Mrs. Williams English 9 and 9B Vocabulary Unit 1 Mrs. Williams English 9 and 9B

admonish (v.) to caution or advise against something; to scold mildly; to remind of a duty Synonyms: warn, call on the carpet Antonyms: praise, pat on the back EX: The librarian had to admonish the noisy students several times before they settled down.

breach (n.) an opening, gap, rupture, rift; a violation or infraction; (v.) to create an opening, break through Antonyms: (v.) close, seal EX: (n.) Because of a serious breach of the rules, two players were ejected from the game. (v.) Our troops were unable to breach the enemy’s lines during the battle.

circumspect (adj.) careful, cautious Synonyms: wary, prudent, guarded Antonyms: incautious, rash, reckless, heedless EX: It is important for a diplomat to behave in a manner that is both discreet and circumspect.

commandeer (v.) to seize for military or official use Synonyms: take over, requisition, expropriate EX: Under certain circumstances the U.S. government has the right to commandeer private property.

deadlock (n.) a standstill resulting from the opposition of two equal forces or factions; (v.) to bring to such a standstill Synonyms: (n.) standoff, stalemate, impasse Antonyms: (n.) agreement, accord, breakthrough EX- After fifteen innings, the score remained a frustrating 3-to-3 deadlock. The refusal of labor management to modify their demands deadlocked the contract negotiations.

debris (n.) scattered fragments, wreckage Synonyms: rubble, detritus, flotsam and jetsam EX: After the storm, the beach was littered with driftwood and other debris.

diffuse (v. ) to spread or scatter freely or widely; (adj diffuse (v.) to spread or scatter freely or widely; (adj.) wordy, longwinded, or unfocused; scattered or widely spread Synonyms: (v.) disperse; (adj.) rambling, verbose, prolix Antonyms: (v.) concentrate; (adj.) brief, concise, succinct EX: The scent of lilacs slowly diffused through the open window.

efface (v.) to wipe out; to keep oneself from being noticed Synonyms: blot out, erase, obliterate, expunge, worn away Antonym: preserve EX: Time had effaced almost all signs of the struggle that took place on that famous battlefield.

muddle (v. ) to make a mess of; muddle through; to get by; (n muddle (v.) to make a mess of; muddle through; to get by; (n.) a hopeless mess Synonyms: (v.) jumble, mess up; (n.) confusion, disorder Antonyms: (n.) orderliness, tidiness, neatness EX: 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.

opinionated (adj.) stubborn and often unreasonable in holding to one’s own ideas, having a closed mind Synonyms: obstinate, pigheaded, inflexible Antonyms: open-minded, reasonable EX: My boss is not too opinionated to listen to a reasonable proposal.

perennial (adj. ) lasting for a long time, persistent; (n perennial (adj.) lasting for a long time, persistent; (n.) a plant that lives for many years Synonyms: (adj.) enduring, recurring Antonyms: (adj.) brief, short-lived, fleeting, ephemeral EX: Pizza is a perennial favorite of young and old alike in the U.S. A garden of perennials is relatively easy to maintain.

predispose (v.) to incline beforehand Synonyms: make susceptible to Antonyms: immunize against, shield from EX: My genetic makeup seems to predispose me to colds and sore throats.

salvage (v.) to save from fire or shipwreck; (n.) property thus saved Synonyms: (v.) rescue, recover, retrieve, reclaim Antonyms: (v.) abandon, scrap, junk; jettison EX: 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.

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

unbridled (adj.) uncontrolled, lacking in restraint Synonyms: unrestrained, unchecked Antonyms: restrained, held in check, muted EX: Sometimes the unbridled enthusiasm of sports fans can get a little out of hand.