admonish             verb

                          2

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

"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 the battle."         

an opening, gap, rapture, rift; a violation or infraction;

 to create an opening, break through

SYN: none                                                            

ANT: close, seal                                                     

brigand          noun

                    1

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

a bandit, robber, outlaw, highwayman

SYN: none

ANT: none

Circumspect         Adjective

                          1

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

ANT: none

cumbersome          adjective

                             1

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

                      1

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

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

a standstill resulting from the oppositiong of two equal forces or fractions;

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 debris.

scattered fragments, wreckage

SYN: rubble, detritus, flotsam and jetsam

ANT: none

diffuse         verb/adjective

                 2

"The scent of lilacs slowly diffuse through the open window."

"The speech was so long and diffused 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: disperse, rambling, verbose, prolix

ANT: concentrate, brief, concise, succinct

dilemma          noun

                      2

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 battlefield.

to wipe out; to keep oneself from being noticed

SYN: blot out, erase, obliterate, expunge

ANT: none

muddle          verb/noun

                     1

"Too much stress and too little sleep will almost certainly muddle a person's ability 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; to get by; (n.) a hopeless mess

SYN: jumble, mess up; confusion, disorder
ANT: orderliness, tidiness, neatness

opinionated          adjective

                          2

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

                         2

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

"A garden of perennial is relatively easy to maintain."

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

SYN: enduring, recurring

ANT: 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

                      2

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

                   1

  "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.) a property thus saved

SYN: rescue, recover, retrieve, reclaim

ANT: abandon, scrap, junk

spasmodic          adjective

                          2

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

                       1

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

                        2

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