Vocabulary #1

Thank you to Siera and Dr. Preston for making it a whole lot easier and less time consuming to find the definitions for the words in Vocab List #1!


1.adumbrate - verb: give to understand; describe roughly or briefly or give the main points or summary of; Alex adumbrated the rules because he wanted to get on with the game.
2.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 an apotheosis; she knew everything of everyone and was the closest anyone on earth came to attaining perfection.
3.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; Some described him as an ascetic because he never believed the spiritual truth that laid right in front of him.
4.bauble - noun: a mock scepter carried by a court jester; cheap showy jewelry or ornament on clothing; The girl wanted to fit in with the rich kids at the party, so she wore some fake pearls she found at a thrift shop. Unfortunately for her, the fashion-savvy teens spotted her baubles from a mile away.
5.beguile - verb: attract; cause to be enamored; influence by slyness; He was beguiled by the young woman's bright blue eyes and the heir of mystery she had about her.
6.burgeon - verb: grow and flourish; The vegetables began to burgeon during spring, when there was more rain to keep them hydrated.
7.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; Her glass slippers complemented the light blue gown that she wore to the ball.
8.contumacious - adj.: willfully obstinate; stubbornly disobedient;  The young lad contumaciously refused to take his medicine a number of times, even though his parents told him to.
9.curmudgeon - noun: a crusty irascible cantankerous old person full of stubborn ideas; Grandma always seemed to be a curmudgeon, stuck in the past and refusing to accept any modern technology or help from her grandchildren.
10.didactic - adj.: instructive (especially excessively); Her thoughts were always very didactic; there was always something to learn from them.
11.disingenuous - adj.: not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness; Although he promised he wouldn't tell my secret, I could tell he was being disingenuous and only wanted to know so he could blab about it to everyone.
12.exculpate - verb: pronounce not guilty of criminal charges; The suspect was exculpated by the court, though the victims were still unsure of the validity behind it.
13.faux - adj.: not genuine or real; being an imitation of the genuine article pas - noun: (ballet) a step in dancing (especially in classical ballet); The usually fashionable style student committed a fashion faux pas when she accidentally wore two conflicting patterns after staying up all night studying for her midterm.
14.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; The teacher fulminated the student when he didn't turn in a single piece of homework.
15.fustian - noun: a strong cotton and linen fabric with a slight nap; pompous or pretentious talk or writing; The med student's essay was nothing but fustian, speaking highly of himself and avoiding the real issues.
16.hauteur - noun: overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors; He walked around with a sense of hauteur about him-belittling everyone who he deemed unworthy of his presence.
17.inhibit - verb: limit the range or extent of; to put down by force or authority; The officer was able to tackle the robber, long enough to inhibit him from doing anymore damage.
18.jeremiad - noun: a long and mournful complaint; The next door neighbor issued a jeremiad that went on and on about the Smith's barking chihuahua.
19.opportunist - adj.: taking immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit; noun: a person who places expediency above principle; Caleb was an opportunist, always taking chances no matter what they were.
20.unconscionable - adj.: greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation; lacking a conscience; The unconscionable criminal killed 24 people for no reason, without giving it a second thought.