adumbrate - verb give to understand; describe roughly or briefly or give the main points or summary of Ex: My dad adumbrated the principle that I must work hard to be successful.
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 Ex: That cocky man thinks he is the apotheosis of a supermodel.
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 Ex: I live a quiet and ascetic life.
bauble - noun a mock scepter carried by a court jester; cheap showy jewelry or ornament on clothing Ex: When the bauble shattered from dropping off the tree it was hard to clean up.
beguile - verb attract; cause to be enamored; influence by slyness Ex: He beguiled his boredom by playing basketball two hours a day.
burgeon - verb grow and flourish Ex: The romantic office began to burgeon when more couples got together.
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 Ex: The blue curtains complemented the colors in the wall.
contumacious - adj. wilfully obstinate; stubbornly disobedient Ex: The little boy was contumacious when it came to eating foods he didn't like.
curmudgeon - noun a crusty irascible cantankerous old person full of stubborn ideas Ex: Ebenezer Scrooge was a curmudgeon for a long time.
didactic - adj. instructive (especially excessively) Ex: Coaches can be didactic when it comes to teaching their players.
disingenuous - adj. not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness Ex: The woman's actions made her seem disingenuous and gave mixed signals to her lover.
exculpate - verb pronounce not guilty of criminal charges Ex: The murderer was exculpated when the jury figured out his wife committed the crime.
faux pas - adj. not genuine or real; being an imitation or the genuine article Ex: When the lady talked about her old marriages she was not faux pas, it seemed as if she was lying.
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 Ex: When you shoot at dynamite with a flamed arrow it can fulminate.
fustian - noun a strong cotton and linen fabric with a slight nap; pompous or pretentious talk or writing Ex: The coat was made of a strong material called fustian.
hauteur - noun overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors Ex: The general had hauteur when talking to his cadets.
inhibit - verb limit the range or extent of; to put down by force or authority Ex: The bear had to be inhibited because of its attitude.
jeremiad - noun a long and mournful complaint Ex: The students parent came to the office with a jeremiad that made the office staff groan.
opportunist - adj. taking immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit; noun a person who places expediency above principle Ex: To be a successful in life you must be an opportunist that goes and gets what you want.
unconscionable - adj. greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation; lacking a conscience Ex: The man was unconscionable when he made the choice to jump off the cliff.
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