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154-205

Terms in this set (51)

discordant
not in harmony, quarrelsome



She was a brilliant leader who could listen to the discordant voices of the Senate and somehow find a way to compromise.
discredit
to refuse to believe or cause others to disbelieve



He had to discredit the ridiculous idea that with a better diet, one could get by with only five hours of sleep ea h night.
discreet
maintaining or respecting privacy, especially about something of a delicate nature



They were so discreet about the affair that it was never discovered.
discredpancy
disagreement, inconsistency



The investigation of a small discrepancy in an account revealed widespread fraud at that bank.
discrete
separate, distinct



The course was given in three discrete sessions; you could attend just one or two and still follow the material
disingenuous
lacking in truth, often while giving the appearance of truthfulness



Their advertising was disingenuous, featuring photographs that made their dumpy hotel look like a paradise.
disinterested
not personally engaged, without emotional interest



He could not participate on the jury; the
victim was his cousin, and so he could not be disinterested in the outcome of the trial
disjointed
disorderly, out of sequence



She told the story in such a disjointed way that we asked her to repeat it so that we could understand.
dismissed
to allow or cause to leave; to reject


She dismissed the proposal, saying that it would be too expensive to carry out.
disparage
to speak of slightingly; to lessen the reputation of



Do not disparage your elders; they worked hard to build this community.
disparate
essentially different



The four musicians brought together their disparate talents and ideas to make a wild and beautiful collection of songs.
dissemble
to put on a false appearance



The children tried to dissemble innocence, but thec rumbs on their fa e gave them away.
disseminate
to scatter, spread around



Please disseminate the news; I want everyone to know about my candidacy.
dissident
disagreeing with an established belief or organization



Under the rule of the dictator, people kept their dissident ideas to themselves.
dissolution
the act or process of falling apart



The dissolution of their marriage was unexpected; they had seemed so happy
dissonance
the clashing of ideas or sounds



The music included much dissonance, and I left the concert hall with a headache.
distended
to expand, swell



Ironically, their distended bellies are a sign of their great hunger.
distill
to extract the essence of



The professor could distill complex ideas into a simple diagram or statement.
divested
to strip, deprive, or free from



He divested himself of most of his wealth and went off to live in the woods
divulge
to make a secret known



She refused to divulge what her sister had told her that evening.
doctrinaire
fanatic about a doctrine or theory



A doctrinaire libertarian, she refused to pay any taxes.
dogmatic
taken to expressing opinions as though they were facts



She was turned off by his dogmatic assertions that reading his book would completely trans- form her life.
dormant
inactive, asleep



It is hard to believe that the tulip bulbs lie dormant in the earth under the winter snow.
dross
waste, something that is inferior


The art show was so full of dross that his beautiful pie e stood out.
dupe
one who is easily deceived or fooled



He was a dupe to believe all of her lies.
ebullient
lively, enthusiastic



We soon were all carried away by her ebullient mood.
eccentric
unconventional, irregular


Her staid outfits contrasted with her eccentric ideas.
eclectic
choosing from a variety of sources; composed of a variety of styles, methods, or ideas



His taste in music was eclectic, including everything from opera to free jazz.
effervescence
liveliness



Her effervescence was not appropriate for the solemn occasion
effete
without strength or character



The young men longed for war so that they could prove they had not grown effete.
efficacy
the ability to produce the desired effect



Her efficacy was astonishing; within three days she got the project back on track
effrontery
shameless boldness



He had the effrontery to demand a full refund, simply because he had not liked one of the performers.
elegy
a poem or song expressing sorrow at the loss of one who has died



After the poet read the elegy for her mother, not an eye was dry of tears.
elicited
to draw or bring out



Her pointed questions elicited thoughtful replies.
elixir
a sweetened mixture of alcohol and water having medicinal qualities


He made a fortune selling an elixir that he claimed could preserve youth
eloquent
beautifully and fluently expressive


She wrote an eloquent letter to thank her aunt for the gift.
emaciated
made thin and week



The at was emaciated when we found her, but now she is healthy though a bit plump.
embellished
to add ornamentation



He embellished the story with little exaggerations to make it more interesting.
emollient
having the power to soothe or make soft and supple



The midwife's emollient words encouraged the woman in labor.
empirical
based on observation or experience without resorting to theory



Your arguments are too theoretical; only empirical evidence will persuade me.
emulate
to try to equal or excel; to imitate



He had no desire to emulate his novelist father and instead became an accountant.
encomium
praise, an expression of praise



The encomium from all the critics in the world did not matter so mu h to her as the praise her tea her heaped on her little book.
endemic
characteristic of or prevalent in a group of people or region



The Joshua tree is endemic to the Mojave Desert; it grows nowhere else.
enervated
to reduce the strength of



The heat and humidity enervated her so mu h that she did not even try to accomplish anything on that day
engendered
to bring into existence



His unclear directions engendered confusion.
enhance
to improve in quality, desirability, or value



Her new hairstyle did mu h to enhance her appearance.
enigmatic
puzzling, mysterious



He lay in bed that night trying to sort out the meaning of her enigmatic good-bye.
ennui
a feeling of weariness



Despite the wealth of opportunities available to me, I could not shake the feeling of ennui at the very thought of starting another job
enunciate
to pronounce clearly; to announce



I will enunciate my intentions only after my plans are settled.
discerning
having good judgment or understanding


Only the most discerning customers an tell the difference between this fabric and real silk.
Synonyms: discriminating, insightful, knowledgeable, perceptive
ephemeral
lasting a short time



Pleasure may be ephemeral, but so is pain.
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