D and E Flashcards
daunt
to make someone feel intimidated or apprehensive
debacle
a sudden collapse into disaster
debase
to reduce in value, quality, esteem, or character
debunk
to expose or ridicule the falseness or exaggerations of a theory
defamatory
causing or tending to cause injury to another’s reputation
libelous or slanderous
deferential
respectfully submissive to the desires or judgments of others
deft
capable, quick and clever in action
defy
to resist or challenge openly
deleterious
harmful or injurious, as to health
delineate
to describe or portray in precise or vivid detail
demur
to raise doubts or objections or show reluctance
denigrate
criticize unfairly, disparage
derivative
copies, modeled on, or extracted from something else
not original
devious
not the straightest or most direct wahy
winding
devolve
to pass duties to a person person at a lower level
didactic
in the manner of a teacher, treating someone in a patronizing way
diffident
modest or shy because of a lack of self confidence
opposite of confident
diffuse
spread out over a large area
disaffection
a feeling of being dissatisfied with the people in authority and no longer willing to support them
disapprobation
strong disapproval, typically on moral grounds
discern
to perceive, make out or detect
discomfit
to make someone feel uneasy or embarrassed
discredit
to harm the reputation of
discrepancy
lack of agreement, difference, inconsistency
disgruntle
to make irritably dissatisfied or discontent
disentangle
to free from entanglement
extricate
dislocation
disturbance from a proper, original, or usual place or state
disparate
essentially different and distinct
dispassionate
without strong feeling or bias; calm; impartial
dissemble
to disguise or hide behind a false semblance; conceal the true nature or state of
disseminate
to spread widely as though scattering seed
dissolution
debauched living; dissipation
distill
extract the essential meaning or most important aspects of
divergent
deviating, different
doctrinaire
dogmatically adhering to a theory or a school of though, regardless of its practicality
dogmatic
asserting beliefs and opinions as though they were proven facts
dubious
having or showing doubt
duplicity
deceitful speech or action
dynamism
being characterized by vigorous activity and progress
ecelectic
deriving ideas, style or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources
eclipse
overshadow overshadow or outshine
efficacy
the ability to produce desired results
egoism
evaluating everything in relation to one
s own interests
emulate
to try to be the same as or better than, especially by imitating
endorse
to approve or give support to
enfeeble
to take away the strength of, make feeble
entreaty
an earnest or humble request
entrench
establish an attitude so firmly that change is difficult or unlikely
equitable
characterized by fairness, just
ephemeral
lasting for only a short period
equivocal
open to more than one interpretation, ambiguous
erstwhile
of an earlier time, former
evanescent
tending to disappear like vapor, vanishing, fleeting, like ephemeral
exacerbate
making a problem worse
exacting
making great demands on one’s skill, attention or other resources
exigent
requiring immediate attention, urgent or critical
expedient
a means of attaining an end, especially one that is convenient by considered improper or immoral
exposition
a comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory
extant
still in existence, current, not extinct
extraneous
coming from outside, foreign
