D-1 Flashcards
1
Q
dais
A
raised platform for guests of honor (Eg: When he approached the dais- he was greeted by cheers from the people who had come to honor him. )
2
Q
dally
A
trifle with; procrastinate; waste Time (Eg: Laertes told Ophelia that Hamlet could only dally with her affections. )
3
Q
dank
A
damp (Eg: The walls of the dungeon were dank and slimy. )
4
Q
dapper
A
neat and trim (Eg: In The Odd Couple- Tony Randall played Felix Unger- an excessively dapper soul who could not stand )
5
Q
dappled
A
spotted (Eg: The sunlight filtering though the screens created a dappled effect on the wall. )
6
Q
daub
A
smear (as with paint) (Eg: From the way he daubed his paint on the canvas- I could tell he knew nothing of oils. )
7
Q
daunt
A
intimidate (Eg: Your threats cannot daunt me. )
8
Q
dauntless
A
bold (Eg: Despite the dangerous nature of the undertaking- the dauntless soldier volunteered for the assignment. )
9
Q
dawdle
A
loiter; waste time (Eg: Inasmuch as we must meet a deadline- do not dawdle over this work. )
10
Q
deadlock
A
standstill; stalemate (Eg: The negotiations had reached a deadlock. )
11
Q
deadpan
A
wooden; impassive (Eg: We wanted to see how long he could maintain his deadpan expression. )
12
Q
dearth
A
scarcity (Eg: The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools. )
13
Q
debacle
A
breaking up; downfall (Eg: )
14
Q
debase
A
reduce to lower state (Eg: Do not debase youself by becoming maudlin. )
15
Q
debauch
A
corrupt; make intemperate (Eg: A vicious newspaper can debauch public ideals. )
16
Q
debilitate
A
weaken; enfeeble (Eg: Overindulgence debilitates character as well as physical stamina. )
17
Q
debonair
A
friendly; aiming to please (Eg: The debonair youth was liked by all who met him- because of his cheerful and obliging manner. )
18
Q
debris
A
rubble (Eg: A full year after the earthquake in Mexico City- workers were still carting away the debris. )
19
Q
debunk
A
expose as false- exaggerated- worthless- etc.; ridicule (Eg: Pointing out that he conhsistently had voted afainst strenghtening antipollution legislation- reporters )
20
Q
debutante
A
yound woman making formal entrance into society (Eg: As a debutante- she was often mentioned in the society columns of the newspapers. )
21
Q
decadence
A
decay (Eg: The moral decadence of the people was reflected in the lewd literature of the period. )
22
Q
decant
A
pour off gently (Eg: Be sure to decant this wine before serving it. )
23
Q
decapitate
A
behead (Eg: They did not hang Lady Jane Grey; they decapitated her. )
24
Q
decelerate
A
slow down (Eg: Seeing the emergency blinkers in the road ahead- he decelerated quickly. )
25
deciduous
falling off- as of leaves (Eg: The oak is a deciduous tree. )
26
decimate
kill- usually one out of ten (Eg: We do more to decimate our population in automobile accidents than we do in war. )
27
decipher
decode (Eg: I could not decipher the doctor's handwriting. )
28
declivity
downward slope (Eg: The children loved to ski down the declivity. )
29
decollete
having a low-cut neckline (Eg: )
30
decomposition
decay (Eg: Despite the body's advanced state of decomposition- the police were able to identify the murdered man. )
31
decorum
propriety; seemliness (Eg: Shocked by the unruly behavior- the teacher criticized the class for its lack of decorum. )
32
decoy
lure or bait (Eg: The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy. )
33
decrepitude
state of collagse caused by illness or old age (Eg: I was unprepared for the state of decrepitude in which I had found my old friend; he seemed to have aged )
34
decry
express strong disapproval of ; disparage (Eg: The founder of the Children's Defense Fund- Marian Wright Edelman- strongly decries the lack of )
35
deducible
derived byreasoning (Eg: If we accept your premise- your conclusions are easily deducible. )
36
deface
mar; disfigure (Eg: If you deface a library book- you will have to pay a hefty fine. )
37
defamation
harming a person's reputation (Eg: Such defamation of character may result in a slander suit. )
38
default
failure to do (Eg: As a result of her husband's failure to appear in court- she was granted a divorce by default. )
39
defeatist
resigned to defeat; accepting defeat as a natural outcome (Eg: If you maintain your defeatist attitude- you will never succeed. )
40
defection
desertion (Eg: The children- who had made him an idol- were hurt most by his defection from our cause. )
41
deference
courteous regard for another's wish (Eg: In deference to his desires- the employers granted him a holiday. )
42
defile
pollute; profane (Eg: The hoodlums defiled the church with their scurrilous writing. )
43
definitive
most reliable or complee (Eg: Carl Sandburg's Abraham Lincoln may be regarded as the definitive work on the life of the Great )
44
deflect
turn aside (Eg: His life was saved when his cigarette case deflected the bullet. )
45
defoliate
destroy leaves (Eg: In Vietnam the army made extensive use of chemical agents to defoliate the woodlands. )
46
defray
provide ofr the payment of (Eg: Her employer offered to defray the costs of her postgraduate education. )
47
defrock
to strip a priest or minister of church authority (Eg: We knew the minister had violated church regulations- but we had not realized his offense was serious )
48
deft
neat; skillful (Eg: The deft waiter uncorked the champagne without spilling a drop. )
49
defunct
dead; no longer in use or existence (Eg: The lawyers sought to examine the books of the defunct corporation. )
50
degenerate
become worse; deteriorate (Eg: As the fight dragged on- the champion's style degenerated until he could barely keep on his feet. )
51
degraded
lowered in rank; debased (Eg: The degraded wretch spoke only of his past glories and honors. )
52
dehydrate
remove water from; dry out (Eg: Vigorous dancing quickly dehydrates the body; between dances- be sure to drink more water than normal. )
53
deify
turn into a god; idolize (Eg: Admire the rock star all you want; just don't deify him. )
54
deign
condescend (Eg: He felt that he would debase himself if he deigned to answer his critics. )
55
delete
erase; strike out (Eg: If you delete this paragraph- the composition will have more appeal. )
56
deleterious
harmful (Eg: Workers in nuclear research must avoid the deleterious effects of radioactive substances. )
57
deliberate
consider; ponder; unhurried (Eg: Offered the new job- she asked for time to deliberate before she made her decision. )
58
delineate
portray (Eg: He is weakest when he attempts to delineate character. )
59
delirium
mental disorder marked by confusion (Eg: The drunkard in his delirium saw strange animals. )
60
delta
flat plain of mud or sand between branches of a river (Eg: His dissertation discussed the effect of intermittent flooding on the fertility of the Nile delta. )
61
delude
deceive (Eg: Do not delude yourself into believing that he will relent. )
62
deluge
flood; rush (Eg: When we advertised the position- we received a deluge of applications. )
63
delusion
false belief; hallucination (Eg: This scheme is a snare and a delusion. )
64
delusive
deceptive; raising vain hopes (Eg: Do not raise your hopes on the basis of his delusive promises. )
65
delve
dig; investigate (Eg: delving into old books and manuscripts is part of a researcher's job. )
66
demagogue
person who appeals to people's prejudice; false leader (Eg: He was accused of being a demogogue because he made promises that aroused futile hopes in his listeners. )
67
demean
degrade; humiliate (Eg: He felt that he would demean himself if he replied to the scurrilous letter. )
68
demeanor
behavior; bearing (Eg: His sober demeanor quieted the noisy revelers. )
69
demented
insane (Eg: She became increasingly demented and had to be hospitalized. )
70
demise
death (Eg: Upon the demise of the dictator- a bitter dispute about succession to power developed. )
71
demographic
related to population balance (Eg: In conducting a survey- one should take into account demographic trends in the region. )
72
demolition
destruction (Eg: One of the major aims of the air force was the complete demolition of all means of transportation by the )
73
demoniac
fiendish (Eg: The Spanish Inquisition devised many demoniac means of torture. )
74
demotic
pertaining to the people (Eg: He lamented the passing of aristocratic society and maintained that a demotic society would lower the )
75
demur
delay; object (Eg: To demur at this time will only worsen the already serious situation; now is the time for action. )
76
demure
grave; serius; coy (Eg: )
77
denigrate
blacken (Eg: All attempts to denigrate the character of our late President have failed; the people still love him and )
78
denizen
inhabitant of (Eg: Ghosts are denizens of the land of the dead who return to earth. )
79
denotation
meaning; distinguishing by name (Eg: A dictionary will always give us the denotation of a word; frequently- it will always give us its connotation. )
80
denouement
outcome; final development of the plot of a play or other literary work (Eg: The play was childishly written; the denouement was obvious to sophisticated theatergoers as early as the )
81
denounce
condemn; critcize (Eg: The reform candidate denounced the corrupt city officers for having betrayed the public's trust. )
82
depict
portray (Eg: In this book- the author depicts the slave owners as kind and benevolent masters. )
83
deplete
reduce; exhaust (Eg: We must wait until we deplete our present inventory before we order replacements. )
84
deplore
regret (Eg: Although I deplore the vulgarity of your language- I defend your right to express yourself freely. )
85
deploy
move troops so that the battle line is extended at the expense of depth (Eg: The general ordered the battalion to deploy in order to meet the offensive of the enemy. )
86
depose
dethrone; remove form office (Eg: The army attempted to depose the king and set up a military government. )
87
deposition
testimony under oath (Eg: He made his deposition in the judge's chamber. )
88
depravity
corruption; wickedness (Eg: The depravity of the tyrant's behavior shocked us all. )
89
deprecate
express disapproval of; protest against; belittle (Eg: A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy- Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new )
90
depreciate
lessen in value (Eg: If you neglect this properly- it will depreciate. )
91
depredation
plundering (Eg: After the depredations of the invaders- the people were penniless. )
92
deranged
insane (Eg: He had to be institutionalized because he was deranged. )
93
derelict
neglectful of duty; abandoned (Eg: The corporal who fell asleep while on watch was thrown into the guardhouse for being derelic in his duty. )
94
deride
scoff at (Eg: The people derided his grandiose schemes. )
95
derision
ridicule (Eg: They greeted his proposal with derision and refused to consider it seriously. )
96
derivative
unoriginal; obtained from another source (Eg: Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature- the critics thought she had promise and )
97
dermatologist
one who studies the skin and its diseases (Eg: I advise you to consult a dermatologist about your acne. )
98
derogatory
expressing a low opinion (Eg: I resent your derogatory remarks. )
99
descry
catch sight of (Eg: In the distance- we could barely descry the enemy vessels. )
100
desecrate
profane; violate the sanctity of (Eg: The soldiers desecrated the temple. )
101
desiccate
dry up (Eg: A tour of this smokehouse will give you an idea of how the pioneers used to desiccate food in order to )
102
desolate
rob of joy; lay waste to; forsake (Eg: The bandits desolated the countryside- burning farms and carrying off the harvest. )
103
desperado
reckless outlaw (Eg: Butch Cassidy was a bold desperado with a price on his head. )
104
despicable
contemptible (Eg: Your despicable remarks call for no reply. )
105
despise
scorn (Eg: I despise your attempts at a reconciliation at this time and refuse to meet you. )
106
despoil
plunder (Eg: If you do not yield- I am afraid the enemy will despoil the countryside. )
107
despondent
depressed; gloomy (Eg: )
108
despotism
tyranny (Eg: The people rebelled against the despotism of the king. )
109
destitute
extremely poor (Eg: The costs of the father's illness left the family destitute. )
110
desultory
aimless; haphazard; digressing at random (Eg: In prison Malcolm X set himself the task of reading straight through the dictionary; to him reading was )
111
detached
emotionally removed; calm and objective; indifferent (Eg: A psychoanalyst must maintain a detached point of view and stay uninvolved with her patients' perssonal )
112
determinate
having a fixed order of procedure; invariable (Eg: At the royal wedding- the procession of the nobles followed a determinate order of precedence. )
113
deterrent
something that discourages; hindrance (Eg: Does the threat of capital punishment serve as a deterrent to potential killers? )
114
detonation
explosion (Eg: The detonation of the bomb could be heard miles away. )
115
detraction
slandering; aspersion (Eg: He is offended by your frequent detractions of his ability as a leader. )
116
detrimental
harmful; damaging (Eg: Your acceptance of her support will ultimately prove detrimental rather than helpful to your cause. )
117
deviate
turn away from (Eg: Do not deviate from the truth; you must face the facts. )
118
devious
going astray; erratic (Eg: Your devious behavior in this matter puzzles me since you are usually direct and straightforward. )
119
devoid
lacking (Eg: He was devoid of any personal desire for gain in his endeavor to secure improvement in the community. )
120
devolve
deputize; pass to others (Eg: It devolved upon us- the survivors- to arrange peace terms with the enemy. )
121
devotee
enthusiastic follower (Eg: A devotee of the opera- he bought season tickets every year. )
122
devout
pious (Eg: The devout man prayed daily. )
123
dexterous
skillful (Eg: The magician was so dexterous that we could not follow his movements as he performed his tricks. )
124
diabolical
devilish (Eg: This scheme is so diabolical that I must reject it. )
125
diadem
crown (Eg: The king's diadem was on display at the museum. )
126
dialectic
art of debate (Eg: I am not skilled in dialectic and therefore- cannot answer your arguments as forcefully as I wish. )
127
diaphanous
sheer; transparent (Eg: They saw the burglar clearly through the diaphanous curtain. )
128
diatribe
bitter scolding; invective (Eg: During the lengthy diatribe delivered by his opponent he remained calm and self-controlled. )
129
dichotomy
branching into two parts (Eg: The dichotomy of our legislative system provides us with many safeguards. )
130
dictum
arthoritative and weighty statement (Eg: She repeated the statement as though it were the dictum of the most expert worker in the group. )
131
didactic
teaching; instructional; preaching or moralizing (Eg: The didactic qualities of his poetry overshadow its literary qualities; the lesson he teaches is more )
132
die
device for stamping or impressing; mold (Eg: In coining pennies- workers at the old mint squeezed sheets of softened copper between two dies. )
133
diffidence
shyness (Eg: You must overcome your diffidence if you intend to become a salesperson. )
134
diffusion
wordiness; spreading in all directions like a gas (Eg: Your composition suffers from a diffusion of ideas; try to be more compact. )
135
digression
wandering away from the subject (Eg: Nobody minded when Professor Renoir's lectures wandered away from their offical theme; his digressions )
136
dilapidated
ruined because of neglect (Eg: We felt that the dilapidated building needed several coats of paint. )
