| A | B |
|---|
| curmudgeon | an irascible, churlish person |
| beguile | to mislead or deceive; to cheat; to divert; to cause to vanish unnoticed |
| complement | something that completes a whole; the quantity or number needed to make up a whole; the full number or allowance; to complete |
| ascetic | practicing strict self-denial for the sake of personal or spiritual discipline; one who leads a life of self-discipline, especially to express religious devotion |
| adumbrate | to outline or sketch broadly; to foreshadow or prefigure; to disclose partially |
| apotheosis | the elevation or a person to divine rank or status; the glorification of a person as an ideal; a glorified ideal |
| contumacious | obstinately or willfully disobedient; openly rebellious |
| burgeon | to put forth new buds, leaves, or greenery; to develop rapidly or suddenly |
| bauble | a small, showy ornament of little value or use |
| didactic | intended to instruct, especially morally; inclined to moralize too much |
| hauteur | haughtiness of bearing or attitude |
| jeremiad | an elaborate or prolonged lamentation; any tale of woe |
| unconscionable | not guided or restrained by conscience, prudence, or reason; unscrupulous; immoderate |
| faux pas | a slip in manners or conduct; a social blunder |
| opportunist | one who makes a practice of taking advantage of circumstances to further his or her own self-interest, regardless of principles or ultimate consequences |
| disingenuous | lacking in sincerity or candor |
| fustian | inflated or pretentious language in speech or writing; a cloth made of cotton and flax |
| inhibit | to restrain or hold back; to hinder or arrest; to prohibit |
| fulminate | to denounce or condemn vehemently; to explode, detonate |
| exculpate | to clear of guilt or blame |
