#32 derogatory ~ dilettante Flashcards
derogatory
/dɪˈrɒgəˌtɔri, -ˌtoʊri/
adj. disapproving; degrading
Derogatory remarks are negative remarks expressing disapproval. They are nastier than merely critical remarks.
- Stephen could never seem to think of anything nice to say about anyone; virtually all of his comments were derogatory.
desiccate
/ˈdɛsɪˌkeɪt/
v. to dry out
- The hot wind desiccated the few grapes remaining on the vine; after a day or two, they looked like raisins.
- After a week without water, the desiccated plant fell over and died.
Plums become prunes through a process of desiccation.
despondent
/dɪˈspɒndənt/
adj. extremely depressed; full of despair
- The cook became despondent when the wedding cake fell on the floor fifteen minutes before the reception.
- After the death of his wife, the man was despondent for many months.
- The team fell into despondency after losing the state championship game by a single point.
despot
/ˈdɛspət, -pɒt/
n. an absolute ruler; an autocrat
- Stephen was a despot; workers who disagreed with him were fired.
- The island kingdom was ruled by a ruthless despot who executed suspected rebels at noon each day in the village square.
despotic
/dɪˈspɒtɪk/
adj. acting like a despot
- There was cheering in the street when the country’s despotic government was overthrown.
destitute
/ˈdɛstɪˌtut, -ˌtyut/
adj. extremely poor; utterly lacking
Destitute people are people without money or possessions, or with very little money and very few possessions.
To be left destitute is to be left without money or property. The word can also be used figuratively. A teacher might accuse her students of being destitute of brains, or intellectually destitute.
desultory
/ˈdɛsəlˌtɔri, -ˌtoʊri/
adj. without a plan or purpose; disconnected; random
- Aadi made a few desultory attempts to start a garden, but nothing came of them.
- In his desultory address, Rizal skipped from one topic to another and never came to the point.
- The discussion at our meeting was desultory; no one’s comments seemed to bear any relation to anyone else’s.
dextrous
/ˈdɛkstrəs/
adj skillful; adroit
Dextrous often, but not always, connotes physical ability. Like adroit, it comes from the Latin word for right (as in direction), because right-handed people were once considered physically and mentally superior.
- Though not imposing in stature, Rashid was the most dextrous basketball player on the court he often beat taller competitors with his nimble management of the ball.
- Ilya was determined not to sell the restaurant on eBay; even the most dextrous negotiator could not sway him.
You may also see this word spelled dexterous. Dexterity is the noun form. For an antonym, see gauche.
dialectical
/ˌdaɪəˈlɛktɪkəl/
adj. relating to discussions; relating to the rules and methods of reasoning; approaching truth in the middle of opposing extremes
The game of Twenty Questions is dialectical, in that the participants attempt to narrow down a chosen object by asking a series of ever more specific questions.
The noun is dialectic.
dictum
/ˈdɪktəm/
n. an authoritative saying; an adage; a maxim; a proverb
“No pain, no gain” is a hackneyed dictum of sadistic coaches everywhere.
didactic
/daɪˈdæktɪk/
adj. intended to teach; morally instructive; pedantic
- Luther’s seemingly amusing talk had a didactic purpose; he was trying to show his listeners the difference between right and wrong.
- The priest’s conversation was always didactic. He never said anything that wasn’t intended to teach a lesson.
- The new novel is painfully didactic; the author’s aim is always to instruct and never to entertain.
diffident
/ˈdɪfɪdənt/
adj. timid; lacking in self-confidence
Diffident and confident are opposites.
- The diffident student never made a single comment in class.
- Sebastian’s stammer made him diffident in conversation and shy in groups of strangers.
- Carla’s diffidence led many participants to believe she hadn’t been present at the meeting, even though she had.
digress
/dɪˈgrɛs, daɪ-/
v. to stray from the main subject
Speaking metaphorically, to digress is to leave the main highway in order to travel aimlessly on back roads. When a speaker digresses, he departs from the main topic and tells a story only distantly related to it.
Such a story is called a digression. Sometimes a writer’s or speaker’s digressions are more interesting than his or her main points.
- After a lengthy digression, the lecturer returned to his speech and brought it to a conclusion.
dilettante
/ˈdɪlɪˌtɑnt, ˌdɪlɪˈtɑnt, -ˈtɑnteɪ, -ˈtænti/
n. someone with superficial knowledge of the arts; an amateur; a dabbler
To be a dilettante is to dabble in sth. rather than doing it in a serious way.
- Reginald said he was an artist, but he was merely a dilettante; he didn’t know a pencil from a paintbrush.
- Antonella dismissed the members of the ladies’ sculpture club as nothing more than a bunch of dilettantes.
