Unit 1 Vocabulary Flashcards
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.
breach
(n.) an opening, gap, rupture, rift; a violation or infraction; (v.) to create an opening, break through.
Antonyms: (v.) close, seal.
brigand
(n.) a bandit, robber, outlaw, highwayman.
circumspect
(adj.) careful, cautious.
Synonyms: wary, prudent, guarded.
Antonyms: incautious, rash, reckless, heedless.
commandeer
(v.) to seize for military or official use.
Synonyms: take over, requisition, expropriate.
cumbersome
(adj.) clumsy, hard to handle; slow-moving.
Synonyms: unwieldy, ponderous.
Antonyms: manageable, easy to handle.
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.
debris
(n.) scattered fragments, wreckage.
Synonyms: rubble, detritus, flotsam, & jetsam.
diffuse
(v.) to spread or scatter freely or widely; (adj.) wordy, long-winded, or unfocused; scattered or widely spread.
Synonyms: (v.) disperse; (adj.) rambling, verbose, prolix.
Antonyms: (v.) concentrate; (adj.) brief, concise, succinct.
dilemma
(n.) a difficult or perplexing situation or problem.
Synonyms: predicament, quandary, pickle, bind.
Antonyms: cinch.
efface
(v.) to wipe out; to keep oneself from being noticed.
Synonyms: blot out, erase, obliterate, expunge.
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.
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.
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.
predispose
(v.) to incline to beforehand.
Synonyms: make susceptible to.
Antonyms: immunize against, shield from.
relinquish
(v.) to let go, give up.
Synonyms: surrender, abandon.
Antonyms: hold on to, keep, retain, cling to.
salvage
(v.) to save from fire or shipwreck; (n.) property thus saved.
Synonyms: (v.) rescue, recover, retrieve, reclaim.
Antonyms: (v.) abandon, scrap, junk.
spasmodic
(adj.) sudden and violent but brief; fitful; intermittent.
Synonyms: irregular, occasional.
Antonyms: steady, continuous, chronic.
spurious
(adj.) not genuine, not true, not valid.
Synonyms: false, counterfeit, fraudulent, bogus.
Antonyms: genuine, authentic, bona fide, valid.
unbridled
(adj.) uncontrolled, lacking in restraint.
Synonyms: unrestrained, unchecked.
Antonyms: restrained, held in check, muted.
