 | Term | Definition |
| |
deride |
to mock |
| |
derivative |
something derived; unoriginal |
| |
desiccate |
to dry completely |
| |
desuetude |
state of disuse |
| |
desultory |
random; disconnected; rambling |
| |
deterrent |
something that discourages or hinders |
| |
detraction |
the act of taking away |
| |
diaphanous |
transparent; vague; insubstancial |
| |
diatribe |
bitter verbal attack |
| |
dichotomy |
division into two usually contradictory parts |
| |
diffidence |
shyness; lack of confidence |
| |
diffuse |
to spread out |
| |
digression |
act of straying from the main point |
| |
dirge |
funeral hymn |
| |
disabuse |
free from a misconception |
| |
discerning |
perceptive; exhibiting keen insight and good judgement |
| |
discomfit |
to make uneasy; disconcert |
| |
discordant |
not in tune |
| |
discredit |
to dishonor; disgrace |
| |
discrepancy |
difference between |
| |
discrete |
constituing a separate thing; distinct |
| |
discretion |
quality of showing self-restraint in speech or actions |
| |
disingenuous |
not candid, crafty |
| |
disinterested |
unpredujiced; objective |
| |
disjointed |
lacking order or coherence; dislocated |
| |
dismiss |
put away from consideration; reject |
| |
disparage |
to belittle |
| |
disparate |
dissimilar |
| |
dissemble |
to pretend; disguise one's motives |
| |
disseminate |
to spread; scatter; disperse |
| |
dissolution |
disintegration;debauchery |
| |
dissonance |
discord; lack of harmony |
| |
distend |
to expand; swell out |
| |
distill |
extract the essential elements |
| |
distrait |
inattentive; preoccupied |
| |
diverge |
to vary; go in different directions from the same point |
| |
divest |
to strip; deprive; rid |
| |
divulge |
to make known something that is secret |
| |
document |
to provide with written evidence to support |
| |
doggerel |
poor verse |
| |
dogmatic |
stating opinions without proof |
| |
dormant |
inactive |
| |
dross |
waste; worthless matter |
| |
dupe |
to deceive; trick |
| |
ebullient |
exhilarated; overly enthusiastic |
| |
eclectic |
selecting from various sources |
| |
effervescence |
state of high spirits or liveliness; process of bubling as gas escapes |
| |
effete |
depleted of vitality; overrefined; decadent |
| |
dissident |
person who disagrees about beliefs |
| |
doctrinaire |
dogmatic; unyielding |
| |
efficacy |
effectiveness; efficiency |
| |
effrontery |
shameless boldness; presumptuousness |
| |
egoism |
the tendency to see things in relation to oneself; self-centeredness |
| |
egotistical |
excessively self-centered; conceited |
| |
elegy |
poem or song expressing lamentation |
| |
elicit |
to provoke; draw out |
| |
elixir |
a sustance believed to have the power to cure ills |
| |
Elysian |
delightful; blissful |
| |
emaciated |
thin and wasted |
| |
embellish |
to adorn; enhance |
| |
emollient |
soothing; mollifying |
| |
empirical |
derived from observation or experiment |
| |
emulate |
to imitate; copy |
| |
encomium |
a formal expression of praise |
| |
endemic |
inherent; belonging to an area |
| |
enervate |
to weaken |
| |
engender |
to cause; produce |
| |
enhance |
to increase; improve |
| |
entomology |
the scientific study of insects |
| |
enunciate |
to pronounce clearly |
| |
ephemeral |
short-lived; fleeting |
| |
epistemology |
branch of philosophy tha texamines the nature of knowledge |
| |
equable |
steady; unvarying; serene |
| |
equanimity |
composure; calmness |
| |
equivocate |
intentionally use vague language |
| |
errant |
mistaken; straying from the proper course |
| |
erudite |
learned; scholarly |
| |
esoteric |
hard to understand; known only to a few |
| |
essay |
to make an attempt; subject to a test |
| |
estimable |
admirable; possible to estimate |
| |
ethnocentric |
based on the attitude tha one's group is superior |
| |
etiology |
causes or origins |
| |
etymology |
origin an history of a word |
| |
eugenics |
study of factors that influence the hereditary qualities of the human race and ways to improve those qualities |
| |
eulogy |
high praise to a death person |
| |
euphemism |
use of agreeable or inoffensive language in place of offensive language |
| |
euphoria |
feeling of extreme happiness |
| |
euthanasia |
mercy killing |
| |
evince |
to show plainly; be an indication of |
| |
evocative |
tending to call to mind or produce a reaction |
| |
exacerbate |
to aggravate; make worse |
| |
exact |
to force the payment of; demand and obtain by authority |
| |
exculpate |
to clear of blame; vindicate |
| |
execrable |
detertable; abhorrent |
| |
exhort |
to urge by strong appeals |
| |
exigency |
crisis; urgent requirements |
| |
existential |
having to do with existence |
| |
exorcise |
to expel evil spirits; free from bad influences |
| |
expatiate |
to speak or write at length |
| |
expatriate |
to send into exile |
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