admonish

Verb

3

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

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

Syn: warn, call on the carpet

Ant: praise, pat on the back

breach

noun, verb

1

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

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

ant: close seal

brigand

noun

2

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

a bandit, robber, outlaw, highwayman

circumspect

adjective

3

It is important for a diplomant to behave in a manner that is both discreet and ___________.

careful, cautious

Syn: wary, prudent, gaurded

Ant: incautious, rash, reckless, heedless

cumbersome

adjective

3

The bus was filled to capacity with holiday shoppers carrying large and ___________ 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 __________.

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

Syn: standoff, stalemate, impasse

Ant: agreement, accord, breakthrough

debris

noun

2

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

diffuse

verb,adjective

2

The scent of lilacs slowly _____________ through the open window.

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

syn: disperse, rambling, verbose, prolix

ant: concentrate, brief, concise, succinct

dilemma

noun

2

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

a difficult or perplexing situation or problem

syn: predicament, quandary, pickle, bind

ant: cinch

muddle

verb,noun

2

Too much stress and too little sleep will almost certainly _______________ a person's ability to concentrate

to make a mess of; muddle through: to get by, a hopeless mess

syn: jumble, mess up; confusion, disorder

ant: orderlienss, tidiness, neatness

efface

verb

2

Time had _______________ 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, expunge

opinionated

seccond

2

My boss is not too ___________ 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

2

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

lasting for a long time, persistent, a plant that lives for many years

syn: enduring, reccuring

ant: brief, short-lived, fleeting, ephemeral

predispose

verb

3

My genetic makeup seems to ____________ 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 __________ 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

1

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

to save from fire of shipwreck; property thus saved

sny: rescue, recover, retrieve, reclaim

ant: abandon, scrap, junk

spasmodic

adjective

3

____________ 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 ______________ 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 ____________ enthusiam of sports fans can get a little out of hand.

uncontrolled, lacking in restraint

syn: unrestrained, unchecked

ant: restrained, held in check, muted.