GRE Barron's 13-14 Flashcards
deciduous
falling off, as of leaves. The oak is a deciduous tree.
decimate
kill, usually one out of ten. We do more to decimate our population in automobile accidents than we do in war
declivity
downward slope. The children loved to ski down the declivity.
decorum
propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners. Even the best-mannered students have trouble behaving with decorum on the last day of school.
decoy
lure or bait. The wild docks were not fooled by the decoy.
decrepitude
state of collapse caused by illness or old age. I was unprepared for the state of decrepitude in which I had found my old friend; he seemed to have aged twenty years in six months.
decry
express strong disapproval of; disparage. The founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman, strongly decries the lack of financial and moral support for children in America today.
deducible
derived by reasoning. If we accept your premise, your conclusions are easily deducible.
deface
mar; disfigure; の外観を損なう. If you deface a library book you will have to pay a hefty fine.
default
failure to act. When the visiting team failed to show up for he big game, they lost the game by default.
defeatist
resigned to defeat; accepting defeat as a natural outcome. If you maintain your defeatist attitude, you will never succeed.
defection
desertion; 亡命、逃亡、減退、欠如. The children, who had made him an idol, were hurt most by his defection from our cause.
defer
delay till later; exempt temporarily. In wartime, some young men immediately volunteer to serve; others defer making plans until they hear from their draft boards.
defer
give in respectfully; submit; 任せる、委ねる. When it comes to making decisions about purchasing software, we must defer to Michael, our computer guru; he has the final word.
deference
courteous regard for another’s wish; 尊敬、敬意、服従. In deference to the minister’s request, please do not take photographs during the wedding service.
defiance
refusal to yield; resistance. When John reached the “terrible two’s,” he responded to every parental request with howls of defiance.
defile
pollute; profane. The hoodlums defiled the church with their scurrilous writing.
deflect
turn aside; そらす、屈折させる. His life was saved when his cigarette case deflected the bullet.
defray
provide for the payment of. Her employer offered to defray the costs of her postgraduate education.
deft
neat; skillful. The deft waiter uncorked the champagne without spilling a drop.
defunct
dead; no longer in use or existence. The lawyers sought to examine the books of the defunct corporation.
degenerate
become worse; deteriorate. As the fight dragged on, the champion’s style degenerated until he could barely keep on his feet.
degradation
humiliation; debasement; degeneration. Some secretaries object to fetching the boss a cup of coffee because they resent the degradation of being made to perform such lowly tasks.
deleterious
harmful. If you believe that smoking is deleterious to your health, then quit!
deliberate
consider; ponder. Offered the new job, she asked for time to deliberate before she made her decision.
delineate
portray; depict; sketch. Using only a few descriptive phrases, Austen delineates the character of Mr. Collins so well that we can predict his every move.
delude
deceive. The mistress deludes herself into believing that her lover will leave his wife and marry her.
deluge
flood; rush. When we advertised the position we received a deluge of applications.
delusive
deceptive; raising vain hopes. Do not raise your hopes on the basis of his delusive promises.
delve
dig; investigate. Delving into old books and manuscripts is part of a researcher’s job.
demean
degrade; humiliate. Standing on his dignity, he refused to demean himself by replying to the offensive letter.
demeanor
behavior; bearing. His sober demeanor quieted the noisy revelers.
demented
insane. Doctor Demento was a radio personality who liked to act as if he were truly demented.
demise
death. Upon the demise of the dictator, a bitter dispute about succession to power developed.
demolition
destruction. One of the major aims of the air force was the complete demolition of all means of transportation by the bombing of rail lines and terminals.
demotic
pertaining to the people. He lamented the passing of aristocratic society and maintained that a demotic society would lower the nation’s standards.
demur
objection; protest. Michelangelo regularly denied that Leonardo Da Vinci had influenced him, and critics have usually accepted his statements without demur.
demure
grave; serious; coy. She was demure and reserved, a nice modest girl whom any young man would be proud to take home to his mother.
denigrate
blacken; を傷つける、中傷する. All attempts to denigrate the character of our late president have failed; the people still love him and cherish his memory.
denizen
inhabitant or resident; regular visitor. In The Untouchables, Eliot Ness fights Al Capone and the other denizens of Chicago’s underworld.
denotation
meaning; distinguishing by name. A dictionary will always give us the denotation of a word; frequently, it will also give us its connotation.
