D Flashcards
Dabble
bob under so as to feed off the bottom of a body of water
Daedalean
Ingeniously or cunningly designed; artistic, ingenious, intricate, skillful.
Dainty
pretty; delicate(food); difficult to please
Dampen
lessen in force or effect
Dandle
to pamper or pet
Dangle
hand or swing loosely
Daunt
make (someone) feel intimidated or apprehensive.
Dawdler
person who is slow; waste of time
Dazzle
cause to lose clear vision, especially from intense light
Dearth
shortage
Debacle
a sudden collapse into disaster; downfall.
Debase
to reduce in value, quality, esteem, or character.
Debilitate
make weak
Debunk
to expose or ridicule the falseness or exaggerations of (a claim, theory, or the like).
Deceit
the act or practice of misleading, tricking, or cheating.
Deceptive
able or tending to trick or mislead.
Decorous
characterized by propriety and dignity and good taste
Decorum
propriety, properness
Decree
order given by authority
Decry
disapprove of
Dedication
complete and wholehearted fidelity
Defalcate
verb: to embezzle or misappropriate
Defamatory
causing or tending to cause injury to another’s reputation; libelous or slanderous.
Defer
- postpone
- yield to another’s wish or opinion
Deference
courteous regard for people’s feelings
Deferential
respectfully submissive to the desires, opinions, or judgments of others.
Defiance (adj. defiant)
open disobedience or resistance
Deflect
- turn aside and away from an initial or intended course; turn from a straight course , fixed direction, or line of interest; impede the movement of (an opponent or a ball);
- draw someone’s attention away from something; prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
Deft
capable, quick, and clever in action; skillful; dexterous.
Defy
to resist or challenge openly; act against the wishes or decrees of.
Deleterious
harmful or injurious, as to health.
Delicacy
- subtly skillful handling of a situation; smallness of stature; refined taste; tact;
- lightness in movement or manner; the quality of being beautiful and delicate in appearance; lack of physical strength;
- something considered choice to eat
Delineate
to describe or portray in precise or vivid detail.
Deluge
great flood, heavy rush of water
Demagogue
a political leader who seeks support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument
Demanding
requiring more than usually expected or thought due; especially great patience and effort and skill
Demarcates
set boundaries or limits of / separate or distinguish from
Demote
assign to a lower position; reduce in rank
Demotic
pertaining to people
Demur
raise doubts or objections or show reluctance.
Demystify
make less mysterious or remove the mystery from
Denigrate
criticize unfairly; disparage.
Denouement
an outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot
Denounce
speak out against
Denunciation
a public act of condemnation
Deplete
use until none remains
Deposition
- dethronement; depositing
- the act of putting something somewhere
Deprave
make morally bad; corrupt
Deprecate
protest against; express disapproval of
Depredation
plundering
Deprivation (v. Deprive)
the disadvantage that results from losing something
Dereliction
deserting and leaving to fall into ruins
Derision
ridicule, mockery, deriding
Derivative
copied, modeled on, or extracted from something else.
Derogatory
insulting; tending to damage
Descant
talk tediously or at length
Descry
catch sight of see something in the distance
Desiccant
substance used to absorb moisture
Desiccate
lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless
Despair
- the feeling that everything is wrong and nothing will turn out well; a state in which everything seems wrong and will turn out badly;
- verb: abandon hope; give up hope; lose heart
Desperate
a person who is frightened and in need of help
Despicable
morally reprehensible
Desuetude
cessation of use; disuse
Desultory
aimless; haphazard; digressing at random
Detached
- used of buildings; standing apart from others; no longer connected or joined; not fixed in position; being or feeling set or kept apart from others;
- showing lack of emotional involvement
Deter
try to prevent; show opposition to; turn away from by persuasion
Detraction
slandering, verbal attack, aspersion
Detractor
one who disparages or belittles the worth of something
Detrimental
causing harm, disadvantage, or deterioration.
Detumescence
diminishing or lessening of swelling
Deviance
being different in moral standards (from normal)
Devious
not the straightest, most direct way; winding; roundabout.
Devoid
completely wanting or lacking
Devolve
(of duties or responsibility) pass to (a body or person at a lower level).
Dexter
on or starting from the wearer’s right
Dexterity
skill (esp. in handling)
Diabolical
having the qualities of a devil
Diaphanous
transparent; gauzy
Diatribe
bitter and violent attack in words
Dichotomy
a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses
Dictum
- an authoritative declaration;
- an opinion voiced by a judge on a point of law not directly bearing on the case in question and therefore not binding
Didactic
in the manner of a teacher, particularly so as to treat someone in a patronizing way.
Diffidence
shyness
Diffident
modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence.
Diffuse
spread out over a large area; not concentrated.
Digression (v. Digress)
wandering from the main path of a journey; a message that departs from the main subject; a turning aside (of your course or attention or concern)
Dilate
- become wider; add details, as to an account or idea;
- clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing
Dilemma
state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options
Dilettante
a person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge
Diligent
quietly and steadily persevering in detail or exactness
Din
a loud, harsh, or strident noise
Dirge
a song of grief or lamentation
Disabuse
free somebody from an erroneous belief
Disaffection
a state or feeling of being dissatisfied with the people in authority and no longer willing to support them.
Disallow
refuse to allow or accept as a correct
Disapprobation
strong disapproval, typically on moral grounds.
Disassemble
take apart
Disburse
expend, as from a fund
Discern
to perceive, make out, or detect.
Discountenance
refuse to approve of something
Disciple
someone who believes and helps to spread the doctrine of another
Discomfit
make (someone) feel uneasy or embarrassed.
Disconcert
cause to lose one’s composure; cause to feel embarrassment
Discord
- strife resulting from a lack of agreement; disagreement among those expected to cooperate; lack of agreement or harmony; a harsh mixture of sounds;
- verb: be different from one another
Discount
regard (a possibility, fact, or person) as being unworthy of consideration because it lacks credibility.
Discourse
speech lecture; an extended communication dealing with some particular topic
Discredit
to harm the reputation of.
Discreet
careful, prudent
Discrepancy
lack of agreement; difference; inconsistency.
Discrete
distinct
Disdain
- a communication that indicates lack of respect by patronizing the recipient; lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike;
- verb: reject with contempt; look down on with disdain
Disenchant
free from enchantment
Disencumber
free from encumbrance
Disentangle
to free or become free from entanglement or involvement; extricate.
Disgorge
- eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth;
- cause or allow (a solid substance) to flow or run out or over
Disgruntle
to make irritably dissatisfied or discontent.
Disguise
any attire that conceals the wearer’s identity
Disheveled
untidy
Disingenuous
not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness
Disintegrate
to come apart; break down into component parts or fragments.
Disinter
dig up from the earth
Disinterested
having or feeling no interest in something.
Disjunction
state of being disconnected; the act of breaking a connection
Dislocation
disturbance from a proper, original, or usual place or state.
Dislodge
move; force from the place occupied
Dismal
sad; gloomy; miserable
Dismantle
to tear down; take apart.
Disorient
cause to be lost or disoriented
Disparate (n. Disparity)
essentially different and distinct.
Dispassionate
without strong feeling or bias; calm; impartial.
Dispel
cause to separate and go in different directions
Dispense
to give out or distribute.
Disproof
proof to the contrary
Disprove
show to be false
Disquiet
lack of mental calm or peace; anxiety; uneasiness.
Disrobe
undress
Dissemble
to disguise or hide behind a false semblance; conceal the true nature or state of.
Disseminate
to spread widely, as though scattering seed.
Dissent
have a different opinion refuse to assent
Dissimilar
not alike; different.
Dissolution
debauched living; dissipation.
Distaste
a feeling of intense dislike
Distend
cause to expand as if by internal pressure
Distill
extract the essential meaning or most important aspects of.
Distort
give a misleading or false account or impression of.
Distract
draw someone’s attention away from something
Distrait
distracted
Distraught
distracted; violently upset
Divergence
getting farther apart from a point
Divergent
deviating, differing, or diverging.
Divest
take away possessions from someone
Divestiture
taking off; getting rid of; giving up
Divulge
make known; something secret
Docile
easily handled or managed
Doctrinaire
dogmatically adhering to a theory or a school of thought, regardless of its practicality.
Doggerel
comic verse composed in irregular rhythm
Dogmatic
asserting beliefs and opinions as though they were proven facts.
Doleful
dismal; mourful
Dolt
stupid fellow
Dormant
inactive but capable of becoming active; of e.g. volcanos; not erupting and not extinct; in a condition of biological rest or suspended animation
Dote
show much fondness center one’s attention
Doughty
steadfastly courageous and resolute; valiant
Drab
a dull greyish to yellowish or light olive brown
Draconian
of or relating to Draco or his harsh code of laws
Drawl
slow way of speaking
Droll
comical in an odd or whimsical manner
Drone
- male bee;
- person who isn’t employed
- low-pitch humming noise
Dross
waste; worthless matter; trivial matter
Drought
a shortage of rainfall
Drowsiness
feeling sleepy; half asleep
Dubious
having or showing doubt; skeptical.
Dud
no use; person/something that fails
Dulcet
melodious; harmonious
Dullard
a stupid, insensitive person
Dumbfound
be a mystery or bewildering to
Dupe
cheat; make a fool of
Duplicity
deceitful speech or action.
Duress
threats to compel somebody
Dwarf
- a person who is markedly small; a legendary creature resembling a tiny old man; lives in the depths of the earth and guards buried treasure;
- verb: check the growth of; make appear small by comparison
Dwindle
become smaller or lose substance
Dynamism
the quality of being characterized by vigorous activity and progress.
Dynamo
a generator something that produces electric current
