Shared Flashcard Set

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unit 1
words to study for test on 9/17
20
General Vocab
8th Grade
09/09/2010

Additional General Vocab Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term

admonish             verb

                          2

  

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

Definition

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    

Term

breach          noun/verb

 

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

 "Our troops were unable to breach the enemy's lines during the battle."         

Definition

an opening, gap, rapture, rift; a violation or infraction;

 to create an opening, break through

 

 

                SYN: none                                                            

ANT: close, seal       

Term

brigand          noun

                    1

 

Ancient caravans passing through desolate areas were sometimes attacked by brigands.

Definition

a bandit, robber, outlaw, highwayman

 

 

 

SYN: none

ANT: none

Term

Circumspect         Adjective

                          1

 

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

Definition

careful, cautious

 

 

SYN: wary, prudent, guarded

ANT: incautious, rash, reckless, heedless

Term

commandeer          verb

                            3

 

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

Definition

to seize for military or official use

 

 

SYN: take over requisition expropriate

ANT: none

Term

cumbersome          adjective

                             1

 

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

 

Definition

clumsy, hard to handle; slow-moving

 

 

 

SYN: unwieldy, ponderous

ANT: manageable, easy to handle

Term

deadlock          noun/verb

                      1

 

"After fifteen inning, the score remained a frustrating 3-to-3 deadlock."

 "The refusal of labor and management to modify their demands deadlock the contract negotiations."

 

Definition

a standstill resulting from the oppositiong of two equal forces or fractions;

to bring to such a standstill

 

SYN: standoff, stalemate, impasse

ANT: agreement, accord, breakthrough

Term

debris         noun

                 2

 

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

Definition

scattered fragments, wreckage

 

 

 

SYN: rubble, detritus, flotsam and jetsam

ANT: none

Term

diffuse         verb/adjective

                 2

 

"The scent of lilacs slowly diffuse through the open window."

 

"The speech was so long and diffused that most members of the audience were thoroughly confused by it."

Definition

(v.)to spread or scatter freely or widely;

 (adj.)wordy, long-winded, or unfocused; scattered or widely spread

 

SYN: disperse, rambling, verbose, prolix

ANT: concentrate, brief, concise, succinct

Term

dilemma          noun

                      2

 

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

Definition

a difficult or perplexing situation or problem

 

 

SYN: predicament, quandary, pickle, bind

ANT: cinch

Term

efface          verb

                  2

 

Time had effaced almost all signs of the struggle that took place on that famous battlefield.

Definition

to wipe out; to keep oneself from being noticed

 

 

SYN: blot out, erase, obliterate, expunge

ANT: none

Term

muddle          verb/noun

                     1

"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."

 

Definition

(v.) to make a mess of; muddle through; to get by; (n.) a hopeless mess

 

 

SYN: jumble, mess up; confusion, disorder
ANT: orderliness, tidiness, neatness

Term

opinionated          adjective

                          2

 

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

Definition

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

 

 

SYN: obstinate, pigheaded, inflexible

ANT: open-minded, reasonable

Term

perennial          adjective/noun

                         2

 

"Pizza is a perennial favorite of young and old alike in the United States."

"A garden of perennial is relatively easy to maintain."

Definition

(adj.) lasting for a long time, persistent; (n.) a plant that lives for many years

 

 

SYN: enduring, recurring

ANT: brief, short-lived, fleeting, ephemeral

Term

predispose          verb 

                            3    

 

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

Definition

to incline to beforehand

 

 

 

SYN: make susceptible to

ANT: immunize against, shield from

Term

relinquish         verb

                      2

 

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

Definition

to let go, give up

 

 

SYN: surrender, abandon

ANT: hold on to, keep, retain, cling to

Term

salvage          verb/noun

                   1

  "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."

 

Definition

(v.) to save from fire or shipwreck;(n.) a property thus saved

 

 

SYN: rescue, recover, retrieve, reclaim

ANT: abandon, scrap, junk

Term

spasmodic          adjective

                          2

 

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

Definition

sudden and violent but brief; fitful; intermittent

 

 

 

SYN: irregular, occasional

ANT: steady, continuous, chronic

Term

spurious          adjective

                       1

 

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

 

Definition

not genuine, not true, not valid

 

 

 

SYN: false, counterfeit, fraudulent, bogus

ANT: genuine, authentic, bona fide, valid

Term

unbridled          adjective

                        2

 

Sometimes the unbridled enthusiasm of sports fans can get a little out of hand.

Definition

uncontrolled, lacking in restraint

 

 

 

SYN: unrestrained, unchecked
ANT: restrained, held in check, muted

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