D (I) Flashcards
dabble (v.)
to work at in a non-serious fashion; to splash around
The amateur painter dabbled at art, but seldom produced a finished piece.
The children dabbled their hands in the bird bath, splashing one another gleefully.
dais (n.)
raised platform for guests of honor
When he approached the dais, he was greeted by cheers from the people who had come to honor him.
dank (adj.)
damp
Th walls of the dungeon were dank and slimy.
dapper (adj.)
neat and trim
In “The Odd Couple” TV show, Tony Randall played Felix Unger, an excessively dapper soul who could not stand to have a hair out of place.
dappled (adj.)
spotted
The sunlight filtering through the screens created a dappled effect on the wall.
daub (v.)
to smear (as with paint)
From the way he daubed his paint on the canvas, I could tell he knew nothing of oils.
daunt (v.)
to intimidate; to frighten
“Boast all you like of your prowess. Mere words cannot daunt me,” the hero answered the villain.
dauntless (adj.)
bold
Despite the dangerous nature of the undertaking, the dauntless soldier volunteered for the assignment.
dawdle (v.)
to loiter; to waste time
We have to meet a deadline so don’t dawdle; just get down to work.
deadlock (n.)
standstill; stalemate
Because negotiations had reached a deadlock, some of the delegates had begun to mutter about breaking off the talks.
deadpan (adj.)
wooden; impersonal
We wanted to see how long he could maintain his deadpan expression.
dearth (n.)
scarcity
The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools.
debacle (n.)
sudden downfall; complete disaster
In the Airplane movies, every flight turns into a debacle, with passengers and crew members collapsing, engines falling apart, and carry-on baggage popping out of the overhead bins.
debase (v.)
to reduce in quality or value; to lower in esteem; to degrade
In The King and I, Anna refuse to kneel down and prostate herself before the king, for she feels that to do so would debase her position, and she will not submit to such debasement.
debauch (v.)
to corrupt; to seduce from virtue
Did Socrates’ teachings lead the young men of Athens to be virtuous citizens, or did they debauch the young men, causing them to question the customs of their fathers? Clearly, Socrates’ philosophical talks were nothing like the wild debauchery of the toga parties in Animal House.
debilitate (v.)
to weaken; to enfeeble
Michael’s severe bout of the flu debilitated him so much that he was too tired to go to work for a week.
debonair (adj.)
friendly; aiming to please
The debonair youth was liked by all who met him, because of his cheerful and obliging manner.
debris (n.)
rubble
A full year after the earthquake in Mexico City, they were still carting away the debris.
debunk (v.)
to expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc.; ridicule
Pointing out that he consistently had voted against strengthening anti-pollution legislation, reporters debunked the candidate’s claim that he was a fervent environmentalist.
debutante (n.)
young woman making formal entrance into society
As a debutante, she was often mentioned in the society columns of the newspapers.
decadence (n.)
decay
The moral decadence of the people was reflected in the lewd literature of the period.
decapitate (v.)
to behead
They did not hand Lady Jane Grey; they decapitated her. “Off with her head!” cried the Duchess, eager to decapitate poor Alice.
decelerate (v.)
to slow down
Seeing the emergency blinkers in the road ahead, he decelerated quickly.
deciduous (adj.)
falling off as of leaves
The oak is a deciduous tree; in winter it looks quite bare.
decimate (v.)
to kill, usually one out of ten
We do more to decimated our population in automobile accidents than we do in war.
decipher (v.)
to interpret secret code
Lacking his code book, the spy was unable to decipher the scrambled message sent to him from the KGB.
declivity (n.)
downward slope
The children loved to ski down declivity.
decollete (adj.)
having a low-necked dress
Current fashion decrees that evening gowns be decollete this season; bare shoulders are again the vogue.
decomposition (n.)
decay
Despite the body’s advanced state of decomposition, the police were able to identify the murdered man.
decorum (n.)
propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners
Even the best-mannered students have trouble behaving with decorum on the last day of school.
decoy (n.)
lure or bait
The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy.
decrepit (adj.)
worn out by age
The decrepit car blocked traffic on the highway.
decry (v.)
to express strong disapproval of; disparage
The founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman, strongly decries that lack of financial and moral support for children in America today.
deducible (adj.)
derived by reasoning
If we accept our premise, your conclusions are easily deducible.
deface (v.)
to mar; to disfigure
If you deface a library book, you will have to pay a hefty fine.
defame (v.)
to harm someone’s reputation; to malign; to slander
If you try to defame my good name, my lawyers will see you in court.
If rival candidates persist in defaming one another, the voters may conclude that all politicians are crooks.
default (n.)
failure to act
When the visiting team failed to show up for the big game, they lost the game by default.
When Jack failed to make the payments on his Jaguar, the dealership took back the car because he had defaulted on his debt.
defeatist (adj.)
attitude of one who is ready to accept defeat as a natural outcome
If you maintain your defeatist attitude, you will never succeed.
defection (n.)
desertion
The children, who had made him an idol, were hurt most by his defection from our cause.
defer (v.)
to delay till later; to exempt temporarily
In wartime, some young men immediately volunteer to serve; others defer making plans until they hear from their draft boards.
During the Vietnam War, many young men, hoping to be deferred, requested student deferments.
defer (v.)
to give in respectfully; to submit
When it comes to making decisions about purchasing software, we must defer to Michael, our computer guru; he gets the final word.
Michael, however, can defer these questions to no one; only he can decide.
deference (n.)
courteous regard for another’s wish
In deference to the minister’s request, please do not take photographs during the wedding service.
defiance (n.)
refusal to yield; resistance
When John reached the “terrible two’s,” he responded to every parental request with howls of defiance.
defile (v.)
to pollute; to profane
The hoodlums defiled the church with their scurrilous writing.
definitive (adj.)
final; complete
Carl Sandburg’s Abraham Lincoln may be regarded as the definitive work on the life of the Great Emancipator.
deflect (v.)
to turn aside
His life was saved when his cigarette case deflected the bullet.
defray (v.)
to pay the costs of
Her employer offered to defray the costs of her postgraduate eduction.
deft (adj.)
neat; skillful
The deft waiter uncorked the champagne without spilling a drop.
defunct (adj.)
dead; no longer in use or existence
The lawyers sought to examine the books of the defunct corporation.
defuse (v.)
to remove the fuse of a bomb; to reduce or eliminate a threat
Police negotiators are trained to defuse dangerous situations by avoiding confrontational language and behavior.
degenerate (v.)
become worse; deteriorate
As the fight dragged on, the champion’s style degenerated until he could barely keep on his feet.
degradation (n.)
humiliation; debasement; degeneration
Some secretaries object to fetching the boss a cup of coffee because they resent the degradation of being made to do such lowly tasks.
dehydrate (v.)
to remove water from; to dry out
Running under a hot sun quickly dehydrates the body; joggers soon learn to carry water bottles and to drink from them frequently.
deify (v.)
to turn into a god; to idolize
Admire Elvis Presley all you want; just don’t deify him.
deign (v.)
to condescend; to stoop
The celebrated fashion designer would not deign to speak to a mere seamstress; his overburdened assistant had to convey the master’s wishes to the lowly workers assembling his great designs.
delectable (adj.)
delightful; delicious
We thanked our host for a most delectable meal.
delete (v.)
to erase; to strike out
Less is more: If you delete this paragraph, your whole essay will have greater appeal.
deleterious (adj.)
harmful
If you believe that smoking is deleterious to your health (and the Surgeon General certainly does), then quit!
deliberate (v.)
to consider; to ponder
Offered the new job, she asked for time to deliberate before she told her decision.
delineate (v.)
to portray; to depict; to sketch
Using only a few descriptive phrase, Austen delineates the character of Mr. Collins so well that were can predict his every move.
