|
| dabble |
v. ~ sth splash (hands, feet, etc) around in water |
| dainty |
adj. (of things) small and pretty |
| dais |
n. raised platform, esp at one end of a room, for a speaker, etc |
| dally |
v. ~ (over sth) waste time |
| damn |
v. condemn (sb) to suffer in hell |
| dank |
adj. unpleasantly damp and cold |
| dapper |
adj. (usu of a small person) neat and smart in appearance; nimble in movement |
| dappled |
adj. having patches of different colour or shades of colour |
| dart |
n. small pointed missile used as a weapon or in the game of darts |
| daub |
v. ~ A on ~ B (with A) put (a soft substance) on (a surface) in a rough or careless way |
| daunt |
v. discourage (sb); frighten |
| dauntless |
adj. not easily discouraged or frightened |
| dawdle |
v. be slow; waste time |
| daze |
v. make (sb) confused and unable to react properly |
| dazzle |
v. blind (sb) briefly with too much light, brilliance, etc |
| deadlock |
n. complete failure to reach agreement or to settle a quarrel or grievance |
| deadpan |
marked by an impassive matter-of-fact manner, style, or expression |
| dearth |
n. ~ shortage; scarcity |
| debacle |
n. sudden and complete failure; fiasco |
| debar |
to exclude from a place, a right, etc.; bar |
| debase |
v. lower the quality, status or value of |
| debauch |
v. make act immorally by using bad influence |
| debilitate |
v. make very weak |
| debonair |
adj. cheerful and self-assured |
| debris |
n. scattered fragments; wreckage |
| debunk |
v. show that the reputation of is undeserved or exaggerated |
| debut |
n. first appearance in public as a performer |
| debutante |
n. young woman making her first appearance in fashionable society |
| decadence |
n. (falling to a) lower level (in morals, art, literature, etc) esp after a period at a high level |
| decant |
v. ~ sth pour (wine, etc) from a bottle into another container, esp slowly so that the sediment is left behind |
| decapitate |
v. cut the head off |
| decelerate |
v. slow down |
| deciduous |
adj. that loses its leaves annually, usu in autumn |
| decimate |
v. kill or destroy a large part of (sth) |
| decipher |
v. succeed in understanding |
| declivity |
n. downward slope |
| decomposition |
n. |
| decorous |
adj. dignified and socially acceptable |
| decorum |
n. dignified and socially acceptable behaviour |
| decoy |
n. (real or imitation) bird or animal used to attract others so that they can be shot or trapped |
| decree |
n. order given by a ruler or an authority and having the force of a law |
| decrepit |
adj. made weak by age or hard use |
| decrepitude |
n. state of being decrepit |
| decry |
v. ~ sb/sth (as sth) speak critically of sb/sth to make him/it seem less valuable, useful, etc; disparage sb/sth |
| deducible |
adj. that may be deduced |
| deface |
v. spoil the appearance or legibility of by marking or damaging the surface |
| defalcate |
misuse money held in trust |
| defamation |
n. defaming or being defamed |
| defame |
v. attack the good reputation of say bad things about (sb) |
| default |
n. failure to do sth, esp to pay a debt or appear in court |
| defeatist |
n. person who shows defeatism . -- adj |
| defect |
n. fault or lack that spoils a person or thing |
| defection |
n. ~ deserting a party, cause, religion, etc , |
| defer |
v. ~ sth (to sth) delay sth until a later time; postpone sth |
| deference |
n. giving way to the views, wishes, etc of others, usu out of respect; respect |
| defiance |
n. open disobedience or resistance; refusal to give way to authority or opposition; defying |
| defile |
v. make (sth) dirty or impure |
| definitive |
adj. clear and having final authority; that cannot or need not be changed |
| deflect |
v. ~ (from sth) (cause sth to) turn from its direction of movement |
| defoliate |
v. destroy the leaves of |
| defray |
v. provide money for (sth); pay for (sth) |
| defrock |
v. = unfrock |
| deft |
adj. ~ skilful and quick, esp with the hands |
| defunct |
adj. (of people) dead |
| degenerate |
v. ~ (into sth) pass into a worse physical, mental or moral state than one which is considered normal or desirable |
| degradation |
n. degrading or being degraded |
| dehydrate |
v. remove water or moisture from |
| deify |
v. make a god of (sb/sth); worship as a god |
| deign |
v. be kind or gracious enough (to do sth); condescend |
| delete |
v. ~ sth cross out or deliberately omit (sth written or printed) |
| deleterious |
adj. ~ (fml ) harmful |
| deliberate |
adj. done on purpose; intentional |
| delineate |
v. show (sth) by drawing or describing; portray |
| delirium |
n. mental disturbance caused by illness, resulting in restlessness and often wild talk |
| delta |
n. the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet } |
| delude |
v. ~ sb deliberately mislead sb; deceive sb |
| deluge |
n. great flood or rush of water |
| delusion |
n. deluding or being deluded |
| delusive |
adj. not real; misleading |
| delve |
v. ~ in/into sth search or rummage in sth |
| demagogue |
n. political leader who tries to win people's support by using emotional and often unreasonable arguments |
| demean |
v. ~ oneself lower oneself in dignity; deprive oneself of others' respect |
| demeanor |
behavior; bearing ; behavioral attributes |
| demented |
adj. mad |
| demerit |
n. fault; defect |
| demise |
n. death |
| demographic |
related to population balance |
| demolition |
the act of demolishing; especially :destruction in war by means of explosives |
| demoniac |
adj. very evil; devilish |
| demotic |
adj. of or used by ordinary people |
| demur |
v. ~ (at sth) (fml ) express a doubt (about sth) or an objection (to sth) |
| demure |
adj. (pretending to be) quiet, serious and modest |
| denigrate |
v. claim that (sb/sth) is inferior, worthless, etc; belittle |
| denizen |
n. person or type of animal or plant living or growing permanently in a place |
| denomination |
n. name, esp of a general class or type; classification |
| denotation |
meaning; distinguishing by name |
| denouement |
n. last part, esp of a novel, play, etc, in which everything is settled or made clear |
| denounce |
v. ~ sb (to sb) (as sth) give information (to the authorities) against sb |
| depict |
v. show (sb/sth) as a picture; portray |
| deplete |
v. reduce greatly the quantity, size, power or value of |
| deplore |
v. be shocked or offended by (sth); condemn |
| deploy |
v. (cause troops, etc to) move into the correct position for battle |
| deport |
v. ~ sb legally force (a foreigner, criminal, etc) to leave a country |
| depose |
v. remove from power |
| deposition |
n. removing from power; dethronement |
| depravity |
n. state of being depraved; corruption |
| deprecate |
v. feel and express disapproval of (sth) |
| depreciate |
v. become less valuable |
| depredation |
n. damage caused by an attack, accident, etc |
| deputize |
verb to appoint or act as deput |
| deranged |
adj. unable to act and think normally, esp because of mental illness; seriously disturbed |
| derelict |
adj. deserted and allowed to fall into ruins; dilapidated |
| dereliction |
n. being derelict |
| deride |
v. ~ sb/sth treat sb/sth as funny and not worthy of serious attention; mock sb/sth |
| derision |
n. ridicule or mockery |
| derivation |
n. development or origin |
| derivative |
adj. derived from sth else; not original |
| dermatologist |
n. expert in dermatology |
| derogatory |
adj. showing a hostile or critical attitude (to sb's reputation, etc); insulting |
| descry |
v. (fml ) see (sth) esp a long way away; catch sight of |
| desecrate |
n. treat in an unworthy or evil way |
| deserts |
n. what one deserves |
| desiccate |
v. remove all the moisture from to preserve it |
| desolate |
adj. deserted and miserable |
| desperado |
n. (dated ) man who commits dangerous, esp criminal, acts without worrying about himself or other people |
| desperate |
adj. feeling or showing great despair and ready to do anything regardless of danger |
| despicable |
adj. ~ (to do sth) deserving to be despised; contemptible |
| despise |
v. ~ sb/sth (for sth) feel contempt for sb/sth; consider sb/sth as worthless |
| despoil |
v. ~sth (fml ) rob (a place) of sth valuable; plunder sth |
| despondent |
adj. ~ having or showing loss of hope; wretched |
| despot |
An absolute and irresponsible monarch. |
| despotism |
tyranny |
| destitute |
adj. without money, food, etc and other things necessary for life; impoverished |
| desultory |
adj. going from one thing to another, without a definite plan or purpose; unmethodical |
| detached |
adj. not influenced by others; impartial |
| detain |
v. prevent from leaving or doing sth; delay |
| determinate |
adj. limited in range or scope; definite ; |
| determination |
n. ~ quality of being firmly committed to doing sth; resoluteness |
| deterrent |
n, adj that deters or is meant to deter |
| detonation |
n. explosion |
| detraction |
n. unfair criticism of sb/sth; belittling ; |
| detrimental |
adj. ~ harmful |
| deviate |
v. ~ from sth stop following |
| devious |
adj. cunning; dishonest |
| devise |
v. think out (a plan, system, tool, etc); invent |
| devoid |
adj. ~ of sth without sth; completely lacking in sth |
| devolve |
v. ~ on/upon sb (of work, duties) be transferred or passed to sb |
| devotee |
n. person who is devoted to sth; enthusiast |
| devout |
adj. sincerely religious; pious |
| dexterous |
adj. skilful with one's hands |
| diabolical |
adj. = diabolic |
| diadem |
n. crown worn as a sign of royal power |
| dialectic |
n. (philosophy ) art of discovering and testing truths by discussion and logical argument |
| dialectical |
adj. of or relating to dialectic |
| diaphanous |
adj. light, very fine and almost transparent |
| diatribe |
n. ~ lengthy and bitter attack in words |
| dichotomy |
n. ~ (fml ) separation into or between two groups or things that are opposed, entirely different, etc |
| dictum |
n. saying; maxim |
| didactic |
adj. intended to teach |
| die |
n. block of hard metal with a design, etc cut into it, used for shaping coins, printing-type, medals, etc or for stamping paper, leather, etc so that designs stand out from the surface |
| diffidence |
shyness |
| diffuse |
v. spread all around; send out in all directions |
| diffusion |
n. diffusing or being diffused |
| dignitary |
n. person with a high rank or position |
| digression |
n. digressing |
| dilapidated |
adj. falling to pieces; in a bad state of repair |
| dilate |
v. become wider, larger or further open |
| dilatory |
adj. ~ (in doing sth) slow in acting |
| dilemma |
n. situation in which one has to choose between two undesirable things or courses of action |
| dilettante |
n. (often derog ) person who studies or does sth, but without serious interest or understanding |
| diligence |
n. ~ steady effort; careful hard work |
| dilute |
v. ~ sth make (a liquid or colour) thinner or weaker (by adding water or another liquid) |
| diminution |
n. diminishing or being diminished; reduction |
| din |
n. continuing loud confused noise |
| dinghy |
n. any of various types of small open boat |
| dingy |
adj. dirty-looking; not cheerful or bright; drab |
| dint |
n. = dent |
| diorama |
a picture (or series of pictures) representing a continuous scene |
| dire |
adj. dreadful; terrible |
| dirge |
n. song sung at a burial or for a dead person |
| disabuse |
v. ~ sb of sth free sb of (false ideas) |
| disaffected |
adj. discontented; disloyal |
| disapprobation |
n. disapproval |
| disarray |
n. state in which people or things are no longer properly organized |
| disavowal |
n. |
| disband |
v. stop operating as an organization; break up |
| disbar |
remove from the bar; expel from the practice of law by official action |
| disburse |
v. pay out (money) |
| discernible |
adj. that can just be discerned |
| discerning |
adj. showing careful judgement |
| disclaim |
v. say that one does not have (sth); renounce |
| disclose |
v. ~ sth (to sb) allow sth to be seen |
| discombobulated |
[ discombobulate: ] (informal) (chiefly U.S. and Canadian) to throw into confusion |
| discomfit |
v. confuse or embarrass (sb) |
| discompose |
v. make (sb) feel uneasy or uncomfortable |
| disconcert |
v. cause to feel confused, upset or embarrassed |
| disconsolate |
adj. unhappy, esp at the loss of sb/sth; refusing to be comforted |
| discord |
n. disagreement; quarrelling |
| discordant |
adj. not in agreement; conflicting |
| discount |
n. amount of money taken off the cost of sth |
| discourse |
n. lengthy and serious treatment of a subject in speech or writing |
| discredit |
v. damage the good reputation of |
| discrepancy |
n. ~ difference; failure to agree |
| discrete |
adj. separate; distinct |
| discretion |
n. quality of being discreet; good judgement |
| discriminate |
v. ~ ~ A from B see or make a difference (between two things) |
| discriminating |
adj. showing good judgement and perception |
| discrimination |
n. good judgement and perception |
| discursive |
adj. wandering from one point to another |
| disdain |
n. feeling that sb/sth is not good enough to deserve one's respect; contempt |
| disembark |
v. ~ (from sth) (of people) leave a ship or an aircraft |
| disenfranchise |
v. = disfranchise |
| disengage |
v. ~ sth/sb (fml ) free or disconnect sth/sb from sth/sb that holds it/him firmly |
| disfigure |
v. spoil the appearance of |
| disgorge |
v. ~ sth throw out (food, etc) from the stomach or throat; vomit sth |
| disgruntle |
to make ill-humored or discontented usually used as a participial adjective |
| dishearten |
v. cause to lose hope or confidence |
| disheveled |
[ dishevel: ] di'shevelment nou |
| dishonor |
[ dishonour: ] to treat with disrespect |
| disinclination |
n. ~ (fml ) unwillingness; reluctance |
| disingenuous |
adj. insincere, esp in pretending that one knows less about sth than one really does |
| disinter |
v. (fml ) dig up (sth buried) |
| disinterested |
adj. not influenced by personal feelings or interests; unbiased |
| disjointed |
adj. in which it is difficult to understand how the ideas, events, etc follow each other and develop |
| disjunction |
Also called: dis'juncture the act of disconnecting or the state of being disconnected; separation |
| dislodge |
v. ~ sb/sth move or force sb/sth from a previously fixed position |
| dismantle |
v. take to pieces |
| dismember |
v. cut or tear off the limbs of |
| dismiss |
v. ~ sb remove sb (esp an employee) from a position |
| disparage |
v. suggest, esp unfairly, that is of little value or importance |
| disparate |
adj. so different in kind or degree that they cannot be compared |
| disparity |
n. difference or inequality |
| dispassionate |
adj. not influenced by emotion; impartial |
| dispatch |
v. ~ sb/sth send sb/sth off to a destination or for a special purpose |
| dispel |
v. drive (sth) away; cause to vanish |
| dispense |
v. ~ sth give sth out; distribute sth |
| disperse |
v. go in different directions; scatter; break up |
| dispirited |
adj. |
| disport |
v. ~ oneself amuse oneself energetically |
| disproportion |
n. ~ (instance of) being out of proportion |
| disputatious |
adj. fond of arguing; inclined to argue ; |
| disquietude |
a feeling or state of anxiety or uneasines |
| disquisition |
n. ~ long elaborate spoken or written report or account |
| dissection |
n. dissecting or being dissected |
| dissemble |
v. hide or disguise (one's true thoughts and feelings); dissimulate |
| disseminate |
v. spread widely |
| dissension |
n. angry disagreement |
| dissent |
n. holding opinions which differ from common or officially held ones |
| dissertation |
n. ~ long essay on a particular subject, esp one written for a doctorate or similar degree; thesis |
| dissident |
n. person who strongly disagrees with or opposes official views and policies |
| dissimulate |
v. hide or disguise (one's thoughts and feelings); dissemble |
| dissipate |
v. scatter or vanish |
| dissolution |
n. ~ breaking up (of sth); dissolving |
| dissonance |
n. discord |
| dissuade |
v. ~ sb (try to) stop sb by advice or persuasion |
| distant |
adj. far away in space or time |
| distend |
v. (cause sth to) swell by means of pressure from inside |
| distill |
undergo distillation; of liquids |
| distinct |
adj. easily heard, seen, felt or understood; definite |
| distinction |
n. ~ difference or contrast between one person or thing and another |
| distinctive |
adj. ~ that distinguishes sth by making it different from others |
| distort |
v. pull or twist out of its usual shape |
| distortion |
n. distorting or being distorted |
| distract |
v. ~ sb stop sb concentrating on sth |
| distrait |
adj. absent-minded; not paying attention ; |
| distraught |
adj. very troubled in mind with grief or worry |
| diurnal |
adj. of the daytime; not nocturnal |
| diva |
operatic singer; prima donna |
| diverge |
v. ~ (of lines, roads, etc) separate and go in different directions, becoming further apart |
| divergent |
adj. divergent paths, opinions |
| diverse |
adj. of different kinds; varied |
| diversion |
n. action of turning sth aside or changing its direction |
| diversity |
n. state of being varied; variety |
| divest |
v. ~ sb of sth take off (sb's clothes) |
| divine |
adj. of, from or like God or a god |
| divulge |
v. ~ sth make known (sth secret) |
| docile |
adj. easy to control |
| docket |
n. document or label listing goods delivered, jobs done, contents of a package, etc , |
| doctrinaire |
adj. rigidly applying a theory with no concern for practical problems |
| doctrine |
n. set of beliefs held by a church, political party, group of scientists, etc |
| document |
n. paper, form, book, etc giving information about sth, evidence or proof of sth |
| doddering |
adjs weak and uncertain in movement |
| doff |
v. take off (one's hat) |
| dogged |
adj. determined; not giving up easily |
| doggerel |
n. verse that produces a clumsy and ridiculous effect |
| dogmatic |
adj. of or based on dogma |
| doldrums |
n. the doldrums parts of the ocean near the equator where there is little or no wind |
| dolorous |
adj. sorrowful |
| dolt |
n. stupid person |
| domicile |
n. a person's place of residence, esp as officially established for purposes of taxation, etc , |
| dominant |
adj. ~ most important or prominent; dominating |
| dominate |
v. have control of or a very strong influence on (people, events, etc) |
| domineer |
v. ~ (derog ) try to make sb do exactly what one wants by ordering him about, regardless of what he wants to do |
| don |
n. teacher at a university, esp at an Oxford or a Cambridge college |
| doom |
n. death or ruin; any terrible and inevitable fate |
| dormant |
adj. temporarily inactive |
| dormer |
n. upright window built in a sloping roof |
| dorsal |
adj. of or on the back of an animal or a plant |
| dossier |
n. set of documents containing information about a person, an event, etc; file , |
| dotage |
n. in one's dotage confused in one's mind because of old age |
| dote |
v. ~ on sb/sth show (too) much fondness for sb/sth |
| dour |
adj. stern; severe; gloomy-looking; joyless |
| douse |
v. ~ sb/sth put sb/sth into (water); throw (water) over sb/sth ; |
| dowdy |
adj. (derog ) (of clothes, etc) dull; unfashionable; drab , |
| downcast |
adj. looking downwards |
| dowry |
n. property or money brought by a bride to her husband |
| dowse |
= douse |
| doze |
v. sleep lightly |
| drab |
adj. dull; uninteresting |
| draconian |
adj. very harsh |
| draft |
n. rough preliminary written version of sth |
| drama |
n. play for the theatre, radio or TV |
| drastic |
adj. having a strong or violent effect |
| draught |
n. current of air in a room or some other enclosed space |
| draw |
n. (usu sing ) ~ (for sth) act of picking at random tickets in a lottery, matches in a tournament, etc |
| dregs |
n. solid particles that sink to the bottom of certain liquids, esp wine and beer |
| dribble |
v. allow saliva to run from the mouth |
| drip |
v. fall in drops |
| drivel |
n. silly nonsense |
| droll |
adj. amusing in an odd or a quaint way |
| drone |
n. male honey-bee |
| droop |
v. bend or hang downwards through tiredness or weakness |
| dross |
n. scum of waste matter on melted metals |
| drudge |
n. person who has to do long hard boring jobs |
| drudgery |
n. hard boring work |
| dubious |
adj. ~ not certain and slightly suspicious about sth; doubtful |
| ductile |
adj. that can be pressed, beaten or pulled into fine strands without being heated , |
| ductility |
the malleability of something that can be drawing into wires or hammered into thin sheets |
| dulcet |
adj. sounding sweet; pleasing to the ear |
| dull |
adj. not bright or clear |
| dumbfound |
v. make speechless with surprise; astonish |
| dummy |
n. model of the human figure, used for displaying or fitting clothes, etc |
| dupe |
v. ~ sb deceive or trick sb (into doing sth) |
| duplicity |
n. deliberate deception |
| duration |
n. time during which sth lasts or continues |
| duress |
n. threats or force used to make sb do sth; compulsion |
| dutiful |
adj. showing respect and obedience; fulfilling all one's obligations |
| dwindle |
v. ~ (to nothing) become gradually less or smaller |
| dynamic |
adj. of power or forces that produce movement |
| dynamo |
n. device for converting steam-power, water-power, etc into electricity; generator . |
| dys- |
[ dys-
prefix
: ] prefix
: ] diseased, abnormal, or faulty |
| dysentery |
n. inflammation of the bowels, causing severe diarrhoea, usu with a discharge of mucus and blood |
| dyslexia |
n. (also word-blindness) abnormal difficulty in reading and spelling, caused by a brain condition |
| dyspeptic |
adj. n person suffering from dyspepsia or the irritability that it causes |
