Vocabulary

Spring
adumbrate- to report or represent in an outline
apotheosis- highest point in the development of something
ascetic- characterized or alluding to the practice of severe self-discipline
bauble- a small, showy trinket
beguile- to charm or enchant
burgeon- begin to grow or increase rapidly
complement- something that completes or makes a whole of something else
contumacious- stubbornly or willfully disobedient 
curmudgeon- bad tempered or surly person
didactic- intended to teach
Accoutrements- equips/outfits
Apogee- the point in the orbit of a satellite furthest from the earth
Apropos- with reference to
Bicker- to engage in petty squabbling
Coalesce- to grow or come together
Contretemps- inopportune or embarrassing occurrence
Convolution- a tortuous winding or twisting together
Cull- to gather
Disparate- completely distinct
Dogmatic- marked by an authoritarian, arrogant assertion of principles
Licentious- immoral
Mete- to deal out
Noxious- injurious to health/morals
Polemic- a controversy, argument, or refutation
Populous- populated heavily
Probity- integrity
Repartee- swift, witty reply
Supervene- to occur as something unexpected
Truncate- to shorten by cutting off end or top
Unimpeachable- beyond doubt or question

apostate- person who renounces a religious or political belief.

effusive- expressing feelings of pleasure or approval in a heartfelt manner.

impasse- a situation in which no progress is possible.
euphoria- feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness.
lugubrious- looking/sounding sad or dismal.
bravado- show of boldness intended to intimidate.
consensus- general agreement.
dichotomy- contrast between two things that are opposed or entirely different.
constrict- to make narrower.
Gothic- belonging to the Dark Ages, potentially gloom or horrifying.
punctilio- fine/petty point of conduct or procedure.
metamorphosis- process of transformation, immature->mature.
raconteur- person who tells anecdotes in a skillful way.
sine qua non- an essential condition.
quixotic- exceedingly idealistic.
vendetta- seeking of vengeance.
non sequitur- a statement that does not logically follow the prior statement.
mystique- fascinating aura of mystery, awe, and power surrounding someone or something.
quagmire- soft, boggy area of land.
parlous- full of danger or uncertainty. 

Fall
expository- intended to explain or describe something
Ex. She wrote an expository article on the origin of life.
composition- the nature of somethings constituents
Ex. He wrote a composition for the choir to sing.
assuage- to make something that is unpleasant less intense
Ex. I helped assuage his sadness after his mother had died by hanging out with him. 
decadence- period of deterioration or decline.
Ex. The average person from the Middle East condemns the decadence of western society. 
hackneyed- lacking significance due to being overused 
Ex. The meaning of the term Y.O.L.O. became hackneyed after a few months. 
coalition- pact or treaty
Ex. The two factions formed a coalition to fight off the totalitarian Emperor and his army.
transcend- to rise above or go beyond the range of limits
Ex. During the Harlem Renaissance, African American literature began to transcend culture. 
meritorious- deserving praise, merit
Ex. The parents awarded their meritorious daughter be taking her out to dinner. 
lurid- gruesome, horrible, revolting
Ex. After watching the lurid crime show for ten minutes, I  had to change the channel.
petulant- bad-tempered
Ex. The child became petulant after her mother refused to buy her the toy.
 obesity- excessive accumulation and storage of fat
Ex. Obesity has become a huge problem in the USA and throughout the globe in the last few decades. 
accumulate- to gather or pile up
Ex. The cup I left out in the rain began to accumulate a noticeable amount of water after a few hours. 
mass- a quantity or aggregate of matter
Ex. Everything in the world has a certain mass, such as bodies, big or small.                           
disease- a condition that impairs normal functioning
Ex. I was worried when I found at my mom had heart disease.                                           
diet- to eat and drink sparingly or according to prescribed rules
Ex. The general population believes that going on a diet will result in a loss of weight, which simply is not true without a proper exercise routine.                                                     
prevalence- the state of being widespread
Ex. The prevalence of obesity in children is shocking and unbelievable.                           
stigma- a mark of shame
Ex. A certain stigma resides over being obese as many people think less of you.
prevent(able)- something that is able to be kept from happening
Ex. In most cases obesity is preventable, you must be willing to work on the problem to find a solution.               adolescent- someone who is young
Ex. My adolescent brother already weighs 200 lbs.                                                   
cardiovascular- of, relating to, or involving the heart and blood vessels
Ex. My great grandfather died of a disease relating to his cardiovascular system.               
excessive- more than what is necessary, proper, normal
Ex. The amount of food some Americans eat is extremely excessive.                                 
sedentary- not migratory, settled
Ex. Sedentary soil lies all over the place.                                                                                   
predispose- to dispose of in advance
Ex. Lack or exercise may predispose an individual to high blood pressure.
syndrome- a group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a particular 
abnormality or condition
Ex. My cousin had down's syndrome, but he is one of the happiest guys you will ever meet.
mechanism- a process, technique, or system for achieving a result
Ex. You may require a mechanism to be able to lose those 50 lbs.accomplice-a person who helps another commit a crime
Ex. He was my accomplice in the bank robbery.
 annihilate- destroy completely
Ex. The wrecking ball was meant to annihilate my house before we built a new one.
 arbitrary- based on random choice
Ex. My selection for senior pictures was arbitrary.
 brazen- bold/ without shame
Ex. With a brazen disregard for the rules, the man continued talking loudly on his cell phone in the library.
 catalyst- something that increases rate of a process 
Ex. Her death was a catalyst to the solution of the problem of drinking and driving.
 exodus- mass departure of people
Ex. My ancestors went on an exodus to the new world.
 facilitate- to make easy
Ex. My teacher was able to facilitate the word problem I did not understand.
 incorrigible- not able to be connected
Ex. Our relationship was incorrigible after the breakup.
 latent- concealed
Ex. My talent for singing is latent.
 militant- combative/ aggressive in support of a political or social issue.
Ex. The senator was militant in his disapproval of same-sex marriage.
 morose- sullen/ ill-tempered
Ex. Her attitude towards school work was very morose.
 opaque- not transparent
Ex. The window in our living room is opaque, and therefore useless.
 paramount- more important that anything else, supreme
Ex. Her paramount actions proved how spoiled she must have been as a child.
 prattle- talk at length in a foolish way
Ex. My mother and I prattled for an hour last night.
 rebut- claim that something is false
Ex. He had to rebut charges of rape in order to save his politcal career.
 reprimand- express sharp disapproval
Ex. He was reprimanded for his use of swear words in the work place.
 servitude- state of being subject to someone more powerful
Ex. I took a sentence of servitude over that of jail time.
 slapdash- done hurriedly of carelessly
Ex. Her project was definitely slapdash.
 stagnant- having no current or flow
Ex. The pond is always stagnant at this time of the year.
 succumb- fail to resist
Ex. I succumbed to the pressure.
 accede- agree to a demand or request
Ex. My father usually accedes to my mother's requests for work to be done.
 brandish- wave (a weapon) as a threat
Ex. My brother always makes brandish moves when he is playing with his light saber.
 comprise- consist of; be made of
Ex. The blog post you are reading is comprised of vocabulary words and their definitions. 
 deft- quick
Ex. The old lady was deft for her age, she sneaked out of sight seemingly instantly. 
 destitute- without basic necessities of life 
Ex. When we found her she was destitute and had hypothermia. 
 explicit- stated clearly
Ex. When my dad is angry, the words coming out of his moth are explicit.
 extirpate- root out/destroy completely
Ex. The company said they could extirpate the ants living in our home.
 inopportune- occurring at an inconvenient time 
Ex. The man crossed the street at an inopportune moment, just as a rushing car slammed into him.
 ironic- happening in the opposite way to what is expected.
Ex. It's ironic that the school was closed for a snow day just one day after the Superintendent stated that there would be little snow this winter.
 musty- having a stale, moldy or damp smell
Ex. Those chips began to smell musty over the weeks.
 officious- intrusively enthusiastic in offering help
Ex. The newly instate boss became officious after his promotion. 
 ominous- giving the impression that something bad is going to happen
Ex. Every suspenseful book gives you an ominous feeling before a big reveal.
 pinnacle- peak
Ex. Most people reach the pinnacle of their career during their 30's. 
 premeditated- thought out beforehand 
Ex. My wife's birthday dinner was premeditated, it took weeks to plan.
 rampant- spreading unchecked
Ex. The disease had become rampant in our state, infecting millions.
 solace- comfort in a time of distress or sadness
Ex. I provided solace to my mother after my grandmother died.
 stately- having a dignified manner of appearance
Ex. The young prince acted in a stately manner wherever he went.
 supple- readily adaptable to new situations
Ex. The species is supple to the new environment.
 suppress- forcibly put an end to
Ex. The police forcibly suppressed the riot.
 venal- open to bribery
Ex. It was well known that the police captain was a venal official.
 adroit- clever or skillful in using hands or mind
Ex. Albert Einstein was known for being adroit in anything analytical.
 amicable- having a spirit or friendliness
Ex. The young boy was amicable even after the death of his mother.
 averse- having a strong dislike or opposition to something
Ex. He is averse to the idea of the legalization of medical marijuana.
 belligerent- hostile/aggressive 
Ex. When asked to go take a bath by his mother, the boy became belligerent and uncontrollable.
 benevolent- well meaning and kindly
Ex. The new family had nothing but benevolent feelings towards their new neighbors.
 cursory- hasty/not thorough or detailed
Ex. I performed a cursory review of the test because I did not have enough time to study.
 duplicity- having two parts
Ex. He was warned not to trust the woman, who was known for her duplicity.
 extol- praise enthusiastically
Ex. Most of the world seems to extol the politician, but I do not think much of him.
 feasible- possible to do easily
Ex. Some people did not think it was feasible, but we built the tower in 40 days.
 grimace- facial expression of pain or disgust
Ex. After being shot in the foot, a grimace ran across his face.
 holocaust- destruction/slaughter on a mass scale
Ex. The bubonic plague created a holocaust of deadly proportions.
 impervious- not allowing to pass through
Ex. The dam was seemingly impervious to the rushing water.
 impetus- force or energy
Ex. The approaching deadline gave impetus to the investigation.
 jeopardy- danger of loss, harm or failure
Ex. When going to serve overseas, you put your life in jeopardy every day.
 meticulous- showing great attention to detail
Ex. He was meticulous in the way he organized his Cd's.
 nostalgia- sentimental longing or affection for the past
Ex. After seeing that old movie, a sudden rush of nostalgia crossed my body.
 quintessence- the most perfect or typical example of a quality
Ex. Cups of tea are the quintessence of being English.
 retrogress- go back to an earlier state
Ex. Our economy is retrogressing ti the way it was years ago.
 scrutinize- examine or inspect thoroughly
Ex. The police investigator and his team scrutinized the house for any clues.
 tepid- showing little enthusiasm
Ex. I have a tepid look on my face throughout the musical.
cursory-  hasty/not thorough or detailed
Ex. I performed a cursory review of the test because I did not have time to study.
impetus- force or energy
Ex. The approaching deadline gave impetus to the investigation.
pinnacle- peak
Ex. Most people reach the pinnacle of their career during their 30's.
contumely- insulting language or treatment
Ex. The little girl contumely interrupted my speech.
bereavement- grief
Ex. It took three years of bereavement to get over my grandmother's death.
cache- a collection of items stored in a hidden place
Ex. Many drug dealers have a cache where they keep their drugs.
consummation- the point at which something is completed
Ex. Many couples consummate their marriage on their wedding night.
calamity- a disaster
Ex. Many hurricanes and earthquakes are considered calamities, causing billions of dollars in damage.
avarice- greed
Ex. Out of pure avarice, the young boy lunged for the last piece of cake.
fortify- strengthen
Ex. The military base made sure to fortify their defenses prior to the incoming attack.
erratic- unpredictable
Ex. The teenage girl was known for being erratic, often times changing her mind at the last minute.
ubiquitous- found everywhere
Ex. Poverty is one thing that is ubiquitous around the world.
fortitude- courage in pain or adversity
Ex. She endured her illness with great fortitude.
nonchalant- not displaying enthusiasm
Ex. The boy nonchalantly walked up and won the prize at the carnival booth.
affect- make a difference to
Ex. The cold weather began to affect my mood.
effect- a change that is the result or consequence of an action
Ex. One effect of drinking alcohol is impaired judgement.
misappropriate- dishonestly/unfairly take
Ex. Department officials had misappropriated funds.
pragmatic- dealing with things sensibly/realistically 
Ex. The senator had a pragmatic approach to politics.
metacognition- understanding of one's own thought processes
Ex. He had a metacognition of the way his brain solved arithmetic problems.
devoutly- in a devoted way
Ex. The priest spoke devoutly of his love for God.
ultimate- greatest or most extreme.
Ex. The man made the ultimate sacrifice for his daughter, taking the bullet that was headed for her heart.
interactive- two things or people having an influence on  each other. 
Ex. The homework assignment last night was very interactive, making me actually want to continue doing it.
principle- a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.
Ex. I refuse to smoke cigarettes on the principle that they cause cancer. guidance- advice or information aimed at resolving a problem or difficulty, esp. as given by someone in authority.
Ex. At one point I was living on the streets, but with proper guidance from my grandmother I am now living in my own apartment. collaboration- the action of working with someone to produce or create something.
Ex. We have ample chances for collaboration in Dr. Preston's class, it all depends on whether we take the leap of faith or not. formative- serving to form something, esp. having a profound and lasting influence on a person's development.
Ex. In their formative years, youungsters don't always make the best decisions. summative- relating to the addition of something.
Ex. 
racism- the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, esp. so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.
Ex. Racism is a sick thing, why can't we all be treated with respect as human beings?
intelligence- the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.
Ex. It is tough to gauge someone's intelligence, as not all intelligent people attempt to acquire knowledge.