Term
admonish
verb 3
The librarian had to admonish the noisy students several times before they settled down. |
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Definition
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 |
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Term
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 lines during the battle.
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Definition
an opening, gap, rupture, rift; a violation or infraction; to create an opening, break through
ant: close, seal
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Term
brigand
noun
2
Ancient caravans passing through desolate areas were sometimes attacked by brigand. |
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Definition
a bandit, robber, outlaw, highwayman
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Term
circumspect
adjective
3
It is important for a diplomat to behave in a mannor that is both discreet and circumspect |
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Definition
careful, cautious
Syn: wary, prudent, guarded
Ant: incautious, rash, reckless, heedless |
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Term
commandeer
Verb
3
Under certain circumstances the U.S. government has the right to commandeer private property. |
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Definition
to seize for military or official use
Syn: take over, requisition, expropriate |
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Term
cumbersome
adjective
3
The bus was filled to capacity with holiday shoppers carrying large and cumbersome packages. |
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Definition
clumsy, hard to handle; slow moving
Syn: unwieldly, ponderous
Ant: manageable, easy to handle |
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Term
deadlock
Noun, Verb
2
After fifteen innings, the score remainded a frustrating 3 to 3 deadlock.
The refusal of labor and management to modify their demands deadlock the contract negotiations. |
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Definition
A standstill resulting from the opposition of two equal forces or factions; to bring to such a standstill
syn: standoff, stalemate, impasse
ant: agreement, accourd, breakthrough
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Term
debris
Noun
2
After the storm, the beach was littered with driftwood and other debris. |
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Definition
scattered fragments, wreckage
Syn: rubble, detritus, flotsam and jetsam |
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Term
diffuse
verb, adjective
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 thoroughly confused by it. |
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Definition
to spread or scatter freely or wieldly; wordy, longwinded, or unfocused; scattered or wiedly spread.
Syn: disperse, rambling, verbose, prolix
Ant: concentrate, brief, concise, succinct |
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Term
dilemma
noun
3
During the crisis the President found himself caught in a painful dilemma. |
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Definition
a difficult or perplexed situation or problem
Syn: predicament, quandary, pickle, bind
Ant: cinch
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Term
efface
verb
2
Time had effaced almost all signs of the struggle that took place on that famous battlefield. |
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Definition
to wipe out; to keep oneself from being noticed
Syn: blot out, erase, obliterate, expunge
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Term
muddle
verb, noun
2
Too much stress and too little sleep will almost certainly muddle a persons ability to concentrate.
The muddle was principally caused by their failure to carry out the general's orders properly. |
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Definition
to make a mess of; muddle through: to get by; a hopeless mess
Syn: jumble, mess up, confusion, disorder
Ant: orderliness, tidiness, neatness |
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Term
opinionated
adjective
5
My boss is not too opinionated to listen to a reasonable proposal.
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Definition
stubborn and often unreasonable in holding to one's own ideas, having a closed mind.
Syn: obstinate, pigheaded, inflexible
Ant: open-minded, reasonable |
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Term
perennial
adjective, noun
4
Pizza is a perennial favorite of young and old alike in the U.S.
A garden of perennials is relatively easy to maintain.
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Definition
lasting for a long time, persistent; a plant that lives for many years
Syn: enduring, recurring
Ant: brief, short-lived, fleeting, ephemeral
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Term
predispose
verb
3
My genetic makeup seems to predispose me to colds and sore throats. |
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Definition
to incline to beforehand
Syn: make susceptible to
Ant: immunize against, shield from |
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Term
relinquish
verb
3
Severe illness forced me to relinquish my role in the school play. |
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Definition
to let go, give up
Syn: surrender, abandon
Ant: hold on to, keep, retain, cling to |
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Term
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. |
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Definition
to save from fire or shipwreck; property thus saved
Syn: rescue, recover, retrieve, reclaim
Ant: abandon, scrap, junk
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Term
spasmodic
adjective
3
Spasmodic flashes of lighting and booming thunderclaps were accompanied by torrential rain. |
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Definition
sudden and violent but brief; fitful; intermittent
Syn: irregular, occasional
Ant: steady, continuous, chronic |
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Term
spurious
adjective
3
Manufactures who make spurious claims for their products may face fines or lawsuits. |
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Definition
not genuine, not true, not valid
Syn: false, counterfeit, fraudulent, bogus
Ant: genuine, authentic, bona fide, valid |
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Term
unbridled
adjective
3
Sometimes the unbridled enthusiasm of sports fans can get a litttle out of hand. |
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Definition
uncontrolled, lacking in restraint
Syn: unrestrained, unchecked
Ant: restrained, held in check, muted |
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