| Question |
Answer |
| decollete |
(of a dress) having a low-cut neckline; CF. d\'ecolletage: low neckline (on a dress) |
| decomposition |
decay; V. decompose: decay; break and separate into simple parts |
| decorous |
proper (in behavior, conduct, or appearance) |
| decorum |
propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners; appropriateness of behavior or conduct |
| decoy |
lure or bait; V. |
| decree |
authoritative order; edict; judgment of a court of law; V: order or judge by decree |
| decrepit |
weak and in bad condition from old age or hard use; Ex. decrepit old chair/man |
| decrepitude |
state of collapse or weakness caused by illness or old age |
| decry |
express strong disapproval of; condemn openly (something dangerous to the public); disparage; Ex. decry the violence of modern films |
| deducible |
derived by reasoning; V. deduce: infer; derive by reasoning |
| deface |
mar; disfigure |
| defalcate |
embezzle |
| defame |
harm someone's reputation; malign; speak evil of; slander; N. defamation; ADJ. defamatory |
| default |
failure to act; failure to perform a task or be present; V. |
| defeatist |
resigned to defeat or failure; accepting defeat or failure as a natural outcome; N. CF. defeatism |
| defect |
shortcoming; V: desert (in order to join the opposite one) |
| defection |
desertion |
| defer |
give in respectfully; submit; delay till later; exempt temporarily; N. deferment; CF. show respect, comply with, courteous |
| deference |
courteous regard for another's wish; courteous yielding to another's wish or opinion (showing respect); ADJ. deferential; OP. effrontery |
| defiance |
refusal to yield; resistance; V. defy; ADJ. defiant |
| defile |
pollute; make filthy or dirty; corrupt morally; profane; desecrate; N: narrow passage or gorge through mountains |
| definitive |
most reliable; authorative and complete; that cannot be improved; conclusive; decisive; definite; Ex. definitive decision by the supreme court |
| deflect |
turn aside; turn away from a straight course |
| defoliate |
destroy leaves; deprive of leaves (by the use of chemicals); N. defoliant |
| defray |
provide for the payment of; undertake the payment of; pay |
| defrock |
strip a priest or minister of church authority; unfrock |
| deft |
neat; skillful |
| defunct |
dead; no longer in use or existence |
| degenerate |
become worse in quality; deteriorate; ADJ: having become worse; Ex. a degenerate species; N: depraved or corrupt person |
| degradation |
humiliation; debasement; degeneration; V. degrade: debase; disgrace; degenerate; reduce (something) in worth; demote (someone); reduce in rank |
| dehydrate |
remove water from; dry out |
| deify |
turn into a god; make a god of; idolize; Ex. Kings were deified; CF. deity |
| deign |
condescend; stoop |
| delete |
erase; strike out |
| deleterious |
harmful |
| deliberate |
consider; ponder; ADJ: done on purpose; slow |
| delineate |
portray; depict; sketch; describe; N. delineation |
| delirium |
mental disorder marked by confusion; uncontrolled excitement; ADJ. delirious |
| delta |
flat plain of mud or sand between branches of a river |
| delude |
deceive |
| deluge |
flood; rush; V. |
| delusion |
false belief; hallucination; deluding; Ex. delusions of grandeur; Ex. under the delusion that |
| delusive |
deceptive; likely to delude; misleading; raising vain hopes; Ex. delusive promises |
| delve |
dig; search deeply; investigate |
| demagogue |
person who appeals to people's prejudice; false leader of people; CF. demagoguery |
| demean |
disgrace; humiliate; debase in dignity; behave |
| demeanor |
behavior; bearing |
| demented |
insane |
| demerit |
fault; bad quality |
| demise |
death |
| demographic |
related to population balance; N. demography: statistical study of human population |
| demolition |
destruction; V. demolish |
| demoniac(demoniacal) |
fiendish; cruel; N. demon: evil supernatural being; devil |
| demotic |
of or pertaining to the people |
| demur |
object (because of doubts, scruples); raise an objection (showing qualms); hesitate; Ex. demur at the idea of working on Sunday |
| demure |
(of a woman or child) grave; quiet and serious; coy; pretending to be demure |
| denigrate |
blacken; defame |
| denizen |
(animal, person, or plant) inhabitant or resident of a particular place; regular visitor |
| denomination |
religious group; unit in a system; name or designation; CF. denominator: common trait or characteristic |
| denotation |
meaning; distinguishing by name; V. denote: indicate; refer to directly; mean; CF. connotation |
| denouement |
final outcome; final development of the plot of a play or other literary work; the end of a story when everything is explained |
| denounce |
condemn; criticize; N. denunciation |
| depict |
portray |
| deplete |
reduce; exhaust |
| deplore |
regret; express sorrow and severe disapproval for something bad; Ex. deplore their violent behavior; ADJ. deplorable: very bad; deserving severe disapproval; Ex. deplorable living condition |
| deploy |
spread out (troops) in an extended though shallow battle line; distribute (persons or forces) systematically or strategically |
| deport |
send out of the country; behave; N. deportation, deportment |
| depose |
dethrone; remove from office; give a deposition; testify |
| deposition |
testimony under oath; deposing; dethroning |
| depravity |
extreme corruption; wickedness; V. deprave |
| deprecate |
express disapproval of; deplore; protest against; belittle; ADJ. deprecatory |
| depreciate |
lessen in value; belittle; represent as of little value |
| depredation |
plundering; destruction |
| deputize |
work or appoint as a deputy; N. deputy: person who has the power to take charge when the leading person is away |
| deranged |
insane |
| derelict |
negligent; (of someone) neglectful of duty; (of something) deserted by an owner; abandoned; N: abandoned property; homeless or vagrant person |
| dereliction |
neglect of duty; abandonment |
| deride |
ridicule; treat with contempt; make fun of; OP. respect |
| derision |
ridicule; ADJ. derisive; CF. derisory |
| derivation |
deriving; origin or source of something; Ex. the derivation of the word |
| derivative |
unoriginal; obtained from another source; Ex. derivative prose style; N. |
| dermatologist |
one who studies the skin and its diseases |
| derogatory |
expressing a low opinion; disparaging; V. derogate: detract; disparage |
| descry |
catch sight of (something distant) |
| desecrate |
profane; violate the sanctity of |
| deserts |
what someone deserves |
| desiccate |
dry up |
| desolate |
make desolate; forsake; abandon and desert |
| desperado |
reckless, desperate outlaw |
| desperate |
having lost all hope; despairing; reckless and violent because of loss of hope or despair; undertaken as a last resort |
| despise |
look on with scorn; regard as worthless or distasteful; ADJ. despicable: contemptible |
| despoil |
plunder; sack; Ex. despoil the village |
| despondent |
without hope and courage; depressed; gloomy; N. despondency: loss of hope with gloom; dejection |
| despot |
tyrant; harsh, authoritarian ruler; CF. despotism |
| destitute |
extremely poor; lacking means of subsistence; utterly lacking; devoid; Ex. destitute of any experience |
| desultory |
aimless; haphazard; digressing at random |
| detached |
emotionally removed; free from emotional involvement; calm and objective; physically separate; N. detachment; CF. attachment |
| detain |
keep waiting; prevent from leaving or going; N. detention |
| determinate |
having a fixed order of procedure; precisely defined; invariable; fixed; conclusive; final |
| determination |
resolve; firmness of purpose; measurement or calculation; decision |
mr. charles11
