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Monday, September 3, 2012

Vocabulary List 4

Apostate: a person who forsakes his religion, cause, party, etc.
sentence: He was considered apostate because he gave up his faith in Christianity.

Effusive: unduly demonstrative; lacking reserve
sentence: Famous people receive effusive praise.

Impasse: a position or situation from which there is no escape.
sentence: He became impasse when he entered the meeting.

Euphoria: a state of intense happiness and self-confidence.
sentence: The mother was hit with euphoria when she found out her daughter was getting married.

Lugubrious: mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner.
sentence: Characters on soap operas use lugubrious monologue.

Bravado: a pretentious, swaggering display of courage.
sentence: Beowulf became known for his bravado in fighting the dragon.

Consensus: majority of opinion
sentence: The consensus of the group was to meet twice a week.

Dichotomy: division into two parts
sentence: A dichotomy is formed in our class room when there are different views on the subject.

Constrict: to slow or stop the natural course or to contract or shrink
sentence: Greed constricted the nation's cultural life.

Gothic: noting or pertaining to a style of architecture, originating in France
sentence: Much of Europe used gothic architecture in their buildings.

Punctilio: a fine point, particular, or detail, as of conduct, ceremony, or procedure.
sentence: The little doves showed punctilio when they flew out at the wedding.

Metamorphosis: a complete change of form, structure, or substance, as transformation
raconteur to tell
sentence: I underwent a metamorphosis since when I was little from being shy to social.

Sine qua non: an indispensable condition, element, or factor; something essential
sentence: Her presence was the sine qua non of every social event.

Quixotic: extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical, or impracticable
sentence: Many girl readers are into to quixotic love stories, rather than realistic romance.

Vendetta: any prolonged and bitter feud, rivalry, contention
sentence: There was a political vendetta.

Non sequitur: an inference or a conclusion that does not follow from the premises.
sentence: The teacher's lecture was a ramble of non sequiturs and irrelevant observations.

Mystique: an aura of mystery or mystical power surrounding a particular occupation or pursuit
sentence: Some people sense mystique in nuclear science.

Quagmire: anything soft or flabby
sentence: We ran into a quagmire of mud.

Parlous: perilous; dangerous
sentence: Giving away your personal information can cause parlous situations.

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