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Daring
adj. bold in thought or action
Darkling
adv. occurring in the dark
Darwinism
n. a theory of evolution coined by Charles Darwin arguing that the offspring of any given organisms vary and that natural selection favors the survival of some of these variations over others
Dastard
n. a coward; an underhanded traitor
Datum
n. any basis for calculation or measurement
Dauntless
adj. fearless
Day-man
n. a member of a sea vessel's deck gang
Dead-heat
n. a tie in a race
Dearth
n. a famine; a scarcity of supplies
Death's-head
n. a symbol depicting a human skull that symbolizes death
Debase
v. to lower in intrinsic value or quality; to corrupt one's character
Debatable
adj. disputable; unresolved; capable of being debated
Debonair
adj. suave; lightheartedly nonchalant
Debut
n. an initial appearance or performance
Decagon
n. a polygon with ten angles and ten sides
Decagram
n. metrically, ten grams (mass)
Decaliter
n. metrically, one-tenth of a liter (volume)
Decalogue
n. a set of rules carrying binding authority
Decameron
n. a collection of 100 novellas by Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio dating back to 1350 A.D.
Decameter
n. metrically, ten meters (length)
Decamp
v. to break camp; to abscond
Decapitate
v. to behead
Decapod
adj. having five pairs of thoracic appendages
Decasyllable
n. a poetic verse composed of ten syllables
Deceit
n. trickery; the act of deceiving
Deceitful
adj. disposed to deceive; deceptive or misleading; dishonest
Deceive
v. to convince someone that what is actually false is true; to ensnare by misleading
Decency
n. propriety; adhering to standards of taste, quality or morality
Decent
adj. handsome but modest; showing integrity and kindness
Deciduous
adj. ephemeral; plants that shed their leaves seasonally
Decimal
adj. revolving around the number ten
Decimate
v. to drastically reduce in number; to cause severe destruction to; to kill every tenth man of
Decipher
v. to decode or interpret the meaning of
Decisive
adj. resolute, determined; easily able to make decisions; unquestionable
Declamation
n. a rhetorical and often pompous speech or harangue
Declamatory
adj. relating to rhetorical display
Declarative
adj. serving to present or explain
Declension
n. a slope or descent; deterioration
Decorate
v. to adorn or furnish with ornaments
Decorous
adj. characterized by good taste and manner; decent; correct
Decoy
n. something intended to draw attention away from something else; a trap
Decrepit
adj. dilapidated; worn out or run down; weakened or ruined by old age
Dedication
n. intense and often self-sacrificing devotion; a tribute to a cause or person
Deduce
v. to infer or determine
Deface
v. to impair; to spoil the appearance of
Defalcate
v. to deduct; to reduce in size
Defamation
n. the act of slandering or libeling an individual or institution
Defame
v. to mar the reputation of through libel or slander
Default
n. neglect; a failure to meet one's financial, social or political obligations
Defendant
n. the entity required to make answer in a legal suit
Defensible
adj. capable of being defended
Defensive
adj. concerned with preventing an attack or protecting oneself from potential harm
Defer
v. to delegate a task or concern to another
Deference
n. respect for another's wishes
Defiant
adj. bold or impudent; rebellious
Deficiency
n. inadequacy; a lack of necessary elements
Deficient
adj. defective; inadequate in regards to character or substance
Definite
adj. having distinct limits or standards; unquestionable; immediately identifiable
Deflect
v. to turn away from an intended course or direction
Deforest
v. to clear forests
Deform
v. to disfigure; to spoil the looks, form or character of
Deformity
n. the state of being disfigured; a physical or moral blemish or imperfection
Defraud
v. to cheat someone out of something
Defray
v. to pay the expenses of
Degeneracy
n. sexual or moral perversion; a state of intellectual or physical deterioration
Degenerate
v. to deteriorate morally, physically or intellectually
Degradation
n. the process of sinking into a state of low esteem and disrepute
Degrade
v. to take down in status or rank; to erode; to corrupt or lower in esteem
Dehydrate
v. to take water from
Deify
v. to worship as one would a god
Deign
v. to stoop; to reluctantly offer
Deist
n. someone who religiously advocates morality and natural religion
Deity
n. a god or supreme being
Deject
v. to emotionally depress
Dejection
n. the state of having low spirits
Delectable
adj. exquisitely pleasing, especially in taste, aroma or presentation
Delectation
n. delight
Deleterious
adj. elusively injurious or harmful
Delicacy
n. an edible indulgence
Delineate
v. to represent by marks or drawn lines; to elaborately describe
Deliquesce
v. to melt or dissolve
Delirious
adj. relating to delirium, or mental disruption and disorder
Delude
v. to deceive or trick
Deluge
v. to drown or overwhelm with water
Delusion
n. a hallucination or mirage; something unreal that is believed to be true
Demagnetize
v. to remove magnetic properties
Demagogue
n. a leader that gains power by exploiting popular prejudices and making false promises
Demeanor
n. social behavior or attitude
Demented
adj. insane
Demerit
n. a faulty quality or deficiency
Demise
n. death
Demobilize
v. to break up; to release from military service
Demolish
v. to destroy; to tear down or raze
Demonstrable
adj. visually or intellectually clear
Demonstrate
v. to show or prove
Demonstrative
adj. established by an outward display; tending to openly show feelings
Demonstrator
n. someone who demonstrates
Demulcent
n. a soothing oily substance capable of protecting a worn mucous membrane
Demurrage
n. the detention of a ship, truck or freight vehicle
Dendroid
adj. structurally tree-like
Dendrology
n. the scientific study of trees
Denizen
n. someone who inhabits or frequents a location or establishment; someone who is admitted citizenship in a foreign country
Denominate
v. to designate in some denomination
Denomination
n. the act of designating or naming
Denominator
n. a shared trait; a standard; in a fraction, the divisor or the bottom number
Denote
v. to designate; to indicate or announce
Denouement
n. in literature, the narrative climax
Denounce
v. to publicly criticize or declare as culpable or evil
Dentifrice
n. a substance used for cleaning teeth
Denude
v. to take or keep away something of import; to strip of resources or clothing
Denunciation
n. a public denouncement or condemnation
Deplete
v. to drain completely or exhaust
Deplorable
adj. wretched or contemptible; lamentable
Deplore
v. to grieve for or sincerely regret; to regard as unfortunate
Deponent
adj. characterized by middle or passive voice forms while having an active voice meaning
Depopulate
v. to significantly lessen the population of
Deport
v. to comport oneself in accordance with a social convention or code
Deportment
n. the way in which a person behaves or conducts himself; bearing
Deposition
n. a declaration; in court, a testimony given under oath
Depositor
n. someone who stores away valuables in a bank or other safe location
Depository
n. a place where things are deposited or kept for safekeeping
Deprave
v. to debase or corrupt
Deprecate
v. to belittle or disparage; to disapprove of
Depreciate
v. to bring down in supposed value or esteem
Depreciation
n. the gradual lowering of value of something
Depress
v. to push down or cause to sink; to make less active; to sadden or bring down the spirits of; to bring down in market value
Depression
n. the act of lowering or pressing down; a state of sadness; a hollow
Depth
n. a spot or part of a thing that is far away from the thing’s surface; an intense emotional state; the state of being deep; the state of being exceptionally intellectually or emotionally insightful; the state of being thorough
Derelict
adj. run-down or abandoned; negligent
Deride
v. to ridicule or mock contemptuously
Derisible
adj. capable of being ridiculed
Derision
n. the act of displaying contempt for someone or something
Derivation
n. a derivative; something deduced or obtained from a specific source
Derivative
adj. unoriginal; brought about by or deduced from a specific source
Derive
v. to obtain from a specific source; to deduce
Dermatology
n. the medical science that focuses on the structure, functions and diseases of the skin
Derrick
n. an apparatus used for hoisting distinguished by a tackle dangling from the end of a beam
Descendant
n. someone who is descended from a person or group of people
Descendent
adj. moving downward; deriving directly from a source or ancestor
Descent
n. the process of descending, or moving downward
Descry
v. to perceive; to discover
Desert
v. to depart without intending to return; to abandon
Desiccant
n. an agent used for dying
Designate
v. to note and place apart for a particular purpose or duty; to distinguish or specify; to distinctively name
Desist
v. to cease or stop
Desistance
n. the act of stopping or halting action
Despair
n. utter hopelessness
Desperado
n. a daring criminal; a bandit
Desperate
adj. extremely needy or anxious; despairing or hopeless
Despicable
adj. worthy of contempt
Despite
prep. In spite of
Despond
v. to despair
Despondent
adj. overcome by extreme depression or discouragement
Despot
n. a tyrant, or an absolutely powerful ruler
Despotism
n. a government in which the ruler has absolute power
Destitute
adj. not having something necessary or wanted; extremely poor
Desultory
adj. lacking a definite plan or purpose; disconnected; disappointing in progress or quality
Deter
v. to push aside or stop from acting; to inhibit
Deteriorate
v. to impair; to disintegrate
Determinate
adj. clearly limited or determined
Determination
n. a reasonable judgment intended to resolve a question or debate
Deterrent
adj. tending to deter, or inhibit
Detest
v. to loathe; to curse or denounce
Detract
v. to cause someone’s attention to turn from one thing to another; to distract; to lessen something’s importance, value or effectiveness
Detriment
n. an injury; a deleterious quality or circumstance
Detrude
v. to force downwards, out or away
Deviate
v. to stray from an established standard or course
Devilry
n. witchcraft; mischief
Deviltry
n. witchcraft or wickedness; an act of mischief
Devious
adj. meandering or winding; roundabout; divergent or secluded; deviating from a known and accepted path or procedure; cunning; misleading
Devise
v. to conceive or imagine; to invent; to plot
Devout
adj. pious; devoted to a religion or a set of beliefs; sincere
Dexterity
n. adroitness; readiness, grace or skill of physical activity
Diabolic
adj. relating to the devil
Diacritical
adj. distinctive
Diagnose
v. to distinguish a condition or disease via recognition and analysis of signs and symptoms
Diagnosis
n. the act of identifying a disease or medical condition
Dialect
n. a linguistic variety specific to a particular group of people living in a particular geographical region
Dialectician
n. one that studies regional linguistic varieties, or dialects
Dialogue
n. a multi-person conversation or discussion; an intellectual exchange
Diaphanous
adj. ethereal; see-through; vague or insubstantial
Diatomic
adj. composed of two atoms
Diatribe
n. an abusive or bitter speech; a satire
Dictum
n. an authoritative and often judicial statement expressing a principle, proposition or opinion
Didactic
adj. intended to instruct
Differentia
n. a characteristic distinguishing one entity from another
Differential
adj. relating to a difference; noting a distinction between peoples; proceeding differently; relating to quantitative differences
Differentiate
v. to display a difference in
Diffidence
n. the state of being diffident, or self-consciously hesitant
Diffident
adj. shy or reserved; hesitant; distrustful
Diffusible
adj. capable of being spread or scattered across a surface or throughout a substance
Diffusion
n. the intermingling of liquid, gas and solid particles; the passing of light through a material
Dignitary
n. someone of especially high rank
Digraph
n. a cluster of two successive letters
Digress
v. to move away from the main topic of a conversation or argument
Dilapidated
pa. decayed or deteriorated through neglect
Dilate
v. to widen or expand in area
Dilatory
adj. tardy; tending to cause delay
Dilemma
n. an agonizing situation requiring a choice between two often equally undesirable alternatives; an extremely taxing circumstance
Dilettante
n. a dabbler and superficial admirer of the arts; an amateur
Diligence
n. perseverance; the quality of being hard-working
Dilute
v. to thin; to diminish the intensity of by adding an often liquid substance
Diminution
n. the process of diminishing
Dimly
adv. indistinctly or vaguely; characterized by a lack of light or illumination
Diphthong
n. a speech sound that is characterized by its monosyllabic but multi-vowel nature
Diplomacy
n. the act of conducting tactful political negotiations
Diplomat
n. someone who is trained in the art of diplomacy
Diplomatic
adj. tending to employ tactful behavior during times of stress
Diplomatist
n. a diplomat, or someone who is trained in the art of diplomacy
Disallow
v. to refuse to admit the truth of
Disappear
v. to suddenly become unperceivable or unnoticeable
Disapprove
v. to reject or view unfavorably
Disarm
v. to take away a person or group’s means, reason or disposition to be antagonistic or offensive; to take away a person or group’s arms a.k.a. weapons, militaristic vessels or offensive equipment
Disarrange
v. to upset the arrangement of
Disavow
v. to formally reject or repudiate; to refuse to recognize as one’s own
Disavowal
n. repudiation; the act of disclaiming
Disbeliever
n. someone who refuses to believe in a particular doctrine or philosophy
Disburden
v. to unload; to unburden oneself
Disburse
v. to send out or distribute payments
Discard
v. to remove or rid oneself of
Discernible
adj. detectible or recognizable by the senses; comprehendible
Disciple
n. a devoted follower; one that assists in spreading the philosophy or doctrines of another
Disciplinary
adj. relating to discipline; intended to morally instruct or correct by punishing for moral offenses
Discipline
v. to teach or train by use of punishment
Disclaim
v. to legally give up or deny a claim
Discolor
v. the change the color of
Discomfit
v. to embarrass and bewilder; to contravene or thwart
Discomfort
n. annoyance or uneasiness
Disconsolate
adj. dejected, cheerless
Discontinuance
n. the act of discontinuing, or terminating
Discord
n. active quarrelling or strife; dissonance
Discountenance
v. to upset the composure of through expressed disapproval
Discover
v. to find out; to reveal or demonstrate
Discredit
v. to refuse to believe or acknowledge as true; to take away or soil someone’s good reputation
Discreet
adj. prudent or modest; unpretentious; unnoticeable
Discrepant
adj. disagreeing
Discriminate
v. to distinguish or differentiate
Discursive
adj. moving along in a disorderly fashion; characterized by methodological reasoning; relating to discourse
Discussion
n. an open consideration of a question; a civil debate
Disenfranchise
v. to take away a basic legal right
Disengage
v. to release; to withdraw
Disfavor
n. the state of being disapproved of
Disfigure
v. to mar the appearance of; to disguise
Dishabille
n. intentionally careless or casual in appearance or manner
Dishonest
adj. deceptive or untrustworthy; unfair
Disillusion
v. to release from the influence of illusion; to remove someone’s naivety
Disinfect
v. to cleanse; to free from infection
Disinfectant
n. something that gets rid of or prevents infection, especially a substance that destroys injurious microorganisms
Disinherit
v. to deprive of an inheritance
Disinterested
adj. emotionally or intellectually aloof; not interested; lacking a selfish agenda or bias
Disjunctive
adj. marked by disunity
Dislocate
v. to set down in the wrong spot; to disrupt the status quo
Dismissal
n. the act of permitting or compelling to leave
Dismount
v. to step down from an elevated position or mount; to step out of a vehicle
Disobedience
n. a refusal to obey or cooperate
Disobedient
adj. unwilling to obey
Disown
v. to repudiate ownership of
Disparage
v. to bring down in rank or status; to speak disrespectfully about
Disparity
n. markedly different in character
Dispel
v. to cause to dissipate, or break up, scatter and vanish
Dispensation
n. the act of dealing out
Displace
v. to force off or drive away from one’s natural or rightful habitat or position; to physically place somewhere else
Dispossess
v. to take possessions away from
Disputation
n. a dispute or verbal argument
Disqualify
v. to make ineligible for a right or privilege
Disquiet
v. to disrupt or disturb
Disregard
v. to neglect
Disreputable
adj. not reputable, or of bad reputation
Disrepute
n. a lack of esteem or good reputation; disgrace
Disrobe
v. to remove one’s clothing
Disrupt
v. to rupture; to interrupt
Dissatisfy
v. to fall short of satisfying
Dissect
v. to expose and analyze the pieces of
Dissection
n. the process of dissecting, or breaking up into pieces and carefully analyzing those pieces
Dissemble
v. to present a false appearance; to simulate
Disseminate
v. to widely spread or distribute throughout
Dissension
n. discord or disagreement
Dissent
n. nonconforming opinions; nonconcurrence with a majority opinion
Dissentient
n. expressing a differing opinion
Dissentious
adj. marked by dissent
Dissertation
n. an extensive treatment of a subject submitted for a doctorate
Disservice
n. a harmful act
Dissever
v. to sever or separate
Dissimilar
adj. not similar; different
Dissipate
v. to spread thin or scatter; to waste foolishly
Dissipation
n. the process of dissipating, or dispersing throughout; innocuous self-indulgence
Dissolute
adj. tending to indulge in petty vices
Dissolution
n. the process of dissolving; breaking up into respective ingredients; decay or death
Dissolve
v. to disintegrate; to destroy
Dissonance
n. a state of disagreement or inconsistency; a cluster of discordant sounds
Dissonant
adj. discordant; incongruous
Dissuade
v. to persuade someone to not act as planned
Dissuasion
n. the act of advising someone against a course of action
Distemper
n. a state of bad temper; an ailment
Distend
v. to expand or swell
Distensible
adj. capable of extension
Distention
n. the process of distending, or expanding
Distill
v. to convert into a concentrated liquid or mist; to extract the essence of
Distillation
n. the act of distilling a liquid, or purifying via evaporation and condensation
Distiller
n. that which converts a substance into its essence
Distinction
n. the state of being distinct or set apart; the state of being distinguished, or worthy of respect
Distort
v. to pervert in character or form; to deform; to twist something out of its natural shape
Distrain
v. to compel to meet an obligation through use of distress, or a conditional seizure of goods
Distrainor
n. one that uses distress to satisfy an obligation
Distraught
adj. seized by emotional or mental pain; deranged
Distrust
n. an absence of trust
Disunion
n. separation
Disyllable
n. a unit of language composed of two syllables
Diurnal
adj. daily; occurring during the daytime
Divagation
n. the act of digressing or straying from a designated course
Divergent
adj. differing from one another; breaking apart or branching away from one another
Diverse
adj. containing or characterized by differing qualities or components; different
Diversion
n. something that draws one's attention away from one's original course
Diversity
n. the state of being diverse; marked by inherent variety
Divert
v. to deviate; to deflect or turn aside from one's original course; to distract
Divertible
adj. capable of being diverted, distracted or deflected
Divest
v. to dispossess someone of property or title
Divination
n. the art of foretelling events through the interpretation of omens
Divinity
n. the state of being divine or god-like
Divisible
adj. dividable
Divisor
n. the numerical value by which a dividend is divided
Divulge
v. to reveal
Divulgence
n. to reveal or make known
Docile
adj. exceptionally manageable or controllable; obedient
Docket
n. an abstract or summary of a written document
Doe
n. a female deer, rabbit or kangaroo
Dogma
n. an authoritative doctrine concerning morality or faith
Dogmatic
adj. tending to vehemently back up one’s opinions as if they were facts
Dogmatize
v. to communicate dogmatically
Doleful
adj. despondent or overcome with grief; extremely sad
Dolesome
adj. doleful; expressing grief
Dolor
n. emotional anguish or grief
Dolorous
adj. marked by grief
Domain
n. a region or territory that is absolutely ruled or owned; a distinct area of expertise
Domesticity
n. the state of being domestic or devoted to the home and hearth
Domicile
n. a living space; a dwelling or residence
Dominance
n. the state of being commanding or controlling
Dominant
adj. prevailing over others of its kind; superior in influence
Dominate
v. to control, conquer or rule; to exert supreme influence over
Domination
n. established superiority; the exercise of dominant influence
Domineer
v. to exert supreme authority over
Donate
v. to give freely; to contribute to a charity
Donator
n. donor; one that donates or gives something
Donee
n. one that receives a donation or gift
Donor
n. donator; one that donates or gives something
Dormant
adj. temporarily inactive; suspended; latent
Doublet
n. during the Renaissance, a man's close-fitting jacket; something's double or twin
Doubly
adv. twofold
Dowry
n. the collection of valuables that a women or man brings to a marriage
Drachma
n. a Greek unit of weight equal to a specific monetary value
Dragnet
n. a series of measures for criminal apprehension
Dragoon
n. in Europe, a group of armed, mounted military troops
Drainage
n. a drain; the process of draining, or the emptying of liquid or emotion
Dramatist
n. someone who writes plays
Dramatize
v. to add dramatic flair to
Drastic
adj. violently extreme; severe
Drought
n. a prolonged period of dryness that tends to prevent crops from growing successfully
Drowsy
adj. inclined to slumber; lethargic; seemingly peaceful and calm
Drudgery
n. tedious work
Dubious
adj. uncertain, doubtful or suspicious
Duckling
n. a young duck
Ductile
adj. readily influenced; physically or intellectually adaptable
Duet
n. a musical piece performed by two soloists
Dun
v. to routinely and insistently demand compensation; to pester
Duplex
adj. consisting of two distinct elements
Duplicity
n. the state of being deceptive in actions and words; the state of expressing contradictory sentiments
Durance
n. intense restraint
Duration
n. the space or time through which something lasts
Duteous
adj. dutiful; adhering to duty
Dutiable
adj. constrained by a duty
Dutiful
adj. motivated by a sense of duty; duteous
Dwindle
v. to lessen, decrease or recede; to shrink
Dyne
n. in the centimeter-gram-second system, a unit of force equal to the force that would give a free one-gram mass an acceleration of one-centimeter-per-second-per-second
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