1.

novice

With years of experience under her belt, she was the novice of the team.

A novice is a recent graduate from college.

His mistake should be forgiven because he's still a novice.

2.

inaugural

The coach had a winning record during his inaugural season and went on to win the championship in his second year.

Inaugurals are always intermissions between events.

At the end of his tenure, the president delivered a stirring inaugural speech.

3.

stimulus

A stimulus is basically an insult that deserves a swift response.

I was so stimulated by the program that I fell asleep in front of the TV.

In order to stimulate the economy, the Federal Reserve Board lowered interest rates.

4.

terminate

When the patient ran out of money, treatment had to be terminated.

His termination was so strong that he overcame all obstacles.

A terminator is a person who negotiates the terms of a contract.

5.

wane

The show's popularity waned steadily until it reached the highest ranking.

He promised to wane the proposal at the first opportunity.

My enthusiasm for the candidate waned when she started to express opinions I strongly disagreed with.

6.

incentive

I don't need any incentives, I'm looking for a reward to continue with this drudgery.

To me, getting some free samples is not enough of an incentive to participate in the study.

His tirade was so incentive that his office was flooded with protests for days to come.

7.

initiate

At many universities, hazing has been banned as a means to initiate freshmen.

The initiates of a club are those members that know best how it works.

She was an initiate reader who went through several books per week.

8.

rudimentary

At the most rudimentary level, computers handle patterns of ones and zeros.

The comments of the candidate were considered unforgivably rudimentary by her opponent, who demanded an apology.

This explanation is too rudimentary for me: it's way over my head.

9.

finale

Appetizers are meant to be the grand finales of a meal.

The typical finale of an action movie is a fierce battle between hero and villain.

A finale cannot terminate* an event.

10.

apex

One cannot sink lower than an apex.

Winning the Super Bowl was the apex of John Madden's career as a head coach.

The good-bye dinner was a fitting apex to her long and successful career.