| Question |
Answer |
| deterrent |
something that discourages or deters |
| detonation |
explosion |
| detraction |
slandering; aspersion; detracting; CF. detractor |
| detrimental |
harmful; damaging; N. detriment |
| deviate |
turn away from (a principle, norm); move away from an accepted standard; swerve; depart; diverge; N. deviation; Ex. deviation of the path of light by a prism |
| devious |
roundabout; erratic; deviating from the straight course; not straightforward; not completely honest; Ex. devious route |
| devise |
think up; invent; plan; bequeath; N: bequest |
| devoid |
empty; lacking |
| devolve |
deputize; pass or be passed to others (power, work, or property); Ex. devolve on/upon/to |
| devotee |
enthusiastic follower; enthusiast; Ex. devotee of Bach |
| devout |
pious; deeply religious; sincere; earnest; Ex. my devout hope |
| dexterous |
skillful; skill in using hands or mind; N. dexterity |
| diabolical |
diabolic; devilish; fiendish |
| diadem |
crown |
| dialectical |
relating to the art of debate; mutual or reciprocal; Ex. dialectical situation; N. dialectic: art of arriving at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments |
| diaphanous |
sheer; transparent |
| diatribe |
bitter scolding or denunciation; invective; abuse |
| dichotomy |
division into two opposite parts; split; branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones) |
| dictum |
authoritative and weighty statement (made by a judge in court); saying; maxim; CF. obiter dictum: incidental, nonbinding remark (something said in passing) |
| didactic |
(of speech or writing) intended to teach a moral lesson; teaching; instructional; N. didacticism |
| die |
metal block used for shaping metal or plastic; device for stamping or impressing; mold; CF. dice |
| diffidence |
shyness; lack of self-confidence; timidity; ADJ. diffident |
| diffuse |
wordy; verbose; rambling; spread out (like a gas); V: spread out in all directions; disperse; N. diffusion; CF. suffuse |
| dignitary |
person of high rank or position |
| digression |
wandering away from the subject; V. digress |
| dilapidated |
falling to pieces; in a bad condition; ruined because of neglect; Ex. dilapidated old car/castle; N. dilapidation |
| dilate |
expand; dilate on/upon: speak or write at length on (a subject) |
| dilatory |
delaying; tending to delay |
| dilemma |
situation that requires a choice between equally unfavorable options; problem; choice of two unsatisfactory alternatives |
| dilettante |
aimless follower of an art or a field of knowledge (not taking it seriously); amateur; dabbler; CF. delight |
| diligence |
steadiness of effort; persistent hard work |
| dilute |
make (a liquid) less concentrated; reduce in strength; Ex. dilute the influence of the president |
| diminution |
lessening; reduction in size; V. diminish |
| din |
continued loud noise; V: make a din; instill by wearying repetition |
| dinghy |
small boat (often ship's boat) |
| dingy |
(of things and place) dirty and dull; Ex. dingy street/curtain |
| dint |
means; effort; Ex. by dint of hard work |
| diorama |
life-size, three-dimensional scene from nature or history; three-dimensional scene with modeled figures against a painted background |
| dire |
warning of disaster; disastrous; (of needs and dangers) very great; urgent; Ex. dire prediction/need of food |
| dirge |
funeral song; slow mournful piece of music (sung over a dead person) |
| disabuse |
correct a false impression; undeceive; free from a wrong belief |
| disaffected |
disloyal; lacking loyality; V. disaffect: cause to lose affection or loyalty |
| disapprobation |
disapproval; condemnation |
| disarray |
state of disorder; a disorderly or untidy state; Ex. with her clothes in disarray |
| disavowal |
denial; disclaiming; repudiating; disowning; V. disavow; CF. disclaim |
| disband |
dissolve; disperse; (of a group) break up and separate; Ex. The club has disbanded. |
| disbar |
make (a lawyer) leave the bar or the legal profession |
| disburse |
pay out (as from a fund); N. disbursement; CF. purse |
| discernible |
distinguishable; perceivable; Ex. discernible improvement |
| discerning |
mentally quick and observant; having insight; perceptive; able to make good judgments; V. discern: perceive |
| disclaim |
disown; renounce claim to; deny; CF. disclaimer |
| disclose |
reveal; N. disclosure |
| discombobulated |
discomposed; confused |
| discomfit |
frustrate; put to rout; defeat; disconcert; embarrass; perturb |
| discompose |
disturb the composure of; confuse |
| disconcert |
confuse; upset; embarrass; perturb |
| disconsolate |
hopelessly sad (at the loss of something) |
| discord |
conflict; lack of harmony; dissonance (when musical notes are played) |
| discordant |
not harmonious; conflicting |
| discount |
disregard; regard (a story or news) as unimportant; deduct from a cost |
| discourse |
serious speech, writing, or conversation; formal discussion (either written or spoken); conversation; V. |
| discredit |
defame; disgrace; destroy confidence in; disbelieve; N. CF. discreditable: causing discredit; shameful |
| discrepancy |
lack of consistency or agreement as between facts; difference; Ex. discrepancy between two descriptions |
| discrete |
separate; unconnected |
| discretion |
prudence; ability to adjust actions to circumstances; freedom of action or judgment; ADJ. discreet; CF. discretionary |
| discriminate |
distinguish; make distinctions on the basis of preference |
| discriminating |
able to see differences; discerning; prejudiced; N. discrimination |
| discursive |
(of a person or writing) digressing; rambling (without any clear plan) |
| disdain |
treat with scorn or contempt |
| disembark |
debark; go ashore (from a ship); unload cargo from a ship; CF. embark |
| disenfranchise |
disfranchise; deprive of a civil right; OP. enfranchise |
| disengage |
uncouple; separate; disconnect; stop fighting; OP. engage |
| disfigure |
mar the appearance of; spoil |
| disgorge |
surrender something (stolen); eject; vomit; OP. gorge |
| disgruntle |
make discontented |
| dishearten |
discourage |
| disheveled |
untidy (of hair or clothing); V. dishevel |
| dishonor |
disgrace; N. ADJ. dishonorable |
| disinclination |
unwillingness |
| disingenuous |
not naive; not candid; sophisticated; worldly wise; OP. ingenuous |
| disinter |
dig up; unearth; OP. inter |
| disinterested |
unprejudiced; free from bias and self-interest; objective |
| disjointed |
disconnected; lacking coherence; V. disjoint: disconnect; disjoin |
| disjunction |
act or state of separation; disunity; CF. disjunctive: expressing a choice between two ideas; CF. conjunction; CF. conjunctive |
| dislodge |
remove (forcibly); force out of a position; Ex. dislodge the food caught in his throat; CF. lodge |
| dismantle |
take apart; disassemble |
| dismember |
cut into small parts; cut (a body) apart limb from limb |
| dismiss |
eliminate from consideration; no longer consider; put out of court without further hearing; reject; discharge from employment; direct to leave; ADJ. dismissive; N. dismissal |
| disparage |
belittle |
| disparate |
basically different; impossible to compare; unrelated |
| disparity |
difference; condition of inequality; OP. parity |
| dispassionate |
calm; impartial; not influenced by personal feelings |
| dispatch |
speediness; prompt execution; message sent with all due speed; V: send to a specified destination; finish promptly; kill |
| dispel |
scatter; drive away; cause to vanish |
| dispense |
distribute; prepare and give out (medicines); N. dispensation: dispensing; religious system; official exemption from an obligation or a rule |
| disperse |
scatter; Ex. disperse the cloud/crowd |
| dispirited |
lacking in spirit |
| disport |
amuse; Ex. disport oneself; CF. divert |
| disproportion |
lack of proportion (between the parts); ADJ. disproportionate |
| disputatious |
argumentative; fond of argument |
Poultry
