AP Lang - Vocab Unit 11 Level H: Definitions

apostate

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

bravado

(n.) a display of false or assumed courage

consensus

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

constrict

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

dichotomy

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

effusive

(adj.) highly demonstrative; unrestrained

euphoria

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

gothic

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

impasse

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

lugubrious

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

metamorphosis

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

mystique

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

non sequitur

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

parlous

(adj.) full of danger or risk, perilous

punctilio

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

quagmire

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

quixotic

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

raconteur

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

sine qua non

(n.) an essential or indispensable element or condition

vendetta

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