Admonish                                                              Verb

                                                                                  3

The librarian had to admonish the noisy students several times before they settled down.

To caution or advise against something; to scold mildly; to remind of a duty

Warn, call on the carpet

Praise, pat on the back

Breach                                                                            Noun

                                                                                          1

Because of a serious breach of the rules, two players were ejected from the game.

 (N.)an opening, gap, rupture, rift; a violation or infraction; (V.) to create an opening, break through

(V.) close, seal

brigand                                                                       Noun   

                                                                                       2         Ancient caravans passing through desolate areas were sometimes attacked by brigand.

a bandit, robber, outlaw, highwayman

 circumspect                                                          Adjective

                                                                                     3

It is important for a diplomat to behave in a manner that is both discreet and circumspect.

Careful, cautious

wary, prudent, guarded

incautious, rash, reckless, heedless

commandeer                                                                Verb

                                                                                          3

Under certain circumstances the U.S. government has the right to commaneer property

To seize for military or official use

Take over, requistition

Cumbersome                  Adective                   3

The bus was filled to capacity with holiday shoppers carrying large cumbesome packages.

Clumsy, hard to handle; slow-moving

unwieldy, ponderous

manageable, easy to handle

Deadlock                              Noun, Verb             2

After fifteen minutes the score remained a frustrating deadlock

N. a standstill resulting from the opposition of two equal forces or factions; V. to bring to such a standstill

standoff, stalemate, impasse

agreement, accord, breakthrough

debris                                            Noun       2

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

scattered fragments

rubble, detrius, flotsam and jetsam

diffuse                     Verb and Adjective         2

The scent of lilacs slowly diffuse through the open window

V. to spread or scatter freely or widely; Adj. wordy, long-winded, or unfocused; scattered or widely spread

disperse, rambling, verbose, prolix

concentrate. brief, concise, succinct

dilemma              Noun                  3

During the crisis the President found himself caught in a painful dilemma

 a difficult or perplexing situation or problem

predicament, quandry, pickle, bind

cinch

efface                    Verb                    2

time had efface almost all signs of the struggle that took place on that famous battlefield

to wipe out; to keep oneself from being noticed

blot out, erase, obliterate, expunge

Muddle              Verb                2

Too much stress will almost entirely muddle a persons ability to concentrate

to make a mess of

jumble , mess up

orderliness, tidiness

Opinionated                Adjective           5

My boss is not too opinionated to listen to a reasonable proposal.

Stubborn and often unreasonable in holding to one's own ideas, having a closed mind.

obstinate, pigheaded, inflexible

open-minded, reasonable

perennial              Adjective, Noun                4

pizza is a perennial favorite of old and young alike in the United States

Adj. lasting for a long time, N. a plant that lives for many years

enduring, recurring

brief, short-lived, fleeting, ephemeral

Presdispose                Verb                 3

My genetic makeup seems to predispose me to colds and sore throats.

To incline to beforehand

make susceptible to

immunize against, shield from

relinquish                   Verb                      3

Severe illness forced me to relinquish my role in the school play.

to let go, give up

surrender, abandon

hold on to, keep, retain, cling to

salvage                Verv, Noun                    2

Fortunatley we were able to salvage a few things from the fire

V. to save from fire or shipwreck; N. property thus saved

 rescue, recover, retrieve

abandon, scrap, junk

spasmodic                   Adjective               3

Spasmodic flashes of lightning and booming thunderclaps were accompanied by torrential rain

Sudden and violent but brief

irregular, occasional

steady, continuous, chronic

Spurious                   Adjective              3

Manufacturers who make spurious claims for their products may face fines or lawsuits

Not genuine, not true, not valid

false, counterfeit

genuine authentic

Unbridled                            Adjective             3

Sometimes the unbridled entusiasm of sports fans get a little out of hand

unontrolled, lacking in restraint

unrestrained, unchecked

restrained, muted