Next Top 138 Words D-E Flashcards
Decorum
Appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety
Gypsies in Europe usually lack DECORUM even when asking for money, they do it in a very rude manner.
Rel. Words:
DECOROUS: conforming to acceptable standards
Sim. Meanings:
CORRECTNESS. DECENCY. ETIQUETTE. MANNERS. MORES. PROPRIETY. SEEMLINESS.
Deference
Respect, courtesy
The respectful young man treated his grandpa with the utmost DEFERENCE.
Rel. Words:
DEFER: to delay; to show someone deference
DEFERENTIAL: courteous and respectful
Sim. Meanings:
COURTESY. HOMAGE. HONOR. OBEISANCE. RESPECT. REVERENCE. VENERATION.
Desultory
Jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
Jack had a DESULTORY work experience, he has changed jobs 5 times in 3 years.
Sim. Meanings:
AIMLESS. DISCONNECTED. ERRATIC. HAPHAZARD. INDISCRIMINATE. OBJECTLESS. PURPOSELESS. RANDOM. STRAY. UNCONSIDERED. UNPLANNED.
Diatribe
An abusive, condemnatory speech
The girl at the mall gave a guy a DIATRIBE for being a jerk.
Sim. Meanings:
FULMINATION. HARANGUE. INVECTIVE. JEREMIAD. MALEDICTION. OBLOQUY. TIRADE.
Diffident
Lacking self-confidence
The student’s stutter while presenting was proof that he was DIFFIDENT.
Sim. Meanings:
BACKWARD. BASHFUL. COY. DEMURE. MODEST. RETIRING. SELF-EFFACING. SHY. TIMID.
Dilate
To make larger; to expand
Your pupils usually DILATE when you are in a dark space in order to let in more light so you can see better.
Sim. Meanings:
AMPLIFY. DEVELOP. ELABORATE. ENLARGE. EXPAND. EXPATIATE.
Dilatory
Intended to delay
The boy did DILATORY things in the morning to delay getting to school.
Sim. Meanings:
DRAGGING. FLAGGING. LAGGARD. LAGGING. SLOW. SLOW-FOOTED. SLOW-GOWING. SLOW-PACED. TARDY.
Dilettante
Someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
Teenagers usually are DILETTANTE since they gain and lose interest quickly with things and have difficulty committing to anything.
Sim. Meanings:
AMATEUR. DABBLER. SUPERFICIAL. TYRO.
Dirge
A funeral hymn or mournful speech
The young man gave a DIRGE at church for his father’s passing, it was a sad speech.
Sim. Meanings:
ELEGY. LAMENT.
Disabuse
To set right; to free from error
The teacher tried to DISABUSE the student for getting the wrong answer, correcting him so he wouldn’t repeat the mistake.
Sim. Meanings:
CORRECT. UNDECEIVE.
Discern
To perceive; to recognize
It is easy to DISCERN the difference between a low quality fake and original Rolex watch.
Rel. Words:
DISCERNMENT: taste and cultivation
Sim. Meanings:
CATCH. DESCRY. DETECT. DIFFERENTIATE. DISCRIMINATE. DISTINGUISH. ESPY. GLIMPSE. KNOW. SEPARATE. SPOT. SPY. TELL.
Disparate
Fundamentally different; entirely unlike
Americans and Arabs have DISPARATE views about premarital sex.
Sim. Meanings:
DIFFERENT. DISSIMILAR. DIVERGENT. DIVERSE. VARIANT. VARIOUS.
Dissemble
To present a false appearance; to disguise one’s real intentions or character
Neal Caffrey, the con man in White Collar, tried to DISSEMBLE himself as an Interpol agent.
Sim. Meanings:
ACT. AFFECT. ASSUME. CLOAK. COUNTERFEIT. CAMOUFLAGE. COVER UP. DISGUISE. DISSIMULATE. FAKE. FEIGN. MASK. MASQUERADE. POSE. PRETEND. PUT ON. SHAM. SIMULATE.
Dogma
A firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
Presbyterian DOGMA is all about going back to the bible for reference, teaching, and faith.
Sim. Meanings:
CREED. DOCTRINE. TEACHING. TENET.
Dogmatic
Dictatorial in one’s opinions
Hitler was DOGMATIC, everything he believed had to be followed without opposition; a true dictator.
Sim. Meanings:
AUTHORITARIAN. BOSSY. DICTATORIAL. DOCTRINAIRE. DOMINEERING. IMPERIOUS. MAGISTERIAL. MASTERFUL. OVERBEARING. PEREMPTORY.
Dupe
To deceive; a person who is easily deceived
The thief couldn’t DUPE the jury, it was too evident that he was lying.
Sim. Meanings:
BEGUILE. BETRAY. BLUFF. COZEN. DECEIVE. DELUDE. FOOL. HOODWINK. HUMBUG. MISLEAD. TAKE IN. TRICK.
Eclectic
Selecting from or made up of a variety of sources
Rome is made up of ECLECTIC layers of different ages.
Sim. Meanings:
BROAD. CATHOLIC. SELECTIVE.
Efficacy
Effectiveness
The EFFICACY of Panadol Extra is great in healing headaches, it eliminates severe ones in minutes.
Rel. Words:
EFFICACIOUS: effective; productive
Sim. Meanings:
DYNAMISM. EFFECTIVENESS. EFFICIENCY. FORCE. POWER. PRODUCTIVENESS. PROFICIENCY. STRENGTH. VIGOR.
Elegy
a sorrowful poem or speech The sad father was barely able to complete his son's ELEGY during his funeral in church, the words came out with difficulty. Related Words: ELEGIAC: like an elegy; mournful Similar Meanings: DIRGE. LAMENT.
Emulate
to copy; to try to equal or excel
Children always try to EMULATE their parents’ actions by copying what they do.
Similar Words:
APE. IMITATE. SIMULATE.
Enumerate
to count, list, or itemize
Astrologists try to ENUMERATE all the stars and planets in the universe, giving them names and numbers.
Similar Meanings:
CATALOG. INDEX. TABULATE.
Erratic
Wandering and unpredictable
The series “lost” was so ERRATIC most of the time, it was very unpredictable and all over the place.
Rel. Words:
ERRANT: straying, mistaken, roving
Sim. Meanings:
CAPRICIOUS. INCONSTANT. IRRESOLUTE. WHIMSICAL.
Esoteric
Known or understood by only a few
Only a few scientists are aware of the ESOTERIC field of medical nanotechnology.
Sim. Meanings:
ABSTRUSE. ARCANE. OBSCURE.
Estimable
Admirable
It is an ESTIMABLE thing what volunteers are doing abroad to help the needy.
Rel. Words:
ESTEEM: high regard
Sim. Meanings:
ADMIRABLE. COMMENDABLE. CREDITABLE. HONORABLE. LAUDABLE. MERITORIOUS. PRAISEWORTHY. RESPECTABLE. VENERABLE. WORTHY.
