 | Term | Definition |
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Decorum |
Appropriateness of behavior or conduct (ex. The countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the _____ appropriate for a visit to the palace.) |
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Deference |
Respect, courtesy (ex. The respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with the utmost _____.) |
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Deride |
To speak of or treat with contempt; to mock (ex. The awkward child was often _____ by his "cooler" peers.) |
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Desiccate |
To dry out thoroughly (ex. After a few weeks of lying on the desert's baking sands, the cow's carcass became completely _____.) |
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Desultory |
Jumping from the one thing to another; disconnected (ex. Diane had a _____ academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in three years.) |
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Diatribe |
An abusive, condemnatory speech (ex. The trucker bellowed a _____ at the driver who had cut him off.) |
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Diffident |
Lacking self-confidence (ex. Steve's _____ manner during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field.) |
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Dilate |
To make larger; to expand (ex. When you enter a darkened room, the pupils of your eyes _____ to let in more light.) |
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Dilatory |
Intended to delay (ex. The congressman used _____ measures to delay the passage of the bill.) |
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Dilettante |
Someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic (ex. Jerry's friends were such _____ that they seemed to have new jobs and hobbies every week.) |
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Dirge |
A funeral hymn or mournful speech (ex. Melville wrote the poem "A _____ for James McPherson" for the funeral of a Union general who was killed in 1864.) |
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Disabuse |
To set right; to free from error (ex. Galileo's observations _____ scholars of the notion that the Sun revolved around the Earth.) |
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Discern |
To perceive; to recognize (ex. It is easy to _____ the difference between butter and butter-flavored topping.) |
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Disparate |
Fundamentally different; entirely unlike (ex. Although the twins appear to be identical physically, their personalities are _____.) |
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Dissemble |
To present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or character (ex. The villain could _____ to the police no longer--he admitted the deed and tore up the floor to reveal the body of the old man.) |
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Dissonance |
A harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds (ex. Cognitive _____ is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beliefs are contradicted by new evidence.) |
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Dogma |
A firmly held opinion, often a religious belief (ex. Linus' central _____ was that children who believed in the Great Pumpkin would be rewarded.) |
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Dogmatic |
Dictatorial in one's opinions (ex. The dictator was _____--he, and only he, was right.) |
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Dupe |
To deceive; a person who is easily deceived (ex. Bugs Bunny was able to _____ Elmer Fudd by dressing up as a lady rabbit.) |
