Vocab D Flashcards
Declivity
Downward slope
Because the village was situated on the DECLIVITY of a hill, it never flooded.
Synonyms:
DECLINE. DESCENT. GRADE. SLANT. TILT.
Debutante
Young woman making debut in high society
The DEBUTANTE spent hours dressing for her very first ball, hoping to catch the eye of an eligible bachelor.
Synonyms:
LADY. MAIDEN.
Deleterious
Subtly or unexpectedly harmful
If only we had know the clocks were defective before putting them on the market, it wouldn’t have been quite so DELETERIOUS to our reputation.
Synonyms:
ADVERSE. INIMICAL. INJURIOUS. HURTFUL.
Demur
To express doubts or objections
When scientific authorities claimed that all the planets revolved around the Earth, Galileo, with his superior understanding of the situation, was forced to DEMUR.
Synonyms:
DISSENT. EXPOSTULATE. KICK. PROTEST. REMONSTRATE.
Demagogue
A leader or rabble-rouser, usually appealing to emotion or prejudice
He began his career as a DEMAGOGUE, giving fiery speeches at political rallies.
Synonyms:
AGITATOR. INCITER. INSTIGATOR.
Diaphanous
Allowing light to show through; delicate
These DIAPHANOUS curtains do nothing to block out the sunlight.
Synonyms:
GAUZY. SHEER. TENUOUS. TRANSLUCENT. TRANSPARENT.
Dictum
Authoritative statement
“You have time to lean, you have time to clean,” was the DICTUM our boss made us live by.
Synonyms:
ADAGE. APOTHEGM. APHORISM. DECREE. EXPAND. EXPATIATE.
Distaff
The female branch of a family
The lazy husband refused to cook dinner for his wife, joking that the duty belongs to the DISTAFF’s side.
Synonyms:
MATERNAL.
Distend
To swell, inflate, or bloat
Her stomach was DISTENDED after she gorged on the six-course meal.
Synonyms:
BROADEN. BULGE.
Diurnal
Existing during the day
DIURNAL creatures tend to become inactive during the night.
Synonyms:
DAYLIGHT. DAYTIME.
Droll
Amusing in a wry, subtle way
Although the play couldn’t be described as hilarious, it was certainly DROLL.
Synonyms:
COMIC. ENTERTAINING. FUNNY. RISIBLE. WITTY.
Dyspeptic
Suffering from indigestion; gloomy and irritable
The DYSPEPTIC young man cast a gloom over the party the minute he walked in.
Synonyms:
ACERBIC. MELANCHOLY. MOROSE. SOLEMN. SOUR.
