Gothic Lit Unit 11 Vocabulary

apostate

(n.) one who forsakes his or her religion, party, or cause

SYN: renegade, defector

ANT: true believer

bravado

(n.) a display of false or assumed courage

SYN: swagger, braggadocio

ANT: bravery

consensus

(n.) a collective or general agreement of opinion, feeling, or thinking

SYN: concord, harmony

ANT: discord, disagreement

constrict

(v.) to make smaller or narrower, draw together, or squeeze; to stop or cause to falter

SYN: contract, restrain

ANT: enlarge, dilate, expand

dichotomy

(n.) a division into two contradictory or mutually exclusive parts; a branching or forking in an ancestral line
SYN: schism

ANT: uniformity

effusive

(adj.) highly demonstrative; unrestrained

SYN: lavish

ANT: reserved, muted, subdued

euphoria

(n.) a feeling of great happiness or well-being, often with no objectve basis

SYN: elation, bliss, ecstasy

ANT: depression, gloom

gothic

(adj.) characterized by or emphasizing a gloomy setting and grotesque or violent events; such as literary or artistic style; a type of medieval architecture

SYN: sinister

impasse

(n.) a dead end; a position from which there is no escape; a problem to which there is no solution

SYN: stalemate

lugubrious

(adj.) sad, mournful, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree

SYN: melancholy

ANT: jovial, hilarious, funny

metamorphosis

(n.) a complete transformation, as if by magic

SYN: change, makeover

mystique

(n.) an aura or attitude of mystery or veneration surrounding something or someone

SYN: charisma

non sequitur

(n.) an inference or conclusion that does not follow logically from the facts or premises

SYN: illogical reference, unsound conclusion

parlous

(adj.) full of danger or risk, perilous

SYN: hazardous, risky, dangerous

ANT: safe, secure, risk-free

punctilio

(n.) a minute detail of conduct or procedure; an instant of time

SYN: nicety

quagmire

(n.) soft, soggy mud or slush; a difficult or entrapping situation

SYN: marsh

ANT: bedrock, solid footing

quixotic

(adj.) extravagantly or romantically idealistic; visionary without regard to practical considerations

SYN: fanciful, utopian

ANT: realistic, down-to-earth, pragmatic

reconteur

(n.) a person who tells stories and anecdotes with great skill

SYN: anecdotist

sine qua non

(n.) an essential or indispensable element or condition

SYN: necessity

vendetta

(n.) a prolonged feud, often between two families, characterized by retaliatory acts of revenge; any act motivated by vengeance

SYN: blood feud, rivalry