VOCABULARY #1

adumbrate	verb give to understand; describe roughly or briefly or give the main points or summary of	I will adumbrate the meeting you missed last week.
apotheosis	noun the elevation of a person (as to the status of a god); model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal	She was the apotheosis of her class, surpassing all the others
ascetic	adj. practicing great self-denial; pertaining to or characteristic of an ascetic or the practice of rigorous self-discipline; noun someone who practices self denial as a spiritual discipline	The ascetic was determined not to give into worldly pleasures.
bauble	noun a mock scepter carried by a court jester; cheap showy jewelry or ornament on clothing	That bauble she was wearing to the party let everyone know how desperate she was.
beguile	verb attract; cause to be enamored; influence by slyness	The young bachelor’s hobbies included beguiling beautiful women.
burgeon	verb grow and flourish	This thought will burgeon into a grand plan.
complement	noun something added to complete or make perfect; either of two parts that mutually complete each other; a word or phrase used to complete a grammatical construction; number needed to make up a whole force; a complete number or quantity; one of a series of enzymes in the blood serum that are part of the immune response;verb make complete or perfect; supply what is wanting or form the complement to	The couple was meant to be, he was her compliment in every way.
contumacious	adj. wilfully obstinate; stubbornly disobedient	The boy was contumacious in eating his vegetables.
curmudgeon	noun a crusty irascible cantankerous old person full of stubborn ideas	At times my grandfather can be a curmudgeon, but I still love him anyways.
didactic	adj. instructive (especially excessively)	The driving instructor was didactic in the new driver’s first lesson.
disingenuous	adj. not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness	I asked a sincere question and got back a disingenuous reply.
exculpate	verb pronounce not guilty of criminal charges	Of course the innocent man was going to exculpate in court.
Faux pas	An embarrassing or tactless act or remark in a social situation	What a faux pas, I totally stuck my foot in my mouth, how was I supposed to know his grandmother died?
unconscionable	adj. greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation; lacking a conscience	He’s made some unconscionable choices that have lead to harsh disciplinary actions.
fulminate	noun a salt or ester of fulminic acid; verb cause to explode violently and with loud noise; come on suddenly and intensely; criticize severely	It is one thing to discuss her mistake privately, but to fulminate her about it in front of the team was cruel.
fustian	noun a strong cotton and linen fabric with a slight nap; pompous or pretentious talk or writing	After being awarded the MVP award, he was joking around with fustian.
hauteur	noun overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors	I hate people who are full of hauteur.
inhibit	verb limit the range or extent of; to put down by force or authority	The rules inhibit me from eating during class, but water is acceptable.
jeremiad	noun a long and mournful complaint	Enough of this jeremiad, just finish your homework!
opportunist	adj. taking immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit; noun a person who places expediency above principle	The opportunist didn’t blink an eye when he backstabbed his best friend to get ahead.