1. Admonish: (v.) 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 Barak Obama has admonished the American people several times, claiming that the economy will get worse before it gets better.

2. Breach: (n.) an opening, gap, rupture, rift; a violation or infraction (v.) to create an opening, break through ANT: (v.) close, seal A breach in the damA breach of the rules

This kick boxer breached his opponents defenses, but he may have breached the rules as well.

3. Brigand: (n.) a bandit, robber, outlaw, highwayman SYN: Bandit, robber, outlaw Ancient caravans passing through the desolate areas were sometimes attacked by brigands.

4. Circumspect: adj.) careful, cautious SYN: wary, prudent, guarded ANT: incautious, rash, reckless, heedless Extremely circumspect in her efforts, the young child traced the letters slowly and meticulously.

5. Commandeer: (v.) to seize for military or official use SYN: take over, requisition, expropriate The detective commandeered the girl’s bicycle in order to chase down the suspects.

6. Cumbersome: adj.) clumsy, hard to handle; slow-moving SYN: unwieldy, ponderous ANT: manageable, easy to handle The first cell phones were large and cumbersome.

7. Deadlock: (n.) a standstill resulting from the opposition of two equal forces or factions (v.) to bring to such a standstill SYN:(n.) standoff, stalemate, impasse ANT:(n.)agreement, accord, breakthrough San Diego 7 Pittsburgh 7 2nd Qtr 13:00 Early in the second quarter, the game was deadlocked at seven.

The chess game ended in a deadlock.

8. Debris: (n.) sacttered fragments, wreckage SYN: rubble, detritus, flotsam and jetsam The tornado left a significant amount of debris in its wake.

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

9. Diffuse: (v.) to spread or scatter freely or widely;(adj.) wordy, longwinded, or unfocused; scattered or widely spread SYN: (v.) disperse (adj.) rambling, verbose, prolix ANT: (v.) concentrate (adj.) brief, concise, succinct The gaseous smells created by Terrance and Phillip diffused throughout the living room.

The teacher’s lecture was so long and diffuse that most of the students fell asleep.

10. Dilemma: (n.) a difficult or perplexing situation or problem SYN: predicament, quandary, pickle, bind ANT: cinch Having so many cute shoes, Jane found herself with a difficult dilemma. Which pair should she wear today?

Many people find themselves with more serious dilemmas, such as whether to choose right or wrong.

Efface: (v.) to wipe out; to keep oneself from being noticed SYN: blot out; erase obliterate, expunge Time has effaced the once legible inscription on this tombstone.

Muddle: (v.) to make a mess of; muddle through; to get by (n.) a hopeless mess SYN: (v.)jumble, mess up; (n.)confusion, disorder ANT: (n.) orderliness tidiness, neatness The content of the conversation was muddled due to poor cell phone reception.

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

Opinionated: (adj.)stubborn and often unreasonable in holding to one's own ideas, having a closed mind SYN: obstinate, pigheaded, inflexible ANT: open-minded, reasonable Die hard Republicans and Democrats are often thought to be overly opinionated, unwilling to listen to reasonable proposals from the opposing side.

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

A garden of perennials is relatively easy to maintain.

Predispose: (v.) to incline to beforehand SYN: make susceptible to ANT: immunize against, shield from Heralded by some as the most talented team in the National Football League, the Dallas Cowboys seemed predisposed to win the Super Bowl. However, they didn’t even make the playoffs.

Relinquish: (v.) to let go, give up SYN: surrender, abandon ANT: hold on to, keep, retain, cling to Linus refused to relinquish custody of his blanket

Salvage: (v.) to save from fire or shipwreck (n.) property thus saved SYN: (v.) rescue, recover, retrieve, reclaim ANT: (v.) abandon, scrap, junk The diver investigated the shipwreck, checking to see if anything could be salvaged.

Spasmodic: (adj.) sudden and violent but brief, fitful, intermittent SYN: irregular, occasional ANT: steady, continuous, chronic Spasmodic flashes of lightning and booming thunderclaps were accompanied by torrential rain.

Spurious: (adj.) not genuine, not true, not valid SYN: false, counterfeit, fraudulent, bogus ANT: genuine, authentic, bona fide, valid The businessmen gave spurious information in an effort to sell their products at any cost.

Unbridled: (adj.) uncontrolled, lacking in restraint SYN: unrestrained, unchecked ANT: restrained, held in check, muted Unable to control his unbridled anger, Joe was arrested for assault.