Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Vocabulary 3- (Sorry for the late post, I'm out sick :( )


Apostate: n. a person who forsakes his religion, cause, party, etc.
       The apostate abandoned his losing team to go play on a team he thought would win.

Effusive: adj. unduly demonstrative or lacking reserve, pouring out or overflowing
       Her effusive life story took well over an hour to tell, complete with tears and hand gestures.

Impasse: n. position or situation which there was no escape, cul-de-sac
       The man was in an impasse when he had to admit to his wife about his cheating since he was caught red handed.

Euphoria: n. a state of intense happiness and self-confidence
       The mother was flooded with euphoria as she watched her daughter graduate from high school.

Lugubrious: adj. mournful or gloomy in an exaggerated or unrelieved manner
       The lugubrious songs of heartbreak filled the radio as Adele became popular.
      
Bravado: n. pretentious, swaggering display of courage
       His bravado cost many friendships and jobs throughout his life.

Consensus: n. majority of opinion, general agreement or concord
       The general consensus in the family was that they were to have pasta for dinner.

Dichotomy: n. division of two parts/kinds or subdivision into halves or pairs, division into two mutually exclusive, opposed, or contradictory groups
       The dichotomy between the man’s thought and actions were vastly different.

Constrict: v. to draw or press in, to contract or shrink, compress, to slow or stop the natural course of development
       The anaconda constricted its prey to death.

Gothic: adj. pertaining to a certain style of architecture, painting or sculpture, pertaining to the Goths or their language, pertaining to the Middle Ages or medieval times
       Notre Dame is a gothic cathedral.

Punctilio: n. a fine point or detail as of conduct, ceremony, or procedure, strictness or exactness in the observances of formalities or amenities
       The party planner had many punctilios when it came to the set up of the ceremony.

Metamorphosis: n. the change in form from one stage to the next (caterpillar to butterfly), a change in form or structure by magic or witchcraft, a complete change in appearance or character, a form resulting from any such change
       The caterpillar underwent metamorphosis, as it became a beautiful butterfly.

Raconteur: n. a person who is skilled in relating stories or anecdotes interestingly
       The master raconteur related her struggle with addiction and sobriety to the story of the tortoise and the hare.

sine qua non: n. an indispensable condition or element, something essential
       The queen’s presence was the sine qua non for the royal wedding.

Quixotic: adj. resembling or befitting of Don Quixote, extravagantly chivalrous or romantic, impulsive and often rashly unpredictable
       The quixotic man arranged an extravagant date for his wife where they flew to San Francisco for dinner on a private jet.

Vendetta: n. a prolonged and bitter feud, rivalry, contention
       The vendetta between the girls was constantly determining their actions and secretly tearing their friendship apart.

Non sequitur: n. logia statement containing an illogical conclusion
       The senator spewed non-sequiturs during his argument in congress.

Mystique: n. aura of mystery or mystical power surrounding a particular occupation or pursuit
       The mystique of being a nuclear engineer lured the boy into the profession.

Quagmire: n. anything soft or flabby, a situation which extrication is very difficult, a bog
       The quagmire was difficult to cross.

Parlous: adj. perilous, dangerous
       The parlous journey the knight took made him slay a dragon.

No comments:

Post a Comment