“D” Words Flashcards
Dilate (verb)
Something becoming wider/larger
My eyes dilated in surprise
Decisive (adj)
Being able to decide something
He was pretty decisive on his idea
Distort (verb)
Pull/twist something out of shape
The pipes will distort if you bend them
Dubious (adj)
Feeling doubtful/uncertain
I’m always so dubious about going on high speed rides
Dumbfounded (adj)
Speechless by surprise
They looked dumbfounded when I revealed the secret
Deviate (verb)
Doing something differently that can cause problems
Citizens who deviate the law can suffer the consequences for it
Devote (verb)
Spending your time on something you love
I prefer to devote a couple of hours per day on my hobbies
Dictate (noun, verb)
An order that must be obeyed (noun) Read out loud for others to take note (verb)
Governments dictate countries for control and obedience
Dialect (noun)
A language used in only one area of a country
The Canadians spoke a different dialect in the Eastern areas
Dissuade (verb)
Persuading someone not to do something
Everyone tried dissuading me to not move abroad
Discombobulate (verb)
Confusing someone in a funny matter
His facial expression looked puzzled and discombobulated
Demoralise (verb)
Cause someone to lose hope/confidence
I was demoralised when I missed the X39 on time
Derive (verb)
To obtain something from a specific source
She derived comfort and reassurance from her best friend
Demise (noun)
A person’s death
I will unleash my special attack, prepare to meet your demise!
Delusive (adj)
Something that is not true/misleading
What a delusive way of spreading misinformation
Distraught (adj)
Very worried/upset
He was in distraught when he lost his phone
Dispute (noun, verb)
An argument/disagreement (noun) To argue about something
There’s always a dispute between that couple
Degrading (adj)
Causing someone to feel worthless as a person
Being rejected all the time sounds degrading enough as is is
Demeanour (noun)
The way someone behaves towards certain people
Your demeanour changes whenever I mention your ex
Depict (verb)
To represent something by a drawing, painting or another art form
I’m pretty good at depicting my thoughts and ideas
Desensitise (verb)
To make something less sensitive
A lot of people online become desensitised to extreme content these days
Dire (adj)
Extremely serious/urgent
The residents are in dire need of help after the spread of the wild fire
Designate (verb)
To appoint/decide someone officially to do a certain job
He was designated for the assistant manager role
Double Standards (noun)
A code/policy that favours one group or person over another
She has double standards when it comes to dating people so I don’t really have interest in her
Delectable (adj)
Very delicious/attractive
Those are the most delectable, juicy looking cheeseburgers I have ever seen
Diligent (adj)
Having/showing care in hard work or duties
We’ll make diligent effort to innovate our new brand
Distinguish (verb)
Showing or recognising differences by telling apart
You should distinguish real and fake friends for a healthier social lifestyle
Discontent (noun, adj)
Unhappy with something/dissatisfied
The cost of living crisis caused discontent across the nation
Defecate (verb)
To release out the bowels from the body
You can’t defecate in display toilets
Diminish (verb)
To make/become less of something
The company’s sales began to diminish due to short term success
Diplomatic (adj)
Being careful with saying/doing things without offending others or causing conflict
I was just trying to be diplomatic but you took it to heart
Debilitate (verb)
To make someone or something physically weak
This disease is debilitating my immune system
Dissipate (verb)
To disappear, waste or vanish something
I have to dissipate the intensity of the heat in here by using the AC
Disparage (verb)
Criticising someone or something in a way that shows a lack of respect
You shouldn’t disparage your opponents, it gives off bad sportsmanship
Duplicitous (adj)
Someone who intentionally misleads people in a deceitful way
His actions were very deceiving, very duplicitous and pretentious to those he didn’t like
Defiance (noun)
Bold and open resistance/disobedience
Because of your defiance, you will receive punishment
Dismissive (adj)
Rude by showing inconsiderate behaviour
He clearly doesn’t care judging by his dismissive actions towards me
Detrimental (adj)
Tending to cause harm
Social media can be detrimental depending on what you use it for
Divulge (verb)
To make something secretive known
They won’t divulge their skills to anyone
