 | Term | Definition |
| |
dabble |
work at in a non-serious fashion; splash around |
| |
dank |
damp |
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dapper |
neat and trim |
| |
dappled |
spotted |
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daub |
smear (as with paint) |
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deadpan |
wooden; impersonal |
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dearth |
scarcity |
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debase |
reduce in quality or value; lower in esteem; degrade; abase |
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debauch |
corrupt; seduce from virtue |
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debonair |
friendly; aiming to please |
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decollete |
having a low-necked dress |
| |
decorum |
propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners. |
| |
decrepitude |
state of collapse caused by illness or old age. |
| |
defer |
delay till later; exempt temporarily; give in respectfully; submit |
| |
deference |
courteous regard for another's wish |
| |
defoliate |
destroy leaves |
| |
defray |
pay the costs of |
| |
deft |
neat; skillful |
| |
deify |
turn into a god; idolize |
| |
deign |
condescend; stoop |
| |
deleterious |
harmful |
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delineate |
portray; depict; sketch |
| |
delusion |
false belief; hallucination |
| |
demagogue |
person who appeals to people's prejudice; false leader of people |
| |
demean |
degrade; humiliate |
| |
demoniac |
fiendish |
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demur |
object ( because of doubts, scruples); hesitate |
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demure |
grave; serious; coy |
| |
demystify |
clarify; free from mystery or obscurity |
| |
denigrate |
blacken |
| |
denizen |
inhabitant or resident; regular visitor |
| |
deplore |
regret; disapprove of |
| |
deprecate |
express disapproval of; protest against; belittle |
| |
depredation |
plundering |
| |
derelict |
abandoned; negligent |
| |
descant |
discuss fully |
| |
descry |
catch sight of |
| |
desolate |
rob of joy; lay waste to; forsaken |
| |
despoil |
strip of valuables; rob |
| |
desultory |
aimless; haphazard; digressing at random; discursive |
| |
detraction |
slandering; aspersion |
| |
dialectical |
relating to the art of debate; mutual or |
| |
diaphanous |
sheer; transparent |
| |
diatribe |
bitter scolding; invective; castigation |
| |
dichotomy |
split; branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones) |
| |
dictum |
authoritative and weighty statement; saying maxim |
| |
didactic |
teaching; instructional |
| |
diffidence |
shyness |
| |
dilettante |
aimless follower of the arts; amateur; dabbler |
| |
din |
continued loud noise; clangor |
| |
dingy |
dull; not fresh; cheerless; drab |
| |
dint |
means; effort |
| |
dirge |
lament with music |
| |
disabuse |
correct a false impression; undeceive |
| |
disaffected |
disloyal |
| |
disapprobation |
disapproval |
| |
disavowal |
denial; disclaiming |
| |
disburse |
pay out; defray |
| |
discerning |
mentally quick and observant |
| |
discomfit |
put to rout; defeat; disconcert |
| |
disconsolate |
sad |
| |
discount |
disregard; dismiss |
| |
discourse |
formal discussion; conversation |
| |
discursive |
digressing; rambling |
| |
disembark |
go ashore; unload cargo from a ship |
| |
disengage |
uncouple; separate; disconnect; disjoint |
| |
disinclination |
unwillingness |
| |
disgorge |
surrender something; eject; vomit |
| |
disinter |
dig up; unearth |
| |
disjointed |
disconnected |
| |
disparage |
belittle |
| |
disparate |
basically different |
| |
dispassionate |
calm; impartial |
| |
disseminate |
distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds) |
| |
dissertation |
formal essay |
| |
dissimulate |
pretend; conceal by feigning |
| |
dissipate |
squander; waste; scatter |
| |
dissolute |
loose in morals |
| |
dissonance |
discord |
| |
distend |
expand; swell out |
| |
divest |
strip; deprive |
| |
doctrinaire |
unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding |
| |
doff |
take off |
| |
doggerel |
poor verse |
| |
doldrums |
blues; listlessness; slack period |
| |
domicile |
home |
| |
dormer |
window projecting from roof |
| |
dote |
be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline |
| |
dowdy |
slovenly; untidy |
| |
drab |
dull; lacking color; cheerless |
| |
dregs |
sediment; worthless residue; dross |
| |
drivel |
nonsense; foolishness |
| |
droll |
queer and amusing |
| |
drone |
idle person |
| |
dross |
waste matter; worthless impurities; chaff |
| |
drudgery |
menial work |
| |
duress |
forcibly restraint, especially unlawfully |
| |
dwindle |
shrink; reduce |
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