man in the long, dark trenchcoat attracted much attention.

Quagmire - noun a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot 

• The heavy rain in Washington turns all the dirt patches into quagmires.

Parlous - adj. fraught with danger

• The parlous saw was in the hands of a small, psycho boy.