Vocabulary # 3

apostate-
— noun: a person who forsakes his religion, cause, party, etc.
All sinners are considered apostates.
effusive-
— adjective:  unduly demonstrative; lacking reserve: effusive greetings; an effusive person.
The parents were way to effusive in their praise for the child.
impasse-
— noun:  a position or situation from which there is no escape; deadlock.
The argument arrived at an impasse and the two decided to drop the subject.
euphoria-
— noun:  a state of intense happiness and self-confidence.
She filled with euphoria after reading her acceptance letter to Stanford.
lugubrious-
— adjective:  mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner: lugubrious songs of lost love.
The three year old lugubriously mourned over her dead gold fish.
bravado-
— noun:  a pretentious, swaggering display of courage.
My brother had the bravado to pretend that he knew more about soccer than I.
consensus-
— noun:  majority of opinion.
The consensus was to move forward with the decision.
dichotomy-
— noun:  division into two parts, kinds, etc.; subdivision into halves or pairs.
In science we learned about the dichotomy of nature versus nurture.
constrict-
— verb:  to draw or press in; cause to contract or shrink; compress.
to slow or stop the natural course or development of.
The blood pressure cup constricted her arm.
gothic-
— adjective:  noting or pertaining to a style of architecture, originating in France in the middle of the 12th century and existing in the western half of Europe through the middle of the 16th century, characterized by the use of the pointed arch and the ribbed vault, by the use of fine woodwork and stonework, by a progressive lightening of structure, and by the use of such features as flying buttresses, ornamental gables, crockets, and foils.
The gothic style of the home had a very European feel to it.
punctilio-
— noun:  a fine point, particular, or detail, as of conduct, ceremony, or procedure.
strictness or exactness in the observance of formalities or amenities.
The teachers were punctilio in their technique of teaching the alphabet;  they used rulers to slap children's hands if not done correctly.
metamorphosis-
 ---Noun:  any complete change in appearance, character, circumstances, etc.
The caterpillar metamorphosed into a butterfly.
raconteur-
— noun:  a person who is skilled in relating stories and anecdotes interestingly.
The raconteur told an amazing story about the civil war.
sine qua non-
— noun:  an indispensable condition, element, or factor; something essential.
Her presence was the sine qua non of every social event.
quixotic-
— adjective:  extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical, or impracticable.
The quixotic young man saved a child from a burning building.
vendetta-
— noun:  a private feud in which the members of the family of a murdered person seek to avenge the murder by killing the slayer or one of the slayer's relatives, especially such vengeance as once practiced in Corsica and parts of Italy.
any prolonged and bitter feud, rivalry, contention, or the like: a political vendetta.
The vendetta between the Montagues and Capulets led to the death of Romeo and Juliet.
non sequitur-
— noun:  an inference or a conclusion that does not follow from the premises.
a statement containing an illogical conclusion.
The statement about horses at the end of the essay about raising cattle was non sequitur to the whole premise of the paper.
mystique-
— noun:  a framework of doctrines, ideas, beliefs, or the like, constructed around a person or object, endowing the person or object with enhanced value or profound meaning.
an aura of mystery or mystical power surrounding a particular occupation or pursuit: the mystique of nuclear science.
The Disney Imagineers have a certain mystique to what they do.
quagmire-
— noun:  an area of miry or boggy ground whose surface yields under the tread; a bog.
a situation from which extrication is very difficult: a quagmire of financial indebtedness.
anything soft or flabby.
When the snow melts, the meadows turn into quagmires.
parlous-
— adjective:  perilous; dangerous.
The parlous ideas of the young man almost got him killed.
Obsolete . clever; shrewd.
His evil plans were obsolete.