Words starting with D Flashcards

1
Q

dais

A

a low platform

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2
Q

daub

A

spread crudely or roughly on a surface

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3
Q

dearth

A

a lack, scarcity

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4
Q

debauch

example: an endless amount of dearth wine and expensive cheese debauched the traveller

A

to corrupt morally, by means of sensual pleasure

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5
Q

debilitated

A

to weaken, enfeeble or enervate

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6
Q

debonair

A

carefree, cheerful and self-assured

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7
Q

debunk

A

to expose the falseness of a claim

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8
Q

decadence

A

moral or cultural deterioration

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9
Q

deciduous

A

fleeting, transitory

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10
Q

declaim

A

speak or utter rhetorically

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11
Q

decorum (n.) or decorous (adj.)

A

socially appropriate o or proper

seemliness or propriety

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12
Q

decry

A

to criticize openly, disparage or belittle

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13
Q

deference

A

courteous regard, respect

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14
Q

defile

A

to make unclean, impure

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15
Q

deft

Having worked in a bakery for many years, marcus was a deft bread maker

A

skillful, capable

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16
Q

deign

A

think fit, condescend

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17
Q

deleterious

she experienced the deleterious effects of running a marathon without stretching before hand

A

harmful to the mind or body

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18
Q

delineate

A

to describe, outline, shed light on

sentence: she delineated why the project should stop receiving funding.

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19
Q

demean

A

to lower the status or stature of something

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20
Q

demeanor

A

outward behavior or bearing

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21
Q

demure

A

quiet, modest, reserved, coy

Despite the lively ambience at the party, Cathy remained demure and did not socialise at all

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22
Q

demur

A

raise scruples or object to

John demurred the ridiculous policy that would belittle his firm

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23
Q

denigrate

A

to disparage or defame the reputation of of a person

The company decided that its advertisements would no longer denigrate its competitors

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24
Q

denouement

A

the final unravelling of a plot or complicated situation

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25
Q

deprave

A

to pervert or corrupt

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26
Q

depravity

A

a moral corruption, wickedness

the ogre’s depravity made children timorous to enter the forest

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27
Q

deprecate

A

express disapproval of or a wish against

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28
Q

deride

A

to laugh at mockingly, scorn

the bullies at school derided the foreign student’s french accent

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29
Q

desecrate

A

to violate the sacredness of a thing or place

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30
Q

desolate

A

deserted, dreary, lifeless

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31
Q

desist

A

to prevent or stop

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32
Q

despot

A

an absolute ruler

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33
Q

destitute

A

completely impoverished

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34
Q

dialectic

A

logical disputation

35
Q

diapohonous

Sunlight poured in through the diaphanous curtains

A

light and airy, transparent

36
Q

diatribe

A

a forceful verbal attack

37
Q

defalcate

A

to embezzle funds that someone has been entrusted with

sentence: she was fired for defalcating over a million dollars of public funds.

38
Q

defunct

A

no longer used or existing

sentence: they planned to turn the defunct schoolhouse into a community center

39
Q

denounce

A

to publicly condemn or criticise

40
Q

deplore

A

to feel or express sorrow or disapproval

sentence: John deplored his wife’s poor working conditions

41
Q

despoil

A

to rob or plunder

the thieves entered the house, and despoiled all its contents before the denizens realised

42
Q

desultory

A

wandering from subject to subject half-heartedly

the desultory conversation faded away because it served no purpose

43
Q

dicker

A

the man dickered with trader perpetually because he wanted an item, but was not willing to pay merely as much as the trader asked.

44
Q

didactic

A

instructive or overly moralistic

45
Q

diffident

A

shy, modest reserved

the diffident youth remained silent whilst eating dinner with all the adults, for fear of seeming presumptuous

46
Q

dilatory

A

tending to delay or causing delay.

the dictator’s dilatory actions resulted in him being deposed from his authoritative position

47
Q

dirge

A

a song or hymn usually played or performed at a funeral

48
Q

disaffected

A

rebellious, resentful of authority

The parents sent their disaffected son to military school to teach him a good lesson.

49
Q

discern

A

to perceive, detect

Even though John tried to hide his emotions, Cathy discerned from his body language that he was furious.

50
Q

disavow

A

to deny knowledge of or responsibility for

51
Q

discomfit

A

feel uneasy or embarrassed

52
Q

disconsolate

A

very unhappy and unable to be comforted

53
Q

discrete

A

individually separate or distinct

54
Q

discretion

A

the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offence or revealing confidential information

55
Q

discursive

A

rambling, lacking order and wandering
Sentence: The professor’s lectures seemed to be discursive: they covered all topics except the one originally planned for

56
Q

disdain

A
  1. to scorn or hold low in self-esteem

Sentence: After learning about his immoral actions, John held Lawerence in disdain

57
Q

disgruntled

A

to feel upset, not content

58
Q

disheartened

A

low on spirit or moral

59
Q

disheveled

A

untidy

60
Q

disinter

A

to uncover or dig up

61
Q

disinterested

A

not influenced by considerations of personal advantage

Sentence: A banker is obliged to give disinterested advice

62
Q

disparage

A

to criticise or speak ill off

63
Q

disparate

A

sharply differing or contrasting

64
Q

dispel

A

to drive away, scatter

Sentence: She dispelled the rumours suggesting that she had been fired by entering office on Monday

65
Q

dissemble

A

to conceal or hide

66
Q

disseminate

A

to spread widely

Sentence: The presidential candidate disseminated his ideas across the country prior to the elections

67
Q

dissident

A

disagreeing

68
Q

distend

A

to swell out, expand or stretch

His stomach distended as a result of drinking excessively

69
Q

dither

A

to be indecisive or confused about

70
Q

diurnal

A

daily

71
Q

divulge

A

to reveal or to make known

Pressured by the people, the government divulged on previously undisclosed information pertaining to a scandal

72
Q

docile

A

submissive, easily taught or trained

Sentence: The circus company found it easy to teach the docile lion about the tricks it needed to perform

73
Q

dogged

A

having or showing tenacity and grim persistence

74
Q

dogmatic

A

aggressively or arrogantly certain about something

seNTENCE: John’s dogmatic claim that men are better than women at fixing appliances angered women in society

75
Q

dolorous

A

mournful, sad

76
Q

donnybrook

A

a heated argument

77
Q

doughty

A

courageous;worthy

78
Q

dour

A

stern or joyless
sentence: The children were afraid of the dour man living next door because he would seize their toys if they were loud and boisterous

79
Q

downtrodden

A

trampled on, suppressed by people in power

80
Q

drivel

A

talk nonsense: The soldier drivelled about his past experiences during the war

81
Q

drudgery

A

hard work that is tiresome

Sentence: The gardener realised that cleaning the huge garden was domestic drudgery

82
Q

duplicity

A

crafty dishonesty, double dealing

83
Q

duress

A

hardship, threaten