Vocabulary #3

apostate: a person who renounces a religious or political belief; abandoning a religious principle
An apostate could be someone who has committed blasphemy against the Church.

effusive: lacking reserve; overly demonstrative; overflowing; pouring out
His effusive salutations were a  too much for a funeral reception.

impasse: a situation from which there is no escape; a deadlock; a road that has no outlet
The two arguing brothers found that they were at an impasse when neither would compromise on their share of the chores.

euphoria: a state of intense happiness and self-confidence; a feeling of well-being
The couple was filled with euphoria on their wedding day.

lugubrious: mournful; dismal; gloomy, especially in an unrelieved manner
The poet wrote many poems regarding his lugubrious childhood as an orphan.

bravado: a pretentious, swaggering display of courage
The hero's bravado when dealing with his enemies was admirable but somewhat annoying.

consensus: majority of opinion; general agreement or concord; harmony
The consensus of the class was that the homework assignment was not relevant to the course material.

dichotomy: division into two parts; division into two contradictory groups
A dichotomy exists between people that believe that children are born evil and those that believe children are raised to be evil through the environment.

constrict: compress; cause to contract or shrink; to slow the natural development of
Listening to loud music constricted her ability to read her book.

gothic: pertaining to a style of architecture originating in France in the 12th century; characterized by the use of the pointed arch and the ribbed vault
The mansion had a gothic feel to it, with both arches and spires as part of its architecture.

punctilio: a fine point, particular, or detail referring to conduct; strictness in the observance of formalities
His attention to punctilios during the ceremony took too long and annoyed everyone.

metamorphosis: complete change of form or in appearance or character
His metamorphosis from a high school drop out to the highest achiever in his class shocked everyone.

raconteur: a person who is skilled in relating stories and anecdotes interestingly
He was a such an excellent raconteur that he could make a trip to the grocery store sound like the most interesting story you have ever heard of the time.

sine qua non: an indispensable condition, element, or factor; something essential
Graduating from at least high school is seen as the sin qua non for getting a job in life with a livable salary.

quixotic: extravagantly romantic; impractical; impulsive; rashly unpredictable
Even though the student knew that the assignment was non-negotiable, he felt a quixotic urge to argue with the teacher to cancel the project.

vendetta: prolonged and bitter feud or rivalry
The Capulets had a vendetta with the Montagues in the play Romeo and Juliet.

non sequitur: a statement containing an illogical conclusion; an inference that doesn't follow from the premises
He came to non sequitur conclusion that rabbits are humans through the premises that rabbits have ears, and all humans have ears

mystique: a framework of doctrines, ideas, and beliefs constructed around a person or object
The mystique of the universe can be time consuming when thought about.

quagmire: a bog; a situation from which extrication is difficult; anything soft or flabby
She found herself in a quagmire when she missed her stop to get off of the bus, and the next stop was in the neighboring state.

parlous: perilous; dangerous; clever; shrewd
The parlous career path as a police officer can be very stressful.