D Flashcards

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1
Q

dais

A

n. raised platform for guests of honor

The governor and his cabinet were seated on the dais ready to take questions from the press.

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2
Q

daunting

A

adj. discouraging

Coach Jones began the daunting job of turning a losing football program into a winning one.

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3
Q

dearth

A

n. scarcity

There is a dearth of girls wanting to try out for the basketball tea.

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4
Q

debacle

A

n. a crushing defeat

Our football team suffered a debacle last week – an 81-0 loss.

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5
Q

debauchery

A

n. corruption

The writer lived a life of debauchery until he was thirty years old.

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6
Q

debilitate

A

v. to weaken

The Supreme Court justice has been debilitated by illness.

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7
Q

debunk

A

v. to discredit

The theory has been debunked by modern science.

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8
Q

decadence

A

n. a process or period of deterioration or decline

The historian believes that moral decadence is an indicator of a civilization’s imminent collapse.

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9
Q

decapitate

A

v. to behead

The soldier was decapitated in the battle.

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10
Q

decathlon

A

n. athletic contest with ten events

Jim’s weakest event in the decathlon is the 1500 meter race.

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11
Q

deciduous

A

adj. falling off or shedding at a particular season or stage of growth

Mrs. Miller’s yard has a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees.

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12
Q

decimate

A

v. to kill a large part of a group; destroy

The city was decimated by intensive bombing.

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13
Q

decipher

A

v. to interpret; decode

The student found the teacher’s comments on the test paper difficult to decipher.

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14
Q

decisively

A

adv. determinedly

The major powers acted decisively to end the conflict.

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15
Q

declivity

A

v. downward slope

The steep declivity allowed the cyclist to coast for a long time.

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16
Q

deconstructionism

A

n. a philosophical movement and theory of literary criticism that holds that words only refer to other words and tries to demonstrate that statements about a text undermine their own meaning

The distinguished literary critic J. Hillis Miller was heavily influenced by deconstructionism.

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17
Q

decorous

A

adj. proper, tasteful

Decorous behavior is expected in a five-star hotel.

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18
Q

decorum

A

n. proper behavior

It is wise to conduct yourself with decorum at a job interview.

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19
Q

decry

A

v. to condemn openly

The president decried the opposition party’s tactic of blocking every proposal he put forward.

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20
Q

deduce

A

v. to draw a conclusion by reason

I deduce from your appearance that you’ve just woken up.

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21
Q

deduction

A

n. the drawing of a conclusion by reason

Based on your appearance, my deduction is that you just woke up.

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22
Q

deface

A

v. to mar the external appearance

Vandals defaced the statue.

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23
Q

de facto

A

adj. in fact; actual; existing whether rightfully or not

The elections are considered by some to be a de factor referendum on democracy in the ocuntry.

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24
Q

defamation

A

n., the act of slandering or injuring another’s reputation or character

The movie star sued the newspaper for defamation.

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25
Q

defamatory

A

adj. slanderous, injurious to the reputation

The writer was sued for making defamatory remarks in his book.

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26
Q

defer

A

v. to postpone

The executive officer deferred her decision until she could gather more information.

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27
Q

deference

A

v. respect; regard for another’s wish

In most cultures children are expected to shown deference to their elders.

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28
Q

defile

A

v. to dirty; disgrace

The lawyer’s name was defiled by the charge of corruption.

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29
Q

definitive

A

adj. conclusive, authoritative; precisely defined

Professor Wilson’s book is the definitive work on ants.

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30
Q

deft

A

adj. skillful

The principal praised the teacher’s deft handling of the difficult situation.

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31
Q

defunct

A

adj. no longer existing

Mail service from Weir Junction to Terrapin Station is defunct.

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32
Q

degradation

A

n. humiliation; debasement; degeneration

As it develops, China is undergoing great environment degradation.

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33
Q

dehydrate

A

v. to remove water from; dry out

Drink plenty of fluids in hot weather so you don’t become dehydrated.

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34
Q

deification

A

n. the act of making or regarding as a god

Deification of nature is common in English Romantic poetry.

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35
Q

delectable

A

adj. delicious

The desserts all look delectable.

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36
Q

delegate

A

v. to give power to others

The manager delegated responsibility for foreign sales to his assistant.

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37
Q

deleterious

A

adj. harmful

Smoking is deleterious to human health.

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38
Q

delineation

A

n. representation, depiction

This writer excels at the delineation of complex characters.

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39
Q

Delphic

A

adj. relating to Delphi or the oracle of Apollo at Delphi; obscurely prophetic; oracular

She is known for her Delphic utterances.

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40
Q

deluge

A

n. a great flood; something that overwhelms

The movie star received a deluge of mail.

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41
Q

delusional

A

adj. having a false belief

Investigators described John’s belief in UFOs as delusional.

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42
Q

demagogue

A

n. leader who appeals to emotion or prejudice

Adolph Hitler was a demagogue.

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43
Q

demarcation

A

n. establishing limits; limit or boundary

There is a clear demarcation between church and state in the United States.

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44
Q

demean

A

v. to degrade, humiliate

The teacher used ridicule to demean the student.

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45
Q

demeanor

A

n. way of handling yourself; bearing

The teacher’s pleasant demeanor made her popular with students.

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46
Q

demise

A

n. death; the end of activity

After his demise, Mr. Smith’s estate was divided among his children.

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47
Q

demography

A

n. study of human population

Demography is a field that uses insights from a number of other fields.

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48
Q

demote

A

v. to reduce to a lower rank

The corporal was demoted to private due to his misconduct.

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49
Q

demotic

A

adj. pertaining to the people

The politician is careful to sprinkle his speech liberally with demotic idioms.

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50
Q

demur

A

v. to express doubt

When the jury’s verdict was announced, only one member demurred.

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51
Q

demure

A

adj. reserved and modest in manner

In Asia, females are traditionally encouraged to be demure.

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52
Q

demystify

A

v. to remove mystery, clarify

Science seeks to demystify the working of nature.

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53
Q

denigrate

A

v. to slur someone’s reputation

Th rumor was spread to denigrate the senator.

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54
Q

denizen

A

n. a inhabitant; a regular visitor

Contrary to popular belief, the denizens of New York City are generally friendly and helpful.

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55
Q

denotation

A

v. the most direct meaning of a word

Many words have several denotation.

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56
Q

denote

A

v. to serve as a symbol for the meaning of; to signify

A word can denote different things depending on how it is used in a sentence.

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57
Q

denouement

A

n. outcome; unraveling of the plot or work of literature

The film’s denouement explains why the couple decided to divorce.

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58
Q

denounce

A

v. to condemn; criticize

The official denounced the enemy attack as barbaric.

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59
Q

denude

A

v. to make bare

The hillside was denuded after the fierce battle there.

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60
Q

denunciation

A

n. public condemnation

The president issued a denunciation of the improper actions.

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61
Q

depiction

A

n. portrayal

I enjoyed Richard Burton’s depiction o Alexander the Great in the film.

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62
Q

deplete

A

v. to use up, exhaust

The world is rapidly depleting its reserve of fresh water.

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63
Q

deplore

A

v. to regret; disapprove of

Thee university president gave a speech deploring declining standards in education.

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64
Q

deploy

A

v. to spread out over an area

Troops were deployed in the city to restore order.

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65
Q

depose

A

v. to remove from high position

The king was deposed in the revolution.

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66
Q

depraved

A

adj. corrupted; wicked

The film was condemned as being depraved.

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67
Q

depravity

A

v. moral corruption

The church leaders condemned the depravity of modern society.

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68
Q

deprecate

A

v. to belittle, disparage

The patriot deprecated every country in the world except his own.

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69
Q

depredation

A

n. damage or loss

China is undergoing great environmental depredation.

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70
Q

deride

A

v. to mock

Joe’s friends derided his dream of becoming a movie star.

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71
Q

de rigueur

A

adj. required by custom or fashion

In the 1960s miniskirts were de rigueur.

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72
Q

derision

A

n. ridicule

Joe’s ambition to become a major league baseball player is treated with derision by his friends.

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73
Q

derivative

A

adj. unoriginal

The critic dismissed the new novel as derivative and dull.

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74
Q

derogatory

A

adj. disparaging, belittling

Stop making derogatory remarks.

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75
Q

descry

A

v. to catch sight of something

The bird watcher descried an eagle high in the sky.

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76
Q

desecrate

A

v. to violate the sacredness of; profane

Vandals desecrated the graveyard.

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77
Q

desiccate

A

v. to dry completely

The dry weather desiccated the bones.

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78
Q

desist

A

v. to stop doing something

The judge ordered the man to desist from phoning his ex-wife.

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79
Q

despondent

A

adj. feeling discouraged

Hal refused to let his poor test score make him despondent.

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80
Q

despot

A

n. tyrannical ruler

Mr. Frank runs his classroom like a despot.

81
Q

despotism

A

n. absolute power

Despotism was replaced by democracy in countries like England and France.

82
Q

destitute

A

adj. very poor

Most advanced countries have programs to help the destitute.

83
Q

desuetude

A

n. state of disuse

The house has fallen into desuetude.

84
Q

desultory

A

adj. random, disconnected; rambling

Jim’s desultory efforts to improve his GRE score are not likely to be very effective.

85
Q

detached

A

adj. emotionally removed; indifferent

The detective listened, detached, to the victim’s account of the crime.

86
Q

deter

A

v. to discourage; hinder

Nothing deterred Bill from pursuing his ambition of being an actor.

87
Q

determinant

A

n. something that determines

Scientists have found that the disease has no single determinant.

88
Q

deterministic

A

adj. determined inevitably as the consequence of antecedent events

The philosopher argues that there is no room for free will in a deterministic universe.

89
Q

determinism

A

n. the philosophy that all events are inevitably determined by preceding events

Determinism would seem to allow little or no room for the exercise of free will.

90
Q

deterrent

A

n. something that discourages or hinders

The powerful army is a deterrent to enemy aggression.

91
Q

detrimental

A

adj. harmful; damaging

The injury to the star running back is detrimental to the football team.

92
Q

deus ex machina

A

n. any artificial method of solving a difficulty; an improbably element introduced in a story to resolve a situation

Critics complain that the mystery writer unnecessarily used a deus ex machina in her story.

93
Q

deviant

A

adj. differing from the norm or the accepted social standards

Psychologists vary on what they consider to be deviant behavior.

94
Q

deviate

A

v. to wander, stray

The teacher has a habit of deviating from his lesson plan.

95
Q

devious

A

adj. indirect; cunning

The detective uncovered a devious plot to rob the bank.

96
Q

devise

A

v. think up; plan; invent

The class devised an April Fool’s Day trick to play on their teachr.

97
Q

devoid

A

adj. totally lacking

The moon is devoid of life.

98
Q

devout

A

adj. deeply religious

Sister Marie is the most devout person I know.

99
Q

diabolical

A

ad. fiendish, wicked

The police uncovered a diabolical plan to poison the city’s water supply.

100
Q

dialect

A

n. regional style of speaking

There are many dialects of English.

101
Q

dialectic

A

n. arriving at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments

Ideally, a debate is a dialectic.

102
Q

diaphanous

A

adj. transparent; insubstantial; vague

Bill wore a diaphanous shirt to the party.

103
Q

diatribe

A

n. bitter verbal attack

The class listened to their teacher’s diatribe about the failings of modern education.

104
Q

dichotomy

A

n. division into two usually contradictory parts

Some philosophers posit a dichotomy between mind and matter.

105
Q

dictate

A

n. guiding principle

Following the dictates of her conscience, Rebecca refused to take part in the protest.

106
Q

diction

A

n. choice of words

The speech was marred by poor diction.

107
Q

dictum

A

n. authoritative statement

The Supreme Court’s dictum is final and must be followed by the lower courts.

108
Q

didactic

A

adj. intended to instruct; teaching excessively

The English teacher believes that a novel should be, at least on some level, didactic.

109
Q

diffidence

A

n., shyness; lack of confidence

The new student spoke with diffidence.

110
Q

diffuse (adj.)

A

adj. wordy; rambling; spread out

This essay is so diffuse that its argument is difficult to follow.

111
Q

diffuse (v.)

A

v. to spread out

The chemical is able to diffuse across a cell membrane.

112
Q

digress

A

v. to stray from the main point

The chairman digressed from his prepared remarks to congratulate the employee on his promotion.

113
Q

dilapidated

A

adj. ruined because of neglect

Nobody can remember who owns the abandoned, dilapidated house on the corner.

114
Q

dilatory

A

adj. slow, tending to delay

The senator used dilatory tactics to delay a vote on the health bill.

115
Q

dilemma

A

n. a situation necessitating a choice between two unsatisfactory options or mutually exclusive options

The commander faced a dilemma: surrender or fight on with little hope of victory.

116
Q

dilettante

A

n. a dabbler in a field

Many early scientists were wealthy dilettantes.

117
Q

diminution

A

n. lessening; reduction

We waited for a diminution in the thunderstorm before leaving home.

118
Q

diminutive

A

adj. small

It was a bit surprising, but the most diminutive player on the basketball court is also the best.

119
Q

dirge

A

n. funeral hymn

The band played a dirge for the dead president.

120
Q

disabuse

A

v. to free from a misconception

The professor felt her first job was to disabuse students of the belief that mathematics is a useless subject.

121
Q

disaffected

A

adj. discontented

The new party leader pledged to reach out to disaffected members of the party.

122
Q

disarm

A

v. to overcome or allay suspicion, win the confidence of

We were disarmed by our new boss’s easygoing nature.

123
Q

disbar

A

v. to expel from legal profession

The lawyer was disbarred because of his involvement in criminal activities.

124
Q

discern

A

v. to perceive something obscure

The teacher helped the class to discern the meaning of the difficult poem.

125
Q

disclaim

A

v. to deny

The witness disclaimed any knowledge of the events leading up to the crime.

126
Q

discomfit

A

v. to make uneasy; disconcert

Nothing could discomfit the experienced talk show host.

127
Q

disconcerting

A

adj. bewildering and disturbing; perplexing

Déjà vu is a disconcerting feeling that you’ve had that same experience in the past.

128
Q

discord

A

n. lack of agreement; strife

There was so much discord within the political party that it split into three groups.

129
Q

discordant

A

adj. not in tune

The United States is a country in which discordant voices are allowed to be heard.

130
Q

discount

A

v. to disregard

The judge ordered the jury to discount the witness’s comments.

131
Q

discourse

A

n. verbal expression

The level of discourse in this university is high.

132
Q

discreet

A

adj. having good sense and behavior

An ambassador normally should be discreet.

133
Q

discrepancy

A

n. difference between

The discrepancy in results between the two experiments meant that the scientist had to repeat the experiment.

134
Q

discrete

A

adj. constituting a separate thing; distinct

He will lecture on how to determine the discrete orbit of a space object.

135
Q

discretion

A

n. quality of showing self-restraint in speech or actions; circumspection; freedom to act on one’s own

The teacher left it to the student’s discretion how long he should make his research paper.

136
Q

discriminating

A

adj. able to see differences; prejudiced

The art critic has discriminating taste in art.

137
Q

discursive

A

adj. wandering from topic to topic

The French writer Montaigne was a master of the discursive essay.

138
Q

disdain

A

n. scorn or contempt

Steve has disdain for people who don’t work hard.

139
Q

disheveled

A

adj. untidy, unkempt

They were disheveled after their who-week expedition.

140
Q

disinclination

A

n. unwillingness

The employee politely expressed a disinclination to complete the job on time.

141
Q

disingenuous

A

adj. not candid; crafty

The prosecutor accused the witness of being disingenuous.

142
Q

disinterested

A

adj. unprejudiced; objective

The novelist strives to present a disinterested view of modern society.

143
Q

disjointed

A

adj. lacking order or coherence; dislocated

The police officer gradually pieced together the drunk’s disjointed account of ht eincident.

144
Q

disparage

A

v. to belittle

The new student was disparaged by his classmates.

145
Q

disparate

A

adj. dissimilar

Science seeks to find order in the disparate phenomena of nature.

146
Q

disparity

A

n. difference; incongruity

The disparity in qualifications between the two job applicants means that the better qualified person will probably get the job.

147
Q

dispassionate

A

adj. impartial; unaffected by emotion

The teacher was careful to be dispassionate in awarding final grades to her students.

148
Q

dispel

A

v. to drive out

My doubts about the plan were dispelled by the reasonable explanation.

149
Q

disposition

A

n. tendency; temperament

Nancy has a pleasant disposition.

150
Q

disputatious

A

adj. argumentative, fond of arguing

Since you speak clearly and are disputatious, perhaps you should join the debating team.

151
Q

disquiet

A

n. absence of peace; anxiety

Our disquiet grew when we realized that our friends were now six hours overdue.

152
Q

disreputable

A

adj. lacking respectability

The disreputable agent tricked the young writer into paying him a lot of money.

153
Q

dissemble

A

v. to pretend; disguise one’s motives

Psychologists say that a smile can be used to help a person dissemble.

154
Q

disseminate

A

v. to spread; scatter; disperse

The news was disseminated via television and radio.

155
Q

dissension

A

n. difference of opinion

There is so much dissension in the committee that no agreement can be reached.

156
Q

dissent

A

v. to disagree

One justice dissented from the Supreme Court’s ruling.

157
Q

dissident

A

adj. disagreeing

The dictator didn’t tolerate the expression of dissident opinions.

158
Q

dissipate

A

v. to scatter; pursue pleasure to excess

The crowd’s anger dissipated as time passed.

159
Q

dissipated

A

adj. wasted; excessive in the pursuit of pleasure

Hugh’s doctor recommended that he stop living a dissipated life.

160
Q

dissolution

A

n. disintegration; debauchery

Most religions teach that the dissolution of the body at death does not mean the extinction of the individual’s spiritual sel.

161
Q

dissonance

A

n. lack of agreement; discord

The conflict between his two beliefs created dissonance in his mind.

162
Q

dissuade

A

v. to persuade someone to alter intentions

Rob’s mother tried to dissuade him from joining the football team.

163
Q

distend

A

v. to expand; swell out

The balloon distended as it filled with water.

164
Q

distill

A

v. to purify; concentrate; refine

The book distills a lifetime of experience into 300 pages.

165
Q

distrait

A

adj. inattentive; preoccupied

In a distrait moment Judy drove her car into the car ahead of her.

166
Q

distraught

A

adj. worried, distressed

Distraught relatives gathered in the airline terminal to await news of the overdue plane.

167
Q

diva

A

n. operatic singer; prima donna

The diva retired after a glorious thirty years in opera.

168
Q

divergent

A

adj. differing; deviating

A healthy democracy is able to tolerate divergent views.

169
Q

diversity

A

n. variety

The newspaper seeks to reflect a diversity of opinions.

170
Q

divest

A

v. to strip; deprive; rid

The court divested the company of its overseas assets.

171
Q

divine

A

v. to foretell

Fortune-tellers claim to be able to divine the future.

172
Q

divisive

A

adj. creating disunity

Divisive elements within the political party threatened to destroy it.

173
Q

divulge

A

v. to reveal; make known a secret.

The chef refused to divulge her secret recipe.

174
Q

docile

A

adj. submissive

The ferocious lion became docile in the hands of the professional trainer.

175
Q

doctrinaire

A

adj. rigidly devoted to theories

The officials of the that political party are extremely doctrinaire.

176
Q

doctrine

A

n. principles presented for acceptance; dogma

The bishop discussed church doctrine with the cardinal.

177
Q

document (v.)

A

v. to provide with written evidence to support

The teacher told the students to documnet their research papers.

178
Q

doggeral

A

n. poor verse

The lines, “We seek him here, we seek him there” could be described as doggerel.

179
Q

dogma

A

n. belief asserted on authority without evidence

The findings of modern science have often clashed with religious dogma.

180
Q

dogmatic

A

adj. stating opinions without proof

Our teacher asked us to look at the issue with open minds and not be dogmatic.

181
Q

doleful

A

adj. sad, mournful

The doleful song brought tears to our eyes.

182
Q

domicile

A

n. home

By law, you must vote in the state where your domicile is.

183
Q

dormant

A

adj. inactive

The volcano has been dormant for over 100 years.

184
Q

dour

A

adj. sullen and gloomy

Some people seem to be born cheerful, while others have a dour personality.

185
Q

dowager

A

n. an elderly woman of high social station

The dowager is a well-known patron of the arts in St. Louis.

186
Q

doyen

A

n. a man who is the senior member of a group

Professor Parker is regarded as the doyen of marine biologists.

187
Q

draconian

A

adj. extremely severe

The economic crisis calls for draconian measures.

188
Q

droll

A

adj. amusing in a quaint or odd way

One thing Val likes about Chris is his droll humor.

189
Q

dross

A

n. waste; worthless matter; trivial matter

Tina loves to sift through the dross on the bargain rack at the boutique for a good bargain.

190
Q

dualism

A

n. philosophical belief that reality comprises two fundamental elements, such as mind and matter

The history of philosophy can be seen, at least to some degree, as a debate between the proponents of dualism and the advocates of monism – the view that reality is composed of one fundamental element.

191
Q

dubious

A

adj. doubtful

Beth won the dubious distinction of “Most Underachieving Student.”

192
Q

dudgeon

A

n. a feeling of offense or resentment

The president is in high dudgeon over Congress’s refusal to pass the bill.

193
Q

dulcet

A

adj. pleasant sounding

The dulcets sound of the rain lulled us to sleep.

194
Q

dupe

A

v. to deceive, trick

Lew was duped into paying a lot of money for an inferior camera.

195
Q

duplicitous

A

adj. deceptive, dishonest

Steve is not above being duplicitous to get what he wants.

196
Q

duress

A

n. threat of force or intimidation

The confession was obtained under duress.

197
Q

dyslexia

A

n. inability to associate letter symbols with sounds

Many people have become very successful despite having dyslexia.

198
Q

dystopia

A

n. an imaginary place in which life is bad

Brave New World is Aldous Huxley’s depiction of a dystopia.