Vocabulary Flashcards

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Admonish

Back

(v) to caution or advise against something; to scold mildly; to remind of a duty. Synonym: warn, call on the carpet. Antonym: praise, pat on the back. Example: The teacher had to admonish the students for speaking out of turn during the lecture.

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Brigand

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(n) bandit, robber, outlaw, highwayman. Example: Jesse James was a famous brigand in the Old West.

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Commandeer

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(v) to seize for military or official use. Synonym: take over, requisition, expropriate. Example: "Well, then, I confess. It is my intention to commandeer one of these ships, pick up a crew in Tortuga, raid, pillage, plunder, and otherwise pilfer my weaselly black guts out." – Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

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Cumbersome

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(adj) clumsy, hard to handle; slow-moving. Synonym: ponderous. Antonym: manageable, easy to handle. Example: Carrying the large, cumbersome box up the narrow staircase was more difficult than I had anticipated.

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Diffuse

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(v) to spread or scatter freely or widely; (adj) wordy, long-winded, or unfocused; scattered or widely spread. Synonym: (v) disperse; (adj) rambling, verbose. Antonym: (v) concentrate; (adj) brief, concise, succinct. Example: The pleasant scent of lavender began to diffuse through the room.

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Dilemma

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(n) a difficult or perplexing situation or problem. Synonym: predicament, quandary, pickle, bind. Antonym: cinch. Example: She faced a dilemma when she had to choose between accepting a job offer in another city or staying close to her family.

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Muddle

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(v) to make a mess of, muddle through, to get by; (n) a hopeless mess. Synonym: (v) jumble, mess up; (n) confusion, disorder. Antonym: (n) orderliness, tidiness, neatness. Example: His thoughts were in such a muddle that he couldn’t make a clear decision about what to do next.

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Predispose

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(v) to incline to beforehand. Synonym: make susceptible to. Antonyms: immunize against, shield from. Example: Genetics may predispose some individuals to certain health conditions.

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Spurious

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(adj) not genuine, not true, not valid. Synonym: false, counterfeit, fraudulent, bogus. Antonym: genuine, authentic, bona fide, valid. Example: The lawyer quickly dismissed the spurious claims.

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Unbridled

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(adj) uncontrolled, lacking in restraint. Synonym: unrestrained, unchecked. Antonym: restrained, held in check, muted. Example: The crowd erupted in unbridled enthusiasm as the band took the stage.