VOCABULARY #1

1. adumbrate - to foreshadow something or give a vague indication  "The eerie atmosphere in the building adumbrated the fatal event to come. "
2. apotheosis - highest level of glory or power, best example of something "The king was the apotheosis within all lands of the west."
3. ascetic - austere "Many Buddhist monks are ascetic."
4. bauble - trinket, something that is small and decorative but of little real value "The cheap ring was nothing more than a bauble."
5. beguile - to charm or deceive somebody "The greedy man chose to beguile a victim to acquire more money."
6. burgeon - to produce new growth or flourish "The garden that was planted only a few days ago burgeoned to a beautiful sight."
7.  complement - something that completes a whole "The couple ordered a complement to their meal."
8. contumacious - very resistant to authority, rebellious "The contumacious rebels would not give up their hope for a new government."
9. curmudgeon - somebody who is irritable or stubborn "He can sometimes be very curmudgeon and unwilling to listen to anyone."
10. didactic - moral "The great political speaker held didactic messages in his speech."
11. disingenuous - withholding information, not genuinely sincere "The captured rebel was stern to be disingenuous about his knowledge.
12. exculpate - prove somebody innocent "The lawyer did his best to exculpate the accused women."
13. faux pas - social blunder, an embarrassing mistake that breaks a social convention "She is well known among her colleagues that she makes faux pas frequently."
14. fulminate - speak scathingly or explode "The chemistry experiment lead to a fulminated disaster."
15. fustian - bombastic "His words were nothing but fustian."
16. hauteur - arrogance, haughty manner "When it comes to certain topics, she displayed a hauteur and irritated her listeners."
17. inhibit - to stop something from continuing or developing "The experiment had to be inhibited due to safety reasons."
18. jeremiad - lengthy complaint "The family was ready to give their jeremiad about the noisy neighbor."
19. opportunist  - somebody who takes advantage of something "The entrepreneur was a sole opportunist."
20. unconscionable - morally unacceptable, unreasonable "His excuse for not having his homework was unconscionable."