Word List Letter D

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WORD LIST

LETTER D

Dainty: small and graceful

Dank: wet, cold and unpleasant

Daunt: to make someone feel slightly frightened or worried about their ability to achieve something; to discourage

Debase: to reduce the quality or value of something

Debauched: weakened or destroyed by bad sexual behaviour, drinking too much alcohol, taking drugs, etc

Debilitate: to make someone or something physically weak

Debonair: charming, confident and carefully dressed

Debutante: a rich young woman who, especially in the past in Britain, went to a number of social events as a way of being introduced to other young people of high social rank

Decadence: low moral standards and behaviour

Decant: to pour a liquid from one container into another

Decapitate: to cut off the head of a person

Deciduous: A deciduous tree loses its leaves in autumn and grows new ones in the spring

Decimate: to kill a large number of something, or to reduce something severely

Decorum: behaviour that is controlled, calm and polite

Decoy: something or someone used to trick or confuse other people or animals into doing something, especially something dangerous

Decrepit: in very bad condition because of being old, or not having been cared for, or having been used a lot

Defame: to damage the reputation of a person or group by saying or writing bad things about them which are not true

Defeat: when someone loses against someone else in a fight or competition, or when someone or something is made to fail

Defer: to delay something until a later time; to postpone

Defile: to spoil the beauty, importance, purity, etc. of something or someone

Definitive: not able to be questioned or improved; final, complete, or best

Deflect: to (cause to) change direction

Defray: to pay the cost of something

Defunct: no longer existing, living, or working correctly

Deify: to make someone or something into a god

Deign: to do something unwillingly and in a way that shows that you think you are too important to do it

Word List Letter D

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Demure: quiet and well behaved

Delineate: to describe or mark the edge of something

Delirious: unable to think or speak clearly because of fever, excitement or mental confusion

Delude: to make someone believe something that is not true; to deceive

Delusion: when someone believes something that is not true

Demagogue: a person, especially a political leader, who wins support by exciting people's emotions rather than by having good ideas

Demean: to cause someone to become less respected

Demeanour: a way of looking and behaving

Demography: The demography of an area is the number and characteristics of the people who live in an area, in relation to their age, sex, whether they are married or not, etc

Denigrate: to say that someone or something is not good or important

Denouement: the end of a story, in which everything is explained, or the end result of a situation

Denounce: to criticize something or someone strongly and publicly

Depict: to represent or show something in a picture or story

Deplete: to reduce something in size or amount, especially supplies of energy, money or similar

Depose: to remove someone important from a powerful position

Depraved: morally bad or evil

Deprecate: to not approve of something or say that you do not approve of something

Depreciate: to (cause something to) lose value, especially over time

Depredation: damage or destruction

Derelict: describes buildings or places that are not cared for and are in bad condition

Deride: to laugh at someone or something in a way which shows you think they are ridiculous or of no value

Derogatory: showing strong disapproval and not showing respect

Desecrate: to damage or show a lack of respect towards something holy or highly respected

Desolate: describes a place that is unattractive and empty, with no people or nothing pleasant in it

Despondent: unhappy and discouraged because you feel you are in a difficult situation

Despot: a person, especially a ruler, who has unlimited power over other people, and often uses it unfairly and cruelly

Desultory: without a clear plan or purpose and showing little effort or interest

Deter: to prevent or discourage someone from doing something by making it difficult for them to do it or by threatening bad results if they do it

Detract: to make something seem less valuable or less deserving of admiration than it really is or was thought to be

Word List Letter D

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Detriment: harm or damage

Deviate: to do something which is different from the usual or common way of behaving

Devolve: to (cause power or responsibility to) be given to other people

Devout: believing strongly in a religion and obeying all its rules or principles

Dexterity: the ability to perform a difficult action quickly and skilfully with the hands, or the ability to think quickly and effectively

Diabolic: extremely bad or shocking

Diaphanous: describes a substance, especially cloth, which is so delicate and thin that you can see through it

Diatribe: an angry speech or piece of writing which severely criticizes something or someone

Dichotomy: a difference between two completely opposite ideas or things

Dictum: a short statement, especially one expressing advice or a general truth

Didactic: intended to teach, especially in a way that is too determined or eager, and often fixed and unwilling to change

Diffident: shy and not confident of your abilities

Digress: to move away from the main subject you are writing or talking about and to write or talk about something else

Dilapidated: describes something old and in poor condition

Dilate: to (cause a part of the body to) become wider or further open

Dilatory: slow and likely to cause delay

Dilemma: a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two different things you could do

Dilettante: a person who is or seems to be interested in a subject, but whose understanding of it is not very deep

Diligent: careful and using a lot of effort

Dire: very serious or extreme

Dirge: a slow sad song or piece of music, sometimes played because someone has died

Disabuse: to cause someone no longer to have a wrong idea

Disavow: to say that you know nothing about something, or that you have no responsibility for or connection with something

Discern: to see, recognize or understand something that is not clear

Disclaim: to say that you have no responsibility for or knowledge of, something that has happened or been done

Disconcert: to make someone feel suddenly uncertain and worried

Disconsolate: extremely sad and disappointed

Discord: a lack of agreement or shared opinions

Word List Letter D

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Discrete: having a clear independent shape or form; separate

Discreet: careful not to cause embarrassment or attract too much attention, especially by keeping something secret

Discriminate: to treat a person or particular group of people differently, especially in a worse way from the way in which you treat other people, because of their skin colour, religion, sex, etc

Discursive: talking about or dealing with subjects which are only slightly connected with the main subject for longer than necessary

Disdain: when you dislike someone or something and think that they do not deserve your interest or respect

Dishevelled: very untidy

Disingenuous: slightly dishonest; not speaking the complete truth

Disinter: to dig up a dead body from the ground

Disinterested: having no personal involvement or receiving no personal advantage, and therefore free to act fairly

Disparage: to criticize someone or something in a way that shows you do not respect or value them

Disparate: different in every way

Disquisition: a long and detailed explanation of a particular subject

Dissemble: to hide your real intentions and feelings or the facts

Dissident: a person who publicly disagrees with and criticizes their government

Dissipate: gradually disappear or waste

Dissolve: to end an official organization or a legal arrangement

Divine: connected with a god, or like a god

Divulge: to make something secret known

Doggerel: poetry that is silly

Dogmatic: If someone is dogmatic, they are certain that they are right and that everyone else is wrong

Dolorous: sad or causing sadness or emotional suffering

Dolt: a stupid person

Dotage: old age, especially with some loss of mental ability

Dote: to love someone completely and believe they are perfect

Dregs: the solid bits that sink to the bottom of some liquids, such as wine or coffee, which are not usually drunk

Droll: amusing, especially in an unusual way

Drone: a low continuous noise which does not change its note

Dubious: thought not to be completely true or not able to be trusted

Dupe: to deceive someone, usually making them do something they did not intend to do

Word List Letter D

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Duplicity: lack of honesty, especially by saying different things to two people

Duress: threats used to force a person to do something