Admonish

       Verb

3

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

to caution or advise against something; to scold mildly; to remind of a duty

Syn: warn, call on the carpet

Ant:praise, pat on the back

Breach

                                                                           Noun/Verb

1

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

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

(n.) an opening, gap, rupture, rift; a violation or infraction; (v.) to create an opening, break through

Syn: none

Ant: (v.) close, seal

Brigand

Noun

2

Ancient caravans passing through desolate areas were sometimes attacked by brigands.

a bandit, robber, outlaw, highwayman

Syn: none

Ant: none

Circumspect

  Adj.

3

It is important for a diplomay yo behave in a manner that is both discreet and circumspect.

careful, cautious

Syn: wary, prudent, agurded

Ant: incautious, rash, reckless, heedless

Commandeer

Verb

3

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

Cumbersome

Adj.

3

The bus was filled to capacity with holiday shoppers carrying 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.

(n) a standstill resulting from the opposition of two equal forces or factions;(v) to bring to such a standstill

Syn: None

Ant: None

Debris

Noun

2

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

scattered fragments, wreckage

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 diffuse that most members of the audience were thoroughly 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

Ant: (v) concentrate; (adj) brief, concise, succinct

dilemma

noun

3

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

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 battefield.

to wipe out; to keep oneself from being noticed

Syn: blot out, erase, obliterate, expunge

Ant: none

muddle

verb/noun

2

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

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

(v) to make a mess of; muddle through; (n) a hopeless mess

Syn: (v) jumble, mess up; (n) confusion, disorder

Ant: (n) orderliness, tidiness, neatness

opinionated

adj.

5

My boss is not 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

adjective/noun

4

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

A garden of perennials is relatively easy to maintain.

(adj) lasting for a long time, persistent; (n) a plant that lives for many years

Syn: (adj) enduring, recurring

Ant: (adj) brief, short-lived; fleeting, ephemeral

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 play.

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 fire or shipwreck; (n) property thus saved

Syn: (v) rescue, recover, retrieve, reclaim 

Ant: (v) abandon, scrap, junk

spasmodic

adjective

3

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

sudden and violent but brief, fitful, intermittent

Syn: irregular, occasional

Ant: steady, continuous, chronic

spurious

adjective

3

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

not genuine, not true, not valid

Syn: false, counterfeit, fraudulent, bogus

Ant: genuine, authentic, bona fide, valid

unbridled

adjective

3 

Sometimes the unbridled enthusiasm of sports fans can get a little out of hand

uncontrolled, lacking in restraint

Syn: unrestrained, unchecked

Ant: restrained, held in check, muted