Unit 11 Vocab

Consensus (N.)

Def: A collective or general agreement of opinion, feeling, or thinking Sentence: After an unusually contentious debate, the council finally reached a consensus Synonyms: Unanimity, concord, accord, harmony Antonyms: Dissension, discord, disagreement

Metamorphosis (N.)

Def: A complete transformation, as if by magic Sentence: The beauty makeovers that we sometimes see on talk shows are a kind of metamorphosis Synonyms: change, makeover

Dichotomy (N.)

Def: A division into two contradictory or mutually exclusive parts; a branching or forking in an ancestral line Sentence: Many of the world's great works of literature examine the dichotomy between good and evil Synonyms: Schism, division, bifurcation Antonyms: Uniformity, oneness

Euphoria (N.)

Def: A feeling of great happiness or well-being, often with no objective basis Sentence: It is perfectly normal for a person who wins the lottery to feel an initial surge of euphoria Synonyms: elation, bliss, ecstasy, rapture Antonyms: Melancholy, depression, gloom

Punctilio (N.)

Def: A minute detail of conduct or procedure; an instant of time Sentence: The mark of a true perfectionist is the need to check each and every punctilio personally Synonyms: fine point, nicety

Raconteur (N.)

Def: A person who tells stories and anecdotes with great skill Sentence: The author, a noted raconteur, was much sought after as a dinner party guest Synonyms: Storyteller, anecdotist

Vendetta (N.)

Def: A prolonged feud, often between two families, characterized by retaliatory acts of revenge; any act motivated by vengeance Sentence: the two novelists, once good friends, have been carrying on a literary vendetta for more then two decades Synonyms: blood feud, rivalry

Mystique (N.)

Def: An aura or attitude of mystery or veneration surrounding something or someone Sentence: A mystique still clings to some of the great movie star of the past Synonyms: charisma

Sine qua non (N.)

Def: An essential or indispensable element or condition Sentence: The sine qua non for a successful party is a group of interesting and sociable guests Synonyms: necessity, requisite, desideratum

Non Sequitur (N.)

Def: An interference or conclusion that does not follow logically from the facts or premiss Sentence: When it was the next debater's turn, he confounded us with an argument undermined by non sequitur Synonyms: illogical reference, unsound conclusion

Gothic (Adj.)

Def: Characterized by or emphasizing a gloomy setting and grotesque or violent events; such a literary or artistic style; a type or medieval architecture Sentence: In many a gothic novel, the life of the brooding protagonist is blighted by a dark secret Synonyms: sinister, eerie

Effusive (Adj.)

Def: Highly demonstrative; unrestrained Sentence: I received such an effusive welcome from my hosts that I felt like the party's guest of honor Synonyms: Gushy, lavish Antonyms: Restrained, reserved, muted, subdued

Apostate (N.)

Def: One who forsakes his or her religion, party, or cause Sentence: A politician who switches parties can expect to be denounced by former allies as an apostate Synonyms: renegade, defector, turncoat Antonyms: true believer, loyalist

Lugubrious (Adj.)

Def: Sad, mournful, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree Sentence: The clown's lugubrious face, complete with a painted teardrop, never failed to make the audience laugh Synonyms: doleful, melancholy, dismal, dolorous Antonyms: Merry, jovial, hilarious, funny

Quagmire (N.)

Def: Soft, soggy mud or slush; a difficult or entrapping situation Sentence: After a week of heavy rain, the farmer's fields were reduced to a quagmire Synonyms: Fen, marsh, bog, morass Antonyms: bedrock, solid footing, terra firma

Constrict (V.)

Def: To make smaller or narrower, draw together, squeeze; to stop or cause to falter Sentence: An accident or road repairs can constrict the flow of traffic on a busy highway Synonyms: Contract, curb, resterain Antonyms: enlarge, dilate, expand

Impasse (N.)

Def: a dead end; a position from which there is no escape; a problem to which there is no solution Sentence: When negotiations reached an impasse the workers went out on strike Synonyms: deadlock, standoff, stalemate

Bravado (N.)

Def: a display of false or assumed courage Sentence: The challenger's boast that he would knock the champ out in the first round was sheer bravado Synonyms: swagger, bluster, braggadocio Antonyms: mettle, bravery, pluck

Quixotic (Adj.)

Def: extravagantly or romantically idealistic; visionary without regard to practical considerations Sentence: Utopian fiction presents quixotic fantasies of ideal social orders Synonyms: fanciful, impractical, utopian Antonyms: Realistic, down-to-earth, pragmatic

Parlous (Adj.)

Def: full of danger or risk, perilous Sentence: In a televised speech, the president warned the nation that it faced parlous times Synonyms: Hazardous, risky, dangerous Antonyms: safe, secure, risk-free