D Flashcards
Daunt
To make fearful; to intimidate
Dearth
Lack; scarcity
Debacle
Violent breakdown; sudden overthrow; overwhelming defeat
Debauchery
Wild living; excessive intemperance
Debilitate
To weaken; to cripple
Decadent
Decaying or decayed, especially in terms of morals
Decimate
To kill or destroy a large part of
Decorous
Proper; in good taste; orderly
Deduce
To conclude from the evidence; to infer
Defame
To libel or slander; to ruin the good name of
Deference
Submission to another’s will; respect; courtesy
Definitive
Conclusive; providing the last word
Degenerate
To break down; to deteriorate
Deleterious
Harmful
Delineate
To describe accurately; to draw in outline
Delude
To deceive
Deluge
A flood; an inundation
Demagogue
A leader who uses prejudice to get more power
Denizen
Inhabitant
Depravity
Extreme wickedness or corruption
Deprecate
To express disapproval of
Deride
To ridicule; to laugh at contemptuously
Derogatory
Disapproving; degrading
Desiccate
To dry out
Despondent
Extremely depressed; full of despaire
Despot
An absolute ruler; an autocrat
Destitute
Extremely poor; utterly lacking
Desultory
Without a plan or purpose; disconnected; random
Dextrous
Skillful; adroit
Dialectical
Relating to discussions; relating to the rules and methods of reasoning; approaching truth in the middle of opposing extremes
Dictum
An authoritative saying; an adage; a maxim; a proverb
Diffident
Timid; lacking in self-confidence
Digress
To stray from the main subject
Dilettante
Someone with superficial knowledge of the arts; an amateur; a dabbler
Discern
To have insight; to see things clearly; to discriminate; to differentiate
Discreet
Prudent; judiciously reserved
Discrete
Unconnected; separate; distinct
Discriminate
To notice or point out the difference between two or more things; to discern; to differentiate
Disdain
Arrogant scorn; contempt
Disinterested
Not taking sides; unbiased
Disparage
To belittle; to say uncomplimentary things about, usually in a somewhat indirect way
Disparate
Different; incompatible; unequal
Disseminate
To spread the seeds of something; to scatter; to make widely known
Dissipate
To thin out, drift away, or dissolve; to cause to thin out, drift away, or dissolve; to waste or squander
Dissolution
The breaking up or dissolving of something into parts; disintegration
Distend
To swell; to extend a great deal
Distinguish
To tell apart; to cause to stand out
Docile
Easily taught; obedient; easy to handle
Doctrinaire
Inflexibly committed to a doctrine or theory without regard to its practicality; dogmatic
Dogmatic
Arrogantly assertive of unproven ideas; stubbornly claiming that something (often a system of beliefs) is beyond dispute
Domestic
Having to do with the household or family; not foreign
Dormant
Inactive; as though asleep; asleep
Dubious
Full of doubt; uncertain
Duplicity
The act of being two faced; double-dealing; deception
