D Flashcards
Demur
to express doubts or objections
-protest, expostulate, remonstrate
Demagogue
a leader or rabble-rouser, usually one appealing to emotion or prejudice
-instigator, inciter, agitator
Deleterious
subtly or unexpectedly harmful
-adverse, hurtful, inimical, injurious
Deference
respect; courtesy
-homage, honor, obeisance, veneration
Deface
to mar the appearance of; to vandalize
-disfigure, impair, spoil
Decorum
appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety
-decency, etiquette, manners, seemliness
Decorous
proper; tasteful; socially correct
-appropriate, courteous, polite, comme il faut
Declivity
a downward slope
-decline, descent, grade, slant, tilt
Debutante
a young woman making debut in high society
-lady, maiden
Dyspeptic
suffering from indigestion; gloomy and irritable
-acerbic; melancholy, morose, solemn, sour
Dupe
to deceive
-beguile, betray, cozen, fool, mislead, trick
Droll
amusing in a wry, subtle way
-comic, entertaining, funny, witty
Dogmatic
ditatorial in one’s opinions
-authoritarian, bossy, domineering, overbearing, imperious
Dogma
a firmly held opinion, especially a religious belief
-creed, doctrine, teaching, tenet
Doctrinaire
rigidly devoted to theories without regard for practicality; dogmatic
-dictatorial, inflexible
Divine
to foretell or know by inspiration
-auger, foresee, intuit, predict, presage
Diurnal
active or occurring during the day
-daylight, daytime
Dither
to act confusedly or without clear purpose
-falter, hesitate, waffle, waver, vacillate
Distend
to swell, inflate, or bloat
-broaden, bulge
Distaff
the female branch of a family
-maternal
Dissonance
a harsh and disagreeable combination, especially of sounds
-clash, discord, dissent, friction, variance
Dissemble
to present a false appearance; to disguise one’s real intentions or character
-act, affect, assume, fake, dissimulate
Disparate
fundamentally different; entirely unlike
-different, dissimilar, diverse, variant
Discern
to perceive or recognize
-descry, detect, differentiate, separate
Disabuse
to set right; to free from error
-correct, undeceive
Dirge
a funeral hymn or mournful speech
-elegy, lament
Dilettante
someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
-amateur, dabbler, tyro
Dictum
an authoritative statement
-adage, aphorism, decree, edict
Dilatory
intended to delay
-dragging, slow, tardy, slow-going, lagging
Dilate
to make larger; to expand
-amplify, develop, enlarge, expatiate
Diffident
lacking self-confidence
-bashful, coy, demure, modest, self-effacing, shy, timid
Diatribe
an abusive, condemnatory speech
-fulmination, harangue, invective, tirade, jeremiad, malediction
Diaphanous
allowing light to show through; delicate
-sheer, gauzy, tenuous, translucent
Desultory
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
-aimless, erratic, random, unplanned, haphazard
Desiccate
to dry out thoroughly
-dehydrate, dry, parch
Deride
to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
-gibe, jeer, ridicule, scoff, taunt
