D Flashcards
(198 cards)
1
Q
dais
A
n. raised platform for guests of honor
The governor and his cabinet were seated on the dais ready to take questions from the press.
2
Q
daunting
A
adj. discouraging
Coach Jones began the daunting job of turning a losing football program into a winning one.
3
Q
dearth
A
n. scarcity
There is a dearth of girls wanting to try out for the basketball tea.
4
Q
debacle
A
n. a crushing defeat
Our football team suffered a debacle last week – an 81-0 loss.
5
Q
debauchery
A
n. corruption
The writer lived a life of debauchery until he was thirty years old.
6
Q
debilitate
A
v. to weaken
The Supreme Court justice has been debilitated by illness.
7
Q
debunk
A
v. to discredit
The theory has been debunked by modern science.
8
Q
decadence
A
n. a process or period of deterioration or decline
The historian believes that moral decadence is an indicator of a civilization’s imminent collapse.
9
Q
decapitate
A
v. to behead
The soldier was decapitated in the battle.
10
Q
decathlon
A
n. athletic contest with ten events
Jim’s weakest event in the decathlon is the 1500 meter race.
11
Q
deciduous
A
adj. falling off or shedding at a particular season or stage of growth
Mrs. Miller’s yard has a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees.
12
Q
decimate
A
v. to kill a large part of a group; destroy
The city was decimated by intensive bombing.
13
Q
decipher
A
v. to interpret; decode
The student found the teacher’s comments on the test paper difficult to decipher.
14
Q
decisively
A
adv. determinedly
The major powers acted decisively to end the conflict.
15
Q
declivity
A
v. downward slope
The steep declivity allowed the cyclist to coast for a long time.
16
Q
deconstructionism
A
n. a philosophical movement and theory of literary criticism that holds that words only refer to other words and tries to demonstrate that statements about a text undermine their own meaning
The distinguished literary critic J. Hillis Miller was heavily influenced by deconstructionism.
17
Q
decorous
A
adj. proper, tasteful
Decorous behavior is expected in a five-star hotel.
18
Q
decorum
A
n. proper behavior
It is wise to conduct yourself with decorum at a job interview.
19
Q
decry
A
v. to condemn openly
The president decried the opposition party’s tactic of blocking every proposal he put forward.
20
Q
deduce
A
v. to draw a conclusion by reason
I deduce from your appearance that you’ve just woken up.
21
Q
deduction
A
n. the drawing of a conclusion by reason
Based on your appearance, my deduction is that you just woke up.
22
Q
deface
A
v. to mar the external appearance
Vandals defaced the statue.
23
Q
de facto
A
adj. in fact; actual; existing whether rightfully or not
The elections are considered by some to be a de factor referendum on democracy in the ocuntry.
24
Q
defamation
A
n., the act of slandering or injuring another’s reputation or character
The movie star sued the newspaper for defamation.
25
defamatory
adj. slanderous, injurious to the reputation
The writer was sued for making defamatory remarks in his book.
26
defer
v. to postpone
The executive officer deferred her decision until she could gather more information.
27
deference
v. respect; regard for another's wish
In most cultures children are expected to shown deference to their elders.
28
defile
v. to dirty; disgrace
The lawyer's name was defiled by the charge of corruption.
29
definitive
adj. conclusive, authoritative; precisely defined
Professor Wilson's book is the definitive work on ants.
30
deft
adj. skillful
The principal praised the teacher's deft handling of the difficult situation.
31
defunct
adj. no longer existing
Mail service from Weir Junction to Terrapin Station is defunct.
32
degradation
n. humiliation; debasement; degeneration
As it develops, China is undergoing great environment degradation.
33
dehydrate
v. to remove water from; dry out
Drink plenty of fluids in hot weather so you don't become dehydrated.
34
deification
n. the act of making or regarding as a god
Deification of nature is common in English Romantic poetry.
35
delectable
adj. delicious
The desserts all look delectable.
36
delegate
v. to give power to others
The manager delegated responsibility for foreign sales to his assistant.
37
deleterious
adj. harmful
Smoking is deleterious to human health.
38
delineation
n. representation, depiction
This writer excels at the delineation of complex characters.
39
Delphic
adj. relating to Delphi or the oracle of Apollo at Delphi; obscurely prophetic; oracular
She is known for her Delphic utterances.
40
deluge
n. a great flood; something that overwhelms
The movie star received a deluge of mail.
41
delusional
adj. having a false belief
Investigators described John's belief in UFOs as delusional.
42
demagogue
n. leader who appeals to emotion or prejudice
Adolph Hitler was a demagogue.
43
demarcation
n. establishing limits; limit or boundary
There is a clear demarcation between church and state in the United States.
44
demean
v. to degrade, humiliate
The teacher used ridicule to demean the student.
45
demeanor
n. way of handling yourself; bearing
The teacher's pleasant demeanor made her popular with students.
46
demise
n. death; the end of activity
After his demise, Mr. Smith's estate was divided among his children.
47
demography
n. study of human population
Demography is a field that uses insights from a number of other fields.
48
demote
v. to reduce to a lower rank
The corporal was demoted to private due to his misconduct.
49
demotic
adj. pertaining to the people
The politician is careful to sprinkle his speech liberally with demotic idioms.
50
demur
v. to express doubt
When the jury's verdict was announced, only one member demurred.
51
demure
adj. reserved and modest in manner
In Asia, females are traditionally encouraged to be demure.
52
demystify
v. to remove mystery, clarify
Science seeks to demystify the working of nature.
53
denigrate
v. to slur someone's reputation
Th rumor was spread to denigrate the senator.
54
denizen
n. a inhabitant; a regular visitor
Contrary to popular belief, the denizens of New York City are generally friendly and helpful.
55
denotation
v. the most direct meaning of a word
Many words have several denotation.
56
denote
v. to serve as a symbol for the meaning of; to signify
A word can denote different things depending on how it is used in a sentence.
57
denouement
n. outcome; unraveling of the plot or work of literature
The film's denouement explains why the couple decided to divorce.
58
denounce
v. to condemn; criticize
The official denounced the enemy attack as barbaric.
59
denude
v. to make bare
The hillside was denuded after the fierce battle there.
60
denunciation
n. public condemnation
The president issued a denunciation of the improper actions.
61
depiction
n. portrayal
I enjoyed Richard Burton's depiction o Alexander the Great in the film.
62
deplete
v. to use up, exhaust
The world is rapidly depleting its reserve of fresh water.
63
deplore
v. to regret; disapprove of
Thee university president gave a speech deploring declining standards in education.
64
deploy
v. to spread out over an area
Troops were deployed in the city to restore order.
65
depose
v. to remove from high position
The king was deposed in the revolution.
66
depraved
adj. corrupted; wicked
The film was condemned as being depraved.
67
depravity
v. moral corruption
The church leaders condemned the depravity of modern society.
68
deprecate
v. to belittle, disparage
The patriot deprecated every country in the world except his own.
69
depredation
n. damage or loss
China is undergoing great environmental depredation.
70
deride
v. to mock
Joe's friends derided his dream of becoming a movie star.
71
de rigueur
adj. required by custom or fashion
In the 1960s miniskirts were de rigueur.
72
derision
n. ridicule
Joe's ambition to become a major league baseball player is treated with derision by his friends.
73
derivative
adj. unoriginal
The critic dismissed the new novel as derivative and dull.
74
derogatory
adj. disparaging, belittling
Stop making derogatory remarks.
75
descry
v. to catch sight of something
The bird watcher descried an eagle high in the sky.
76
desecrate
v. to violate the sacredness of; profane
Vandals desecrated the graveyard.
77
desiccate
v. to dry completely
The dry weather desiccated the bones.
78
desist
v. to stop doing something
The judge ordered the man to desist from phoning his ex-wife.
79
despondent
adj. feeling discouraged
Hal refused to let his poor test score make him despondent.
80
despot
n. tyrannical ruler
Mr. Frank runs his classroom like a despot.
81
despotism
n. absolute power
Despotism was replaced by democracy in countries like England and France.
82
destitute
adj. very poor
Most advanced countries have programs to help the destitute.
83
desuetude
n. state of disuse
The house has fallen into desuetude.
84
desultory
adj. random, disconnected; rambling
Jim's desultory efforts to improve his GRE score are not likely to be very effective.
85
detached
adj. emotionally removed; indifferent
The detective listened, detached, to the victim's account of the crime.
86
deter
v. to discourage; hinder
Nothing deterred Bill from pursuing his ambition of being an actor.
87
determinant
n. something that determines
Scientists have found that the disease has no single determinant.
88
deterministic
adj. determined inevitably as the consequence of antecedent events
The philosopher argues that there is no room for free will in a deterministic universe.
89
determinism
n. the philosophy that all events are inevitably determined by preceding events
Determinism would seem to allow little or no room for the exercise of free will.
90
deterrent
n. something that discourages or hinders
The powerful army is a deterrent to enemy aggression.
91
detrimental
adj. harmful; damaging
The injury to the star running back is detrimental to the football team.
92
deus ex machina
n. any artificial method of solving a difficulty; an improbably element introduced in a story to resolve a situation
Critics complain that the mystery writer unnecessarily used a deus ex machina in her story.
93
deviant
adj. differing from the norm or the accepted social standards
Psychologists vary on what they consider to be deviant behavior.
94
deviate
v. to wander, stray
The teacher has a habit of deviating from his lesson plan.
95
devious
adj. indirect; cunning
The detective uncovered a devious plot to rob the bank.
96
devise
v. think up; plan; invent
The class devised an April Fool's Day trick to play on their teachr.
97
devoid
adj. totally lacking
The moon is devoid of life.
98
devout
adj. deeply religious
Sister Marie is the most devout person I know.
99
diabolical
ad. fiendish, wicked
The police uncovered a diabolical plan to poison the city's water supply.
100
dialect
n. regional style of speaking
There are many dialects of English.
101
dialectic
n. arriving at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments
Ideally, a debate is a dialectic.
102
diaphanous
adj. transparent; insubstantial; vague
Bill wore a diaphanous shirt to the party.
103
diatribe
n. bitter verbal attack
The class listened to their teacher's diatribe about the failings of modern education.
104
dichotomy
n. division into two usually contradictory parts
Some philosophers posit a dichotomy between mind and matter.
105
dictate
n. guiding principle
Following the dictates of her conscience, Rebecca refused to take part in the protest.
106
diction
n. choice of words
The speech was marred by poor diction.
107
dictum
n. authoritative statement
The Supreme Court's dictum is final and must be followed by the lower courts.
108
didactic
adj. intended to instruct; teaching excessively
The English teacher believes that a novel should be, at least on some level, didactic.
109
diffidence
n., shyness; lack of confidence
The new student spoke with diffidence.
110
diffuse (adj.)
adj. wordy; rambling; spread out
This essay is so diffuse that its argument is difficult to follow.
111
diffuse (v.)
v. to spread out
The chemical is able to diffuse across a cell membrane.
112
digress
v. to stray from the main point
The chairman digressed from his prepared remarks to congratulate the employee on his promotion.
113
dilapidated
adj. ruined because of neglect
Nobody can remember who owns the abandoned, dilapidated house on the corner.
114
dilatory
adj. slow, tending to delay
The senator used dilatory tactics to delay a vote on the health bill.
115
dilemma
n. a situation necessitating a choice between two unsatisfactory options or mutually exclusive options
The commander faced a dilemma: surrender or fight on with little hope of victory.
116
dilettante
n. a dabbler in a field
Many early scientists were wealthy dilettantes.
117
diminution
n. lessening; reduction
We waited for a diminution in the thunderstorm before leaving home.
118
diminutive
adj. small
It was a bit surprising, but the most diminutive player on the basketball court is also the best.
119
dirge
n. funeral hymn
The band played a dirge for the dead president.
120
disabuse
v. to free from a misconception
The professor felt her first job was to disabuse students of the belief that mathematics is a useless subject.
121
disaffected
adj. discontented
The new party leader pledged to reach out to disaffected members of the party.
122
disarm
v. to overcome or allay suspicion, win the confidence of
We were disarmed by our new boss's easygoing nature.
123
disbar
v. to expel from legal profession
The lawyer was disbarred because of his involvement in criminal activities.
124
discern
v. to perceive something obscure
The teacher helped the class to discern the meaning of the difficult poem.
125
disclaim
v. to deny
The witness disclaimed any knowledge of the events leading up to the crime.
126
discomfit
v. to make uneasy; disconcert
Nothing could discomfit the experienced talk show host.
127
disconcerting
adj. bewildering and disturbing; perplexing
Déjà vu is a disconcerting feeling that you've had that same experience in the past.
128
discord
n. lack of agreement; strife
There was so much discord within the political party that it split into three groups.
129
discordant
adj. not in tune
The United States is a country in which discordant voices are allowed to be heard.
130
discount
v. to disregard
The judge ordered the jury to discount the witness's comments.
131
discourse
n. verbal expression
The level of discourse in this university is high.
132
discreet
adj. having good sense and behavior
An ambassador normally should be discreet.
133
discrepancy
n. difference between
The discrepancy in results between the two experiments meant that the scientist had to repeat the experiment.
134
discrete
adj. constituting a separate thing; distinct
He will lecture on how to determine the discrete orbit of a space object.
135
discretion
n. quality of showing self-restraint in speech or actions; circumspection; freedom to act on one's own
The teacher left it to the student's discretion how long he should make his research paper.
136
discriminating
adj. able to see differences; prejudiced
The art critic has discriminating taste in art.
137
discursive
adj. wandering from topic to topic
The French writer Montaigne was a master of the discursive essay.
138
disdain
n. scorn or contempt
Steve has disdain for people who don't work hard.
139
disheveled
adj. untidy, unkempt
They were disheveled after their who-week expedition.
140
disinclination
n. unwillingness
The employee politely expressed a disinclination to complete the job on time.
141
disingenuous
adj. not candid; crafty
The prosecutor accused the witness of being disingenuous.
142
disinterested
adj. unprejudiced; objective
The novelist strives to present a disinterested view of modern society.
143
disjointed
adj. lacking order or coherence; dislocated
The police officer gradually pieced together the drunk's disjointed account of ht eincident.
144
disparage
v. to belittle
The new student was disparaged by his classmates.
145
disparate
adj. dissimilar
Science seeks to find order in the disparate phenomena of nature.
146
disparity
n. difference; incongruity
The disparity in qualifications between the two job applicants means that the better qualified person will probably get the job.
147
dispassionate
adj. impartial; unaffected by emotion
The teacher was careful to be dispassionate in awarding final grades to her students.
148
dispel
v. to drive out
My doubts about the plan were dispelled by the reasonable explanation.
149
disposition
n. tendency; temperament
Nancy has a pleasant disposition.
150
disputatious
adj. argumentative, fond of arguing
Since you speak clearly and are disputatious, perhaps you should join the debating team.
151
disquiet
n. absence of peace; anxiety
Our disquiet grew when we realized that our friends were now six hours overdue.
152
disreputable
adj. lacking respectability
The disreputable agent tricked the young writer into paying him a lot of money.
153
dissemble
v. to pretend; disguise one's motives
Psychologists say that a smile can be used to help a person dissemble.
154
disseminate
v. to spread; scatter; disperse
The news was disseminated via television and radio.
155
dissension
n. difference of opinion
There is so much dissension in the committee that no agreement can be reached.
156
dissent
v. to disagree
One justice dissented from the Supreme Court's ruling.
157
dissident
adj. disagreeing
The dictator didn't tolerate the expression of dissident opinions.
158
dissipate
v. to scatter; pursue pleasure to excess
The crowd's anger dissipated as time passed.
159
dissipated
adj. wasted; excessive in the pursuit of pleasure
Hugh's doctor recommended that he stop living a dissipated life.
160
dissolution
n. disintegration; debauchery
Most religions teach that the dissolution of the body at death does not mean the extinction of the individual's spiritual sel.
161
dissonance
n. lack of agreement; discord
The conflict between his two beliefs created dissonance in his mind.
162
dissuade
v. to persuade someone to alter intentions
Rob's mother tried to dissuade him from joining the football team.
163
distend
v. to expand; swell out
The balloon distended as it filled with water.
164
distill
v. to purify; concentrate; refine
The book distills a lifetime of experience into 300 pages.
165
distrait
adj. inattentive; preoccupied
In a distrait moment Judy drove her car into the car ahead of her.
166
distraught
adj. worried, distressed
Distraught relatives gathered in the airline terminal to await news of the overdue plane.
167
diva
n. operatic singer; prima donna
The diva retired after a glorious thirty years in opera.
168
divergent
adj. differing; deviating
A healthy democracy is able to tolerate divergent views.
169
diversity
n. variety
The newspaper seeks to reflect a diversity of opinions.
170
divest
v. to strip; deprive; rid
The court divested the company of its overseas assets.
171
divine
v. to foretell
Fortune-tellers claim to be able to divine the future.
172
divisive
adj. creating disunity
Divisive elements within the political party threatened to destroy it.
173
divulge
v. to reveal; make known a secret.
The chef refused to divulge her secret recipe.
174
docile
adj. submissive
The ferocious lion became docile in the hands of the professional trainer.
175
doctrinaire
adj. rigidly devoted to theories
The officials of the that political party are extremely doctrinaire.
176
doctrine
n. principles presented for acceptance; dogma
The bishop discussed church doctrine with the cardinal.
177
document (v.)
v. to provide with written evidence to support
The teacher told the students to documnet their research papers.
178
doggeral
n. poor verse
The lines, "We seek him here, we seek him there" could be described as doggerel.
179
dogma
n. belief asserted on authority without evidence
The findings of modern science have often clashed with religious dogma.
180
dogmatic
adj. stating opinions without proof
Our teacher asked us to look at the issue with open minds and not be dogmatic.
181
doleful
adj. sad, mournful
The doleful song brought tears to our eyes.
182
domicile
n. home
By law, you must vote in the state where your domicile is.
183
dormant
adj. inactive
The volcano has been dormant for over 100 years.
184
dour
adj. sullen and gloomy
Some people seem to be born cheerful, while others have a dour personality.
185
dowager
n. an elderly woman of high social station
The dowager is a well-known patron of the arts in St. Louis.
186
doyen
n. a man who is the senior member of a group
Professor Parker is regarded as the doyen of marine biologists.
187
draconian
adj. extremely severe
The economic crisis calls for draconian measures.
188
droll
adj. amusing in a quaint or odd way
One thing Val likes about Chris is his droll humor.
189
dross
n. waste; worthless matter; trivial matter
Tina loves to sift through the dross on the bargain rack at the boutique for a good bargain.
190
dualism
n. philosophical belief that reality comprises two fundamental elements, such as mind and matter
The history of philosophy can be seen, at least to some degree, as a debate between the proponents of dualism and the advocates of monism -- the view that reality is composed of one fundamental element.
191
dubious
adj. doubtful
Beth won the dubious distinction of "Most Underachieving Student."
192
dudgeon
n. a feeling of offense or resentment
The president is in high dudgeon over Congress's refusal to pass the bill.
193
dulcet
adj. pleasant sounding
The dulcets sound of the rain lulled us to sleep.
194
dupe
v. to deceive, trick
Lew was duped into paying a lot of money for an inferior camera.
195
duplicitous
adj. deceptive, dishonest
Steve is not above being duplicitous to get what he wants.
196
duress
n. threat of force or intimidation
The confession was obtained under duress.
197
dyslexia
n. inability to associate letter symbols with sounds
Many people have become very successful despite having dyslexia.
198
dystopia
n. an imaginary place in which life is bad
Brave New World is Aldous Huxley's depiction of a dystopia.
