admonish

verb

3

The librarian had to admonish the noisy students several times before they settled down.

to caution or advice against something; to scold mildy; to remind of a duty

Syn- warn, call on the carpet

Ant- praise, pat on the back

breach

noun, verb

0

Because of the serious breach of the rules, two players were ejected from the game.

Our troops were unable to breach the enemy's lines during the battle.

N- an opening, gap, rupture, rift; a violation or infraction; V- to create an opening, break through

Ant- V- close, seal

brigand

Noun

2

Ancient caravans passing through desolate areas were attacked by brigand.

circumspect

Adj

3

It is important for a diplomat to behave in a manner that is both discreet and circumspect

careful, cautious

Syn- wary, prudent, guarded

Ant- incautious, rash, reckless, heedless

commandeer

Verb

3

Under certain circumstances, the U.S. government has the right to commandeer private property.

to seize for military or official use

Syn- take over, requisition, expropriate

cumbersome

Adj

3

The bus was filled to capacity with holiday shoppers carying large and cumbersome packages.

clumsy, hard to handle, slow-moving

Syn- unwieldy, ponderous

Ant- manageable, easy to handle

deadlock

Noun, Verb

2

After fifteen innings, the score remained a frustrating 3-to-3 deadlock.

The refusal of labor and management to modify their demands deadlock the contract negotiations.

N- a standstill resulting from the oppostion of two equal forces or factions; V- to bring such a standstill

Syn- N- standoff, stalemate, impasse

Ant- N- agreement, accord, breakthrough

debris

Noun

2

After the storm, the beach was litteren with driftwood and other debris.

scattered fragments, wrecking

Syn- rubble, detritus, flotsam and jetsam

diffuse

Verb, Adj

2

The scent of lilacs slowly diffused through the open window.

The speech was so long and diffused that most members of the audience were throughly confused by it.

V- to spread or scatter freely or widely; Adj- wordy, long-winded, or unfocused; scattered or widely spread

Syn- V- disperse; Adj- rambling, verbose, prolix

Adj- V- concentrate; Adj- brief, conclise, succinct

dilemma

Noun

3

During the crisis the President found himself caught in a painful dilemma.

N- a difficult or perplexing situation or problem

Syn- predicament, quandary, pickle, bind

Ant- cinch

efface

Verb

2

Time had effaced almost all signs of the struggle that took place on that famous battlefield.

to wipe out; to keep oneself from being noticed

Syn- blot out, erase, obliterate, explunge

muddle

Verb, Noun

2

Too much too stress and too little sleep will almost certainly muddle a person's ability to concerate.

The muddle was principally caused by their failure to carry out the general's orders properly.

V- to make a mess of; muddle through: to get by; N-  a hopeless mess

Syn- V- jumble, mess up; N- confusion, disorder

Ant- N- orderliness, tidiness, neatness

opinionated

Adj

5

My boos is too opinionated to listen to a reasonable proposal.

stubborn and often unreasonable in holding to one's own ideas, having a closed mind

Syn- obstinate, pigheaded, inflexible

Ant- open-minded, reasonable

perennial

Adj, Noun

4

Pizza is a perennial favorite of young and old alike in the United States.

Adj- lasting for a long time, persistant; N- a plant that lives for many years

Syn- Adj- enduring, recurring

Ant- Adj- brief, short- lived, fleeting, ephimeral

predispose

Verb

3

My genetic makeup seems to predispose me to colds and sore throats.

to incline to beforehand

Syn- make susceptible to

Ant- immunize against, shield from

relinquish

Verb

3

Severe illness forced me to relinquish my role in the school.

to let go, give up

Syn- surrender, abandon

Ant- hold on to, keep, retain, cling to

salvage

Verb, Noun

2

Fortunately, we were able to salvage a few things from the fire.

Salvage from sunken ships can be of great value to archaeologists and historians.

V- to save from from fire or shipwreack; N- properly thus saved

Syn- V- rescue, recover, retrieve, reclaim

Ant- V- abandon, scrap, junk

spasmodic

Adj

3

Spasmodic flashes of lightening and booming thunderclaps were accompanied by torrential rain.

sudden and violent but brief; fitful; intermittent

Syn- irregular, occasional

Ant- steady, continuous, chronic

spurious

Adj

3

Manufacturers who make spurious claims for their products may face fines or lawsuits.

not genuine, not true, not valid

Syn- false, counterfeit, fradulent, bogus

Ant- genuine, aunthentic, bona fide, valid

unbridled

Adj

3

Someimes the unbridled enthuisasm of sports fans can get a little out of hand.

uncontrolled, lacking in restraint

Syn- unrestrained, unchecked

Ant- restrained, held in check, muted