Term
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Definition
to caution or advise against something;to scold mildly;to remind of a duty
Verb
Synonyms
warn, call on the carpet
Antonyms
prasie, pat on the back
The librarian had to admonish the noisy students serveral times before they settled down. |
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Term
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Definition
an opening, gap, rupture, rift; a violation or infraction; to create an opening, break through
Noun, Verb
Antonyms
close, seal
Because of a serious breach of the rules, two players were ejected from the game.
Our troops were unable to breach the enemy's lines during battle. |
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Term
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Definition
a bandit, robber, outlaw, highwayman
Noun
Ancient carawans passing through desolate areas were sometimes attacked by brigands. |
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Term
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Definition
careful, cautious
Noun
Synonyms
wary, prudent, guarded
Antonyms
incautious, rash, reckless, heedless
It is important for a diplomat to be in a manner that is both discreet and circumspect. |
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Term
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Definition
to seize for military or official use
Verb
Synonyms
take over, requisition, expropriate
Under certaion circumstances the U.S. government has the right to commandeer private property. |
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Term
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Definition
clumsy, hard to handle; slow-moving
Adjective
Synonyms
unwieldy, ponderous
Antonyms
manageable, easy to handle
The bus was filled to capacity with holiday shoppers carrying large and cumbersome packages. |
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Term
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Definition
a standstill resulting from the opposition of two equal forces or fractions; to bring to such a standstill
Noun, Verb
Synonyms
standoff, stalemate, impasse
Antonyms
agreement, accord, breakthrough
After 15 innings, the score remained a 3-3 deadlock.
The refusal of laber and management to modify their demands deadlocked the contract negotiations.
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Term
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Definition
scattered fragments, wreckage
Noun
Synonyms
rubble, detritus, flotsam and jetsam
After the storm, the beach was littered with driftwood and other debris.
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Term
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Definition
to spread or scatter freely or widely; wordy, long-winded, or unfocused; scatter or widely spread
Verb, Adjective
Synonyms
disperse; rambling, verbose, prolix
Antonyms
concentrate; brief, concise, succinct
The scent of lilacs slowly diffused through the open window.
The speech was so long and diffuse that most people were confused by it. |
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Term
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Definition
a difficult or perplexing situation or problem
Noun
Synonyms
predicament, quandary, pickle, bind
Antonyms
cinch
During the crisis the President found himself caught in a painful dilemma.
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Term
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Definition
to wipe out; to keep oneself from being noticed
Verb
Synonyms
blot out, erase, obliterate, expunge
Time had effaced almost all signs of the struggle that took place on that famous battlefield. |
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Term
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Definition
to make a mess of; muddle through; to get by; a hopeless mess
Verb, Noun
Synonyms
jumble, mess up; confusison, disorder
Antonyms
orderliness, tidiness, neatness
Too much stress and too little sleep will almost certainly muddle a person's abilty to concentrate.
The muddle was caused by the failure to carry out their orders. |
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Term
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Definition
stubborn and often unreasonable in holing to one's own ideas, having a closed mind.
Adjective
Synonyms
obstinate, pigheaded, inflexible
Antonyms
open-minded, reasonable
My boss is not too opinionated to listen to a reasonable proposal. |
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Term
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Definition
lasting for a long time, persistent; a plant that lives for many years
Adjective, Noun
Synonyms
enduring, recurring
Antonyms
brief, short-lived, fleeting, ephemeral
Pizza is a perennial favorite of young and old alike in the U.S.
A garden of perennial of relatively easy to maintain. |
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Term
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Definition
to incline to beforehand
Verb
Synonyms
maske susceptible to
Antonyms
immunize against, shield from
My genetic makeup seems to predispose me to colds and sore throats. |
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Term
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Definition
to save from fire or shipwreck; property thus saved
Verb; Noun
Synonyms
rescue, recover, retrieve, reclaim
Antonyms
abandon, scrap, junk
Fortunately, we were able to salvage a few things from the fire.
Salvage from sunken ships can be of great value to archeologists and historians. |
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Term
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Definition
to let go, give up
Verb
Synonyms
surrender, abandon
Antonyms
hold on to, keep, retain, cling to
Severe illness forced me to relinquish my role in the school play. |
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Term
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Definition
sudden and violent but brief; fitful; intermittent
Adjective
Synonyms
irregular, occansional
Antonyms
steady, continuous, chronic
Spasmodic flashes of lightning and booming thunderclaps were accompanied by torrential rain.
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Term
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Definition
not genuine, not true, not valid
Adjective
Synonyms
false, counterfeit, fraudulent, bogus
Antonyms
genuine, authentic, bona fide, valid
Manufacturers who make spurious claims for their products may face fines or lawsuits. |
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Term
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Definition
uncontrolled, lacking in restraint
Adjective
Synonyms
unrestrained, unchecked
Antonyms
restrained, held in check, muted
Sometimes the unbridled enthusiasm of sports fans can get a little out of hand. |
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