Vocabulary WorkshopUnit 1 Level D

English 9A

Admonish(v) to caution or advise against something; to

scold mildly; to remind of a duty

Synonym: warn, call on the carpetAntonym: praise, pat on the back

Breach(n) an opening, gap, rupture, rift; a violation

or infraction; (v) to create an opening, break through

Antonym: (v) close, seal

Brigand(n) bandit, robber, outlaw, highwayman

Cumbersome(adj) clumsy, hard to handle; slow-moving Synonym: ponderousAntonym: manageable, easy to handle

commandeer(v) to seize for military

or official use

Synonym: take over, requisition, expropriate

"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

Deadlock(n) n. a standstill resulting from the

opposition of two equal forces or factions; (v) to bring to such a standstill

Synonym: standoff, stalemate, impasseAntonym: agreement, accord, breakthrough

Debris(n) scattered

fragments, wreckage

Synonym: rubble, flotsam and jetsam

Diffuse(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

Dilemma(n) a difficult or perplexing situation or

problem

Synonym: predicament, quandary, pickle, bind

Antonym: cinch

Efface(v) to wipe out; to keep oneself from being

notice

Synonym: blot out, erase, obliterate, expunge

Muddle(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, tidness, neatness

Opinionated(adj) stubborn and often unreasonable in

holding to one’s own ideas, having a closed mind

Synonym: obstinate, pigheaded, inflexibleAntonym: open-minded, reasonable

Perennial(adj) lasting for a long time, persistent; (n) a

plant that lives for many years

Synonym: (adj) enduring, recurringAntonym: (adj) brief, short-lived, fleeting

Predisposed(v) to incline to beforehand

Synonym: make susceptible to

Antonyms: immunize against, shield from

Relinquish(v) to let go, give up

Synonym: surrender, abandon

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

Salvage(v) to save from fire or shipwreck; (n)

property thus savedSynonym: (v) rescue, recover, retrieve,

reclaimAntonym: (v) abandon, scrap, junk

Spasmodic(adj) sudden and violent but brief, fitful;

intermittent

Synonym: irregular, occasionalAntonym: steady, continuous, chronic

Spurious(adj) not genuine, not true, not valid

Synonym: false, counterfeit, fraudulent, bogus

Antonym: genuine, authentic, bona fide, valid

Unbridled(adj) uncontrolled, lacking in restraint

Synonym: unrestrained, uncheckedAntonym: restrained, held in check, muted

The Unbridled Spirit by Nancy Glazier