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Vocabulary Unit 1
1. Admonish – (v.) to caution or advise against something; to scold mildly; to
remind of a duty
a. The librarian had to admonish the noisy students several times
before they settled down.
b. Synonyms: warn, call on the carpet
c. Antonyms: praise, pat on the back
2. Breach – (n.) an opening, gap, rupture, rift; a violation r infraction; (v.) to
create an opening, break through.
a. Because of a serious breach of the rule, two players were ejected
from the game.
b. Antonyms: close, seal
3. Brigand – (n.) a bandit, robber, outlaw, highwayman
a. Ancient caravans passing through desolate areas were sometimes
attacked by brigands.
4. Circumspect – (adj.) careful, cautious
a. It is important for a diplomat to behave in a way that is both discreet
and circumspect.
b. Synonyms: wary, prudent, guarded
c. Antonyms: incautious, rash, reckless, heedless
5. Commandeer – (v.) to seize for military or official use
a. Under certain circumstances the U.S. government has the right to
commandeer private property.
b. Synonyms: take over, requisition, expropriate
6. Cumbersome – (adj.) clumsy, hard to handle; slow-moving
a. The bus was filled to capacity with holiday shoppers carrying large
and cumbersome packages.
b. Synonyms: unwieldy, ponderous
c. Antonyms: manageable, easy to handle
7. Deadlock – (n.) a standstill resulting from the opposition of two equal
forces or factions; (v.) to bring to a standstill
a. After fifteen innings, the score remained a frustrating 3-to-3
deadlock.
b. Synonyms: (n.) standoff, stalemate, impasse
c. Antonyms: (n.) agreement, accord, breakthrough
8. Debris – (n.) scattered fragments, wreckage
a. After the storm, the beach was littered with driftwood and other
debris.
b. Synonyms: rubble, detritus, flotsam and jetsam
9. Diffuse – (v.) to spread or scatter freely or widely; (adj.) word, long-winded,
or unfocused; scattered or widely spread
a. The scent of lilacs slowly diffused through the open window.
b. Synonyms: (v.) disperse; (adj.) rambling, verbose, prolix
c. Antonyms: (v.) concentrate; (adj.) brief, concise, succinct
10.Dilemma – (n.) a difficult or perplexing situation or problem
a. During the crisis the President found himself caught in a painful
dilemma.
b. Synonyms: predicament, quandary, pickle, bind
c. Antonym: cinch
11.Efface – (v.) to wipe out; to keep oneself from being noticed
a. Time had effaced almost all signs of the struggle that took place on
the famous battlefield.
b. Synonyms: blot out, erase, obliterate, expunge
12.Muddle – (v.) to make a mess of; muddle through; to get by; (n.) a hopeless
mess
a. Too much stress and too little sleep with almost certainly muddle a
person’s ability to concentrate.
b. Synonyms: (v.) jumble, mess up; (n.) confusion, disorder
c. Antonyms: (n.) orderliness, tidiness, neatness
13.Opinionated – (adj.) stubborn and often unreasonable in holding to one’s
own ideas, having a closed mind.
a. My boss is not too opinionated to listen to a reasonable proposal.
b. Synonyms: obstinate, pigheaded, inflexible
c. Antonyms: open-minded, reasonable
14.Perennial – (adj.) lasting for a long time, persistent; (n.) a plant that lives
for many years.
a. Pizza is a perennial favorite of young and old alike in the United
States.
b. Synonyms: (adj.) enduring, recurring
c. Antonyms: brief, short-lived, fleeting, ephemeral
15.Predisposes – (v.) to incline to beforehand
a. My genetic makeup seems to predispose me to colds and sore
throats.
b. Synonym: make susceptible to
c. Antonym: immunize against, shield from
16.Relinquish – (v.) to let go, give up
a. Severe illness forced me to relinquish my role in the school play.
b. Synonyms: surrender, abandon
c. Antonyms: hold on to, keep, retain, cling to
17.Salvage – (v.) to save from fire or shipwreck; (n.) property thus saved
a. Fortunately we were able to salvage a few things from the fire.
b. Synonyms: (v.) rescue, recover, retrieve, reclaim
c. Antonyms: (v.) abandon, scrap, junk
18.Spasmodic – (adj.) sudden and violent but brief; fitful; intermittent
a. Spasmodic flashes of lightning and booming thunderclaps were
accompanied by torrential rain.
b. Synonyms: irregular, occasional
c. Antonyms: steady, continuous, chronic
19.Spurious – (adj.) uncontrolled, not true, not valid
a. Manufactures who make spurious claims for their products may face
fines or lawsuits.
b. Synonyms: false, counterfeit, fraudulent, bogus
c. Antonyms: genuine, authentic, bona fide, valid
20.Unbridled – (adj.) uncontrolled, lacking in restraint
a. Sometimes the unbridled enthusiasm of sports fans can get a little
out of hand.
b. Synonyms: unrestrained, unchecked
c. Antonyms: restrained, held in check, muted