4.0 D

4.1 dab...
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dab v. 1 daub, pat, tap, tamp, touch: Dab a little more paint into
the crevices.


--n. 2 touch, drop, trace, bit, mite, hint, suggestion, pinch,
dash, spot, tinge, Colloq dollop, smidgen or smidgin: Add just
a dab of mustard to the sauce. 3 daub, poke, pat, tap, touch:
Wipe it away with a dab of a damp cloth.


dabble v. 1 dip, splash, spatter, sprinkle, bespatter, besprinkle,
bedabble: I sat on the rock, dabbling my toes in the pool. 2
dabble in or with or at. tinker, trifle (with), potter or US
putter, dally, Colloq fool (around or about or with or about
with): She's not seriously interested in music - she just
dabbles in it.

dab hand n.phr. past master, expert, master, adept, authority, wizard,
Colloq ace: Oscar is a dab hand at wood-carving.


daft adj. 1 foolish, silly, giddy, senseless, absurd, ridiculous,
stupid, nonsensical, fatuous, fatuitous, imbecile or imbecilic,
idiotic, moronic, obtuse, cretinous, boneheaded, fat-headed,
dim-witted, witless, asinine, attocerebral, weak-minded,
simple-minded, brainless, feeble-minded, feather-brained,
rattle-brained, hare-brained, slow-witted, halfwitted,
fat-witted, addle-pated, addle-brained, Brit gormless; Colloq
dumb, dopey or dopy, daffy; Slang cock-eyed, US cockamamie or
cockamamy, running on 'Empty': He has the daft idea that he

will be appointed managing director. 2 See crazy, 1, above. 3
daft about. mad about, infatuated with, besotted by or with,
sweet on, Colloq nuts about, crazy about: Those two are daft
about each other.


dagger n. knife, poniard, skean, short sword, stiletto, dirk, blade,
kris, bowie knife, bayonet: It was his dagger that was sticking
out of the man's back.


daily adj. 1 diurnal, circadian, everyday, quotidian: The daily
papers reported nothing about the fire. 2 ordinary, common,
commonplace, everyday, routine, regular: Her trip to the market
has become a daily occurrence.


--adv. 3 constantly, always, habitually, day after day,
regularly, every day, continually, continuously: The trains run
daily between here and London.

dainty adj. 1 delicate, graceful, fine, elegant, exquisite, neat: The
value lies in this dainty border painted round the edge of the
cup. 2 fastidious, sensitive, squeamish, finicky or finical,
over-nice, overrefined, genteel, mincing: He seems somewhat
dainty in his choice of words. 3 choice, delicious, delectable,
tasty, appetizing, palatable, toothsome: They were given a few
dainty morsels to nibble while waiting.

--n. 4 delicacy, sweetmeat, treat, comfit, titbit or US tidbit,
morsel: A plate of dainties was placed beside the bed each
night.


damage n. 1 harm, injury, hurt, impairment, mutilation, destruction,
devastation: Fortunately, there was little damage from the
storm. 2 expense, price, cost; bill, invoice, US check: At the
restaurant, the damage came to œ50. 3 damages. compensation,
reparation, indemnity: We won the suit and were awarded damages
of œ10,000 for defamation of character.

--v. 4 harm, hurt, injure; wound; mutilate, disfigure, mar,
deface; wreck, ruin, spoil, impair: Although the car was badly
damaged, the passengers escaped unharmed. Will this news damage
your chances of a promotion?

damn v. 1 condemn, criticize, find fault with, berate, castigate,

upbraid, attack, blast, reprimand, reprove, remonstrate,
denounce; blame: Some would damn him for saving the murderer
from drowning, others would damn him if he didn't. 2 doom,
condemn, sentence: Sisyphus was damned for all eternity to roll
a heavy stone up a hill. 3 curse (at), swear (at), execrate: I
damned the day I first set foot in that house.

--n. 4 jot or tittle, brass farthing, Slang hoot, two hoots (in
hell), Slang tinker's damn or cuss: His opinion isn't worth a
damn. 5 give a damn. care, mind, be concerned, worry, Slang
give a hoot: Why should he give a damn if the critics panned
his play?

damnable adj. awful, terrible, horrible, horrid, atrocious, abominable,
dreadful, hideous, execrable, accursed, cursed, detestable,
hateful, abhorrent, despicable, loathsome, wicked, sinful,
offensive, heinous, pernicious, infernal, malicious, malevolent,
outrageous, foul, rotten, base, vile, odious: He has been
telling the most damnable lies about her since they broke up.


damp adj. 1 clammy, moist, wettish; humid, dank, misty, dewy,
steamy, muggy: Wipe off the table with a damp cloth. Nothing
dries out in this damp weather.


--n. 2 moistness, moisture, dampness, clamminess, humidity:
The mould on the walls is the result of the damp.

dampen v. 1 damp, moisten, sprinkle, bedew: Dampen the clothes before
ironing them. 2 stifle, deaden, damp, check, chill, cool,
restrain, retard, lessen, diminish, reduce, suppress, abate,
moderate, allay, subdue, temper, dull, discourage: His constant
chattering on about himself dampened her ardour.

dance v. 1 cavort, gambol, caper, skip, leap, romp, trip the light
fantastic (toe), US cut a rug, sashay, Colloq bop, hoof it: We
danced for joy when we heard the news. Would you care to dance?

--n. 2 ball, social, dancing party, th‚ dansant, US tea dance,
promenade, Colloq shindig or shindy, hop, bop, US and Canadian
prom: I have invited her to the dance on Saturday evening.

dandy n. 1 fop, coxcomb, (gay) blade, beau, gallant, lady-killer,
ladies' or lady's man, rake, Colloq swell, clothes-horse, Brit

toff, blood, US dude: He was a great dandy, and spent hours
dressing every day.

--adj. 2 fine, splendid, first-rate, great, marvellous, neat,
spectacular: Penny's father bought her a dandy new car.

danger n. 1 peril, risk, threat, hazard, jeopardy: The danger of an
avalanche is too great to go skiing. 2 in danger of. likely (to
be), liable (to be): If you drink and drive, you are in danger
of causing a road accident.

dangerous adj. 1 risky, perilous, hazardous, unsafe, precarious, rickety,
Colloq chancy, iffy: Rock-climbing is very dangerous. 2
threatening, menacing, harmful, treacherous: He is a dangerous
criminal, wanted for murder.

dangerously
adv. 1 perilously, hazardously, unsafely, precariously,
recklessly: He's a mountain-climber who likes to live
dangerously. 2 ominously, alarmingly: She is standing
dangerously close to the edge.

dangle v. 1 hang (down), droop, depend, swing, sway: The rope dangled
from the top of the flag-pole. 2 flaunt, brandish, wave,
flourish: Competitors often dangle big salary increases in
front of those who agree to leave our company. 3 wait, Slang
cool one's heels: They have kept me dangling for weeks for
their decision.


dapper adj. neat, spruce, smart, trim, well-dressed, well turned out,
stylish, fashionable, elegant, chic, dressy; Colloq got up or
dressed to the nines, dressed to kill, swanky or swank, ritzy;
Slang snazzy, nifty, spiffy, sharp, swell, classy: Tony looks
very dapper in his new Savile Row suit.


dapple adj. 1 spotted, dotted, mottled, speckled, flecked, dappled;
brindled; pied, piebald, skewbald, paint, flea-bitten, US pinto:
Take the chestnut mare - I'll ride the dapple grey.


--v. 2 spot, dot, mottle, speckle, bespeckle, stipple: Dapple
paint on the wall with a sponge to get a mottled effect.

dare v. 1 challenge, defy, provoke; throw down the gauntlet: She

dared me to jump, so I jumped. 2 risk, hazard, gamble, venture,
face, make bold, be so bold as: I would never dare to talk to
my father that way.


--n. 3 challenge, provocation, taunt; ultimatum: She took the
dare and swam across the lake.

daredevil n. 1 exhibitionist, showman, stunt man, stunt woman;
adventurer, soldier of fortune, Colloq show-off: William
finally got a job as a daredevil in the circus.

--adj. 2 reckless, rash, death-defying, impulsive, daring,
dashing, impetuous, incautious, imprudent, wild, foolhardy,
madcap, devil-may-care; audacious, bold, brave, fearless,
gallant, courageous, intrepid: Do you consider ski-jumping a
sport or an example of daredevil madness?

daring n. 1 courage, boldness, bravery, valour, intrepidity,
fearlessness, grit, pluck, spirit, mettle, adventurousness,
derring-do, Colloq guts, spunk, nerve; Slang Brit bottle:
Diving from a cliff into the sea takes a lot of daring.

--adj. 2 bold, audacious, courageous, brave, valorous,
intrepid, fearless, unafraid, plucky, mettlesome, adventurous,
venturesome, hardy; rash, reckless, Colloq gutsy, US nervy: In
the 19th century, a few daring explorers penetrated the jungles
of Africa.

dark adj. 1 unlit, unlighted, unilluminated, ill-lighted, ill-lit,
sunless; black, Stygian, pitch-dark, inky, jet-black: We
cowered in a recess in the dark cave. 2 dim, murky, tenebrous,
shady, shadowy: I could scarcely see ahead of me in the dark
forest. 3 gloomy, dismal, dreary, dull, drab, subfuscous,
subfusc, bleak, cheerless, mournful, dour, pessimistic, sombre,
doleful, joyless, grim, sad, melancholy, sorrowful: Why do you
always look at the dark side of things? 4 evil, wicked, vile,
base, foul, iniquitous, nefarious, black-hearted, villainous,
sinister, satanic, devilish, hellish: Nostradamus predicted
that dark forces would overrun the world. 5 murky, overcast,
cloudy, threatening, black, dusky, louring or lowering; foggy,
misty; US glowering: Another dark day on the moor and I thought
I'd go mad. 6 mysterious, deep, profound, incomprehensible,
enigmatic, puzzling, impenetrable, unfathomable, abstruse,

recondite, arcane, obscure: She took her dark secret to the
grave. 7 hidden, concealed, secret, occult, mystic(al),
cryptic: The true reason for his leaving was always kept dark
in the family. 8 brunette; black, swarthy, brown; (sun)tanned,
Old-fashioned swart: One is fair with dark hair, the other has
dark skin. 9 ignorant, unenlightened, benighted: Our culture
passed through a dark phase before the Renaissance.

--n. 10 night, night-time, nightfall: We waited till dark to
make good our escape. 11 darkness, blackness, gloom,
gloominess, murk, murkiness: At fifty, isn't he a bit old to be
afraid of the dark? 12 obscurity, ignorance: She was always
kept in the dark about his true identity.


darling n. 1 sweetheart, beloved, love, dear, dearest, true-love: She
insists on buying all her darling's clothes. 2 pet, favourite,
apple of one's eye, Brit blue-eyed boy; US fair-haired boy:
Frank might have been the black sheep of the family, but he was
always his mother's darling.


--adj. 3 beloved, loved, cherished, adored, dear, precious,
treasured: He travelled everywhere with his darling niece. 4
pleasing, fetching, attractive, adorable, enchanting, lovely,
alluring, engaging, bewitching, charming: Josephine was wearing
a darling frock she'd just bought at the Corner Boutique.

dash v. 1 crash, smash, shatter, break, shiver, fragment, split;
destroy, ruin, spoil, frustrate, obliterate: The mirror was
dashed to smithereens when it fell. The ship didn't see our
raft, and our hopes of rescue were dashed. 2 hurl, toss, throw,
fling, cast, pitch, Colloq chuck: We drank a toast, then dashed
our glasses into the fireplace. 3 rush, run, dart, spring,
bolt, bound, race, sprint; hasten, fly, hurry, speed: I'll have
to dash to catch my train. 4 dash off. scribble: I've just
dashed off a note to mother.

--n. 5 dart, bolt, rush, run, spurt, spring, bound, sprint: He
made a dash for the door but it was too late. 6 flourish, ‚lan,
flair, liveliness, style, panache, spirit, brio, verve, zest,
spice; ardour, fervour, vigour, energy: She is known for her
beauty as well as her dash and courage. 7 bit, pinch, soup‡on,
hint, suggestion, touch, trace, tinge, taste, drop, piece,
Colloq smidgen or smidgin, US tad: Add a dash of nutmeg at the

end.

dashing adj. 1 spirited, lively, impetuous, energetic, vigorous,
dynamic, animated, Colloq peppy: She is now going out with a
dashing young fellow from the City. 2 fashionable, stylish,
chic, … la mode, modish, smart, elegant, dapper, Colloq Brit
swish: That's a dashing coat, Felicia. 3 flamboyant, showy,
ostentatious, pretentious: George Hutton was a bit too dashing
for her taste.


data n. facts, information, statistics, figures, details, matter,
observations, material(s); text; evidence: We shall process the
data on the computer and print out the results.


date n. 1 time, year, season, period, day; age, era, epoch, stage,
phase: These artefacts are from an earlier date than was first
supposed. 2 appointment, meeting, engagement, rendezvous,
assignation, tryst; fixture: She already has a date for
Saturday night. 3 escort, companion, friend, boyfriend,
girlfriend, girl, woman, boy, man, swain, beau, lover, Colloq
steady: Bob is Sally's date for the dance. 4 out of date.
old-fashioned, old, ancient, archaic, antiquated, dated, pass‚,
outmoded, obsolete, obsolescent, Colloq old hat: This timetable
is out of date. Why do you wear those out of date clothes? 5 up
to date. modern, latest, current, contemporary, … la mode,
fashionable, Colloq trendy: Her taste in music is quite up to
date. Use this up-to-date edition of the encyclopedia.

--v. 6 show one's age, make obsolete or obsolescent or
old-fashioned: That pompadour hair-do really dates her. 7
entertain, escort, go out (with), go steady (with): Does
Michael still date Patsy? Those two are still dating.

daunt v. intimidate, cow, discourage, dishearten, dispirit, unnerve,
shake, upset, disconcert, discomfit, put off, awe, overawe,
appal, alarm, threaten, frighten, terrify, scare, terrorize: He
was daunted by the prospect of facing the entire council.

dauntless adj. fearless, undaunted, unafraid, unflinching, stalwart,
brave, courageous, bold, audacious, intrepid, valorous, daring,
gallant, heroic, venturesome, plucky, stout-hearted, valiant:
Dauntless, the knight rode into the thick of the fray.

dawdle v. linger, loiter, straggle, delay, procrastinate, dally,
lounge, laze, idle, lag, lie about, waste time, Colloq
dilly-dally, shilly-shally: We have to catch the next train, so
stop dawdling.


dawn n. 1 daybreak, sunrise, break of day, crack of dawn, first
light, dawning, cock crow, Literary aurora, day-spring, US
sun-up: We shall attack the castle at dawn. 2 dawning,
beginning, commencement, start, birth, awakening, inception,
genesis, outset, onset, origin, appearance, arrival, advent,
emergence, inauguration, rise, first occurrence: The dawn of
western civilization has been placed in Anatolia.

--v. 3 gleam, break, brighten, lighten: The day dawned on the
deserted beach. 4 begin, originate, commence, arise, appear,
emerge, start, arrive, develop, unfold: The day of the computer
had not yet dawned when I was a child. 5 dawn on or upon. occur
to, come to mind, become apparent or evident to: It slowly
dawned on me that he had been lying all along.


day n. 1 daytime, daylight, broad daylight, light of day: Sunrise
quickly turned night into day. 2 time, hour, age, period, era,
epoch, date, prime, heyday; lifetime: Her day will come. In his
day, there was no telephone.


day-dream n. 1 reverie, wool-gathering, fantasy, fancy, dream, musing,
castle in the air or in Spain, pipedream: The realities of life
have cured me of many day-dreams.


--v. 2 fantasize, imagine, fancy, envision, dream: She still
day-dreams that a knight in shining armour will come and carry
her away.

daylight n. 1 sunlight, sun, sunshine, light: Coming from the cave, we
were blinded by the daylight. 2 open, broad daylight, light of
day, full view, full knowledge, clarity: We must bring his
treachery out into the daylight.

daze v. 1 stun, stupefy, blind, dazzle, bedazzle, shock, stagger,
startle, astonish, astound, amaze, surprise, overcome,
overpower, dumbfound, benumb, paralyse, Colloq bowl over, floor,
flabbergast; Slang blow one's mind: She was dazed to learn her
husband was still alive. 2 befuddle, confuse, bemuse, bewilder,

puzzle, mystify, baffle, perplex, nonplus, blind: He was dazed
by the difficulty of the examination.

--n. 3 confusion, flurry, spin, whirl: The entire week was a
continuous daze of cocktail parties and dinner parties. 4 in a
daze. stupefied, in a trance, bewildered, confused, perplexed,
disoriented, dizzy, dazzled, bedazzled, overcome, overpowered,
nonplussed, befuddled, flustered; startled, surprised, shocked,
stunned, astonished, astounded, amazed, staggered; bemused,
baffled, puzzled, mystified, Colloq flabbergasted, bowled over,
floored: Arthur was in a daze to find himself the centre of
attention.

dazzle v. 1 impress, bewitch, enchant, charm, beguile, intrigue,
captivate, fascinate, spellbind, entrance, hypnotize, mesmerize:
Every man in the room was dazzled by Mrs d'Arcy's brilliant wit
and good looks. 2 See daze, def. 1.

--n. 3 brilliance, splendour, magnificence, sparkle, glitter,
Slang razzle-dazzle, razzmatazz: Many actors are lured to New
York by the dazzle of Broadway.

dazzling adj. bright, brilliant, resplendent, blinding, bedazzling,
radiant, splendid, magnificent, glorious, sparkling,
scintillating; stunning, overwhelming, overpowering, stupefying,
dizzying; gorgeous; Colloq splendiferous, mind-boggling: In the
chest was a dazzling collection of the finest jewels.

4.2 dead...
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dead adj. 1 deceased, defunct, extinct, gone, departed, late,
lifeless, no more, Colloq done for, Slang Brit gone for a
burton: Both his parents are dead, and his only brother lives
in Australia. Lycidas is dead, dead ere his prime. 2 insensate,
insensible, numb, paralysed, benumbed, unfeeling: After the
accident, my left thumb was completely dead. 3 insensible,
unconscious, out, dead to the world, deathlike, deathly: At the
news of her son, she fell in a dead faint. 4 insensitive,
unemotional, unfeeling, emotionless, apathetic, lukewarm, cool,
cold, frigid, unresponsive, unsympathetic, indifferent,
unconcerned, uninterested; numb, wooden, callous, hardened,

impervious, inured, inert: He has always been dead to others'
problems. 5 out, smothered, extinguished: The fire is dead. 6
inanimate, lifeless, inert, inorganic: Dead stones speak
volumes to the geologist. 7 extinct, obsolete, perished, past,
outmoded, disused, expired, pass‚: Latin is a dead language. 8
barren, unfruitful, infertile, unproductive: That area off the
coast is dead as far as fishing goes. 9 tired (out), exhausted,
worn out, fatigued, tired out, spent, collapsing, in a state of
collapse, Slang bushed, beat, Brit knackered, US and Canadian
pooped: We were completely dead after the hike into town. 10
dull, lustreless, flat, neutral, vapid, empty, bland,
colourless, grey, beige, dun: The walls of the prison were
painted a dead white. 11 stagnant, motionless, still, standing,
static, inert, unmoving, inactive, quiet, calm: There were
small pools of dead water covered with a green slime. Without a
breath of air stirring, the boat was dead in the water. 12
boring, dull, tedious, tiresome, monotonous, prosaic,
uninteresting, run-of-the-mill, ordinary, commonplace, dry,
insipid, bland, flat, two-dimensional, lifeless, stiff, rigid,
stony: The play was bad, the performance dead. 13 dull,
muffled, deadened, anechoic, unresounding, non-resonant: One
room in the laboratory was built to be dead to all sound. 14
complete, entire, total, absolute, downright, thorough, through
and through, utter, all-out, out-and-out, unqualified,
unrelieved, unbroken, categorical, outright: My investment in
the anti-gravity pill has so far been a dead loss. 15 profound,
deep: I fell into a dead sleep. 16 sudden, abrupt, complete,
full: The train came to a dead stop. 17 certain, sure,
unerring, exact, precise, accurate, crack: According to the
records, Calamity Jane was a dead shot.

--adv. 18 completely, entirely, absolutely, totally, utterly,
categorically, thoroughly, unconditionally, unqualifiedly: You
are dead right about Pontefract. 19 completely, entirely,
absolutely, totally; abruptly, suddenly: He stopped dead in his
tracks and stared at me. 20 directly, exactly, precisely: An
enormous maelstrom lay dead ahead of the fragile craft.

--n. 21 depth(s), extreme, midst, middle: She used to visit
his room in the dead of night.

deaden v. 1 numb, benumb, paralyse, anaesthetize, desensitize, dull;
damp: This injection will deaden your hand and you'll feel no

pain. 2 weaken, moderate, soothe, mitigate, assuage, reduce,
lessen, diminish, alleviate, cushion, soften, mollify, blunt,
dull: He took to drink to deaden the shock of losing his only
son.


deadlock n. 1 standstill, impasse, stalemate, stand-off, draw, stoppage,
Colloq US Mexican stand-off: Union and management negotiators
have reached a deadlock on the pension issue.


--v. 2 bring or come to a standstill or impasse, stall, stop,
halt: The Congress is likely to deadlock on the question of
expanding national health benefits.

deadly adj. 1 lethal, fatal; dangerous, pernicious, poisonous,
noxious, toxic; baleful, harmful, nocuous: This drug is deadly
if taken in large doses. 2 mortal, implacable, ruthless,
savage: They were deadly enemies long after the war was over.
3 murderous, homicidal, bloodthirsty, brutal, vicious,
ferocious, barbarous, barbaric, savage, inhuman, cold-blooded,
heartless, ruthless, pitiless, merciless: Two deadly killers
have escaped from Dartmoor prison. 4 deathly, deathlike, pale,
pallid, ghostly, cadaverous, ghastly, wan, white, livid, ashen:
He turned a deadly hue, as if he had seen a ghost. 5 boring,
excruciating, dull, tiresome, tedious, dreary, humdrum,
lacklustre, wearying, wearisome: It was a deadly play put on by
deadly actors. 6 exact, precise, accurate, true, unerring,
unfailing: Each arrow hit the bull's-eye with deadly accuracy.

deaf adj. 1 hard of hearing, stone-deaf: Sean is slightly deaf in
his left ear. 2 unhearing, unheedful, heedless, insensible,
insensitive, impervious, indifferent, oblivious, unresponsive,
unmoved, unconcerned, unyielding: The judge was deaf to all
appeals for clemency.


deal v. 1 distribute, dole out, give out, parcel out, mete out,
allot, apportion, administer, dispense: Deal thirteen cards to
each of the four players. She dealt out her own brand of justice
to criminals. 2 buy and sell, handle, stock, do business, trade,
traffic: This shop deals only in the most expensive linens. 3
behave, act, conduct oneself: Simon has never dealt openly, so
you mustn't trust him. 4 deal with. treat, handle, take care
of, have to do with, attend to, see to, reckon with, grapple
with, act on; practise, administer, engage in: I shall deal

with the matter tomorrow.

--n. 5 transaction, arrangement, negotiation, agreement,
contract, bargain, understanding: The deal to sell the textbook
division is off. 6 Often, great deal. (large or great) amount,
lot, (large or huge) quantity; extent: There's been a great
deal of crime in that neighbourhood.

dealer n. trader, businessman, businesswoman, merchant, tradesman,
retailer, shopkeeper, vendor, merchandiser; wholesaler, jobber,
distributor, stockist, supplier; broker, agent, salesman, US
storekeeper: He has been a dealer in precious gems for years.

dealings n.pl. business, commerce, exchange, trade, traffic,
transactions, negotiations; relations, relationships, affairs:
All his business dealings are reviewed by his solicitor.

dear adj. 1 beloved, loved, adored, darling, precious, cherished,
prized, valued, treasured, favoured, favourite, pet, esteemed,
admired, venerated, honoured: He was my nearest and dearest
friend. 2 expensive, costly, high-priced, highly priced, Colloq
pricey: Tomatoes are much too dear at this time of the year.

--n. 3 darling, sweetheart, beloved, love, true-love, sweet,
honey, precious, pet, favourite, treasure, precious, Colloq
sweetie, sweetie-pie, Slang baby: My dear, I hope we'll be
together always.

--adv. 4 dearly; at great cost or expense, at a high or
excessive price: That little error will cost you dear, my
friend.

dearly adv. 1 greatly, very much, indeed, sincerely: I should dearly
like to go, but I cannot. 2 affectionately, fondly, lovingly,
tenderly: He loves his mother very dearly. 3 expensively,
dear, at great cost or expense, at a high or excessive price,
punitively: The victory at Thalamos was dearly bought.

dearth n. scarcity, want, need, lack, deficiency, sparseness or
sparsity, scantiness, insufficiency, inadequacy, shortage,
paucity, exiguity, poverty, exiguousness; absence: There is a
dearth of major roles for black actors.

death n. 1 demise, decease, passing, dying, end: She was overcome
with grief at the news of his death. 2 end, termination,
cessation, expiration, expiry: Nobody mourned the death of the
bill in the lower house. 3 end, finish, termination;
extinction, destruction, extermination, annihilation,
eradication, obliteration, eradication, extirpation,
liquidation, ruin, downfall, undoing: The invasion marked the
death of the Roman Empire.


deathless adj. eternal, everlasting, immortal, undying, imperishable,
permanent, unending, timeless, never-ending: In his opinion,
his novel was another example of his deathless prose.

debase v. 1 lower, degrade, devalue, depreciate, depress, demote,
deprecate, belittle, diminish, reduce, disparage: Words which
denote fine qualities are in time debased. 2 adulterate,
contaminate, taint, pollute, corrupt, mar, spoil, impair,
vitiate, abase, defile, bastardize; poison: To increase
profits, the manufacturer has debased the traditional formula.


debatable adj. controversial, arguable, questionable, doubtful, dubious,
problematic or problematical, disputable, open or subject to
dispute or doubt or question, in dispute or doubt or question,
moot, polemic or polemical, unsure, uncertain, unsettled,
undecided: Whether he is the best person for the job is
debatable.

debate n. 1 discussion, argument, dispute, altercation, controversy,
wrangle, contention, polemic; argumentation: I refuse to take
sides in the debate over social services. 2 deliberation,
consideration, (careful) thought, reflection, cogitation,
meditation, contemplation: Payment of reparations to the
victims of the disaster is a matter for debate.


--v. 3 argue, wrangle, dispute, contest, contend; discuss,
moot, question: We debated only the most important issues. 4
deliberate, consider, reflect (on), mull over, ponder (over),
weigh, ruminate (over), meditate (on or over), think (over or
on), think through: I have often debated in my own mind the
question of capital punishment.

debonair adj. 1 suave, soign‚(e), elegant, urbane, refined, dapper,
genteel, well-bred, courteous, civil, mannerly, gracious,

polite, affable, obliging, pleasant, Colloq smooth: Despite his
vicious temper, he was most debonair in company. 2 carefree,
insouciant, gay, nonchalant, light-hearted, dashing, charming,
cheerful, buoyant, jaunty, sprightly: Being handsome and
debonair, he was much sought after by hostesses.

debt n. 1 obligation; due, indebtedness, liability, responsibility,
accountability, encumbrance: He owes a debt of gratitude to his
wife for her moral support. The company takes care of all debts
promptly. 2 in debt. under obligation, owing, accountable,
beholden, indebted, responsible, answerable for, liable,
encumbered, in arrears, straitened, in dire straits, in
(financial) difficulty or difficulties, in the red, Colloq US
and Canadian in hock: I shall always be in debt to you for your
help. The London branch is in debt for ten million pounds.

d‚but n. 1 premiŠre, introduction, initiation, inauguration, launch
or launching, coming out: The young soprano's d‚but at La Scala
was a triumph.


--v. 2 launch, come out, enter, appear: His plan is to d‚but
with a zither accompaniment.

decadent adj. 1 declining, decaying, deteriorating, debased,
degenerating, falling off, on the wane, withering, degenerative:
The decadent literature of the period was a reflection of the
decline in moral standards. 2 corrupt, dissolute, immoral,
debauched, dissipated, self-indulgent, degenerate: His decadent
behaviour brought him to the attention of the police.


decay v. 1 a decline, wane, ebb, dwindle, diminish, decrease: The
magnetic field rapidly decays when the power is removed. b
decline, waste away, atrophy, weaken, wither, degenerate,
deteriorate, disintegrate; crumble: Her great beauty decayed
quickly. 2 rot, decompose, moulder, putrefy, spoil; turn, go
bad, go off: The flesh has decayed and only a skeleton remains.

--n. 3 decline, weakening, failing, fading, deterioration,
decadence, degeneration, wasting, atrophy, dilapidation,
disintegration, collapse; downfall: The buildings were in an
advanced state of decay. 4 rot, rotting, decomposition, mould,
putrefaction, mortification: The decay has weakened the timbers
supporting the bridge.


deceit n. 1 deception, deceitfulness, fraud, fraudulence, cheating,
trickery, chicanery or chicane, dissimulation, dishonesty,
misrepresentation, double-dealing, duplicity, hypocrisy,
treachery, underhandedness, guile, craft, slyness, craftiness,
cunning, knavery, funny business, Colloq hanky-panky, monkey
business: Inside traders on the Stock Exchange profit
enormously from deceit. 2 trick, subterfuge, stratagem, ploy,
ruse, manoeuvre, artifice, wile, hoax, swindle, double-cross,
misrepresentation, pretence, sham, contrivance, shift,
confidence trick, subreption, gloze, Brit dialect or colloq US
flam; Colloq flimflam; Slang scam, con, con trick, con game:
She was sick of all his lies and deceits.


deceitful adj. dishonest, underhand(ed), untrustworthy, misleading,
crooked, insincere, false, fraudulent, counterfeit,
disingenuous, lying, mendacious, untruthful; wily, crafty, sly,
cunning, scheming, guileful, artful, sneaky, double-dealing,
two-faced, hypocritical, duplicitous, Colloq phoney or US also
phony: It was deceitful of you to pretend you loved her when
all you wanted was her money.

deceive v. mislead, delude, impose on or upon, fool, hoax, trick,
cheat, swindle, betray, double-cross, lead on, lead up or down
the garden path, lead astray, pull the wool over (someone's)
eyes, inveigle, cajole, Archaic cozen; Colloq con, bamboozle,
take in, take for a ride, two-time, move the goalposts; Slang US
take: He deceived even his friends and family into believing he
had been a war hero.


decent adj. 1 becoming, suitable, appropriate, proper, seemly,
fitting: Despite the life she led, the woman should have a
decent burial. 2 seemly, decorous, tasteful, dignified,
mannerly, nice, clean, respectable, polite, modest, presentable,
acceptable: Hereafter, you will use only decent language when
speaking to me! 3 adequate, acceptable, passable, fair,
competent, mediocre, middling, fair to middling, moderate,
respectable, not bad, ordinary, so so, not outstanding,
unimpressive, average, neither here nor there, all right,
reasonable, tolerable, satisfactory, good enough, Colloq OK or
okay: Sales in the first quarter were decent but hardly
outstanding. 4 courteous, proper, right, fair, honest,
honourable, friendly, considerate, gracious, nice, thoughtful,

obliging, kind, generous, accommodating: You can count on David
to do the decent thing. 5 chaste, pure, virtuous, modest,
well-bred, decorous, well brought up, nice, respectable:
Caroline is a decent girl, but no great brain or beauty.


deception n. 1 duplicity, deceit, intrigue, hypocrisy, fraud, cheating,
trickery, chicanery or chicane, dissimulation, double-dealing,
subterfuge, sophistry, treachery, knavery, tergiversation; see
also deceit 1, above: He practised deception even in his family
relationships. 2 trick, ruse, artifice, stratagem, subterfuge,
manoeuvre, wile, imposture, hoax, sham, pretence; see also
deceit 2, above: He tried every deception in the book to
separate her from her money.


deceptive adj. 1 misleading, false, illusory, deceiving, unreliable: He
has the look of an athlete, but appearances can be deceptive. 2
fraudulent, deceitful, dishonest, untruthful, fake, false,
shifty, fallacious, specious, spurious, bogus, counterfeit,
pseudo, sophistical; tricky, dodgy, evasive, elusive, slippery,
Colloq phoney or US also phony: The bank is being deceptive
about his credit rating.

decide v. 1 determine, settle, resolve, conclude, take or reach or
come to a decision or conclusion, make up one's mind, arbitrate,
judge, adjudicate, referee, umpire: She decided that you were
right. They decided the case in my favour. 2 decide on or upon.
fix or fasten or settle on or upon, choose, select, pick (out),
elect, opt (for), commit oneself (to): I have decided on a
British-made car.


decided adj. 1 definite, pronounced, marked, unmistakable, unambiguous,
unequivocal, certain, sure, absolute, obvious, clear, evident,
unquestionable, unquestioned, indisputable, undisputed,
undeniable, irrefutable, incontestable, unqualified,
unconditional, incontrovertible, solid: The party was a decided
success. 2 fixed, firm, resolute, determined, adamant, stony,
unhesitating, decisive, definite, unfaltering, assertive,
asseverative, unswerving, unwavering: They are decided in their
approval of her plan.


decipher v. 1 decode, decrypt; unravel, unscramble, disentangle,
translate, work out, explain, solve, Colloq figure out: It was
Champollion who deciphered the Rosetta Stone. 2 read,

interpret, make out, Colloq figure out: I can't decipher
Theresa's handwriting or what she's trying to say.

decision n. 1 settlement, determination, resolution, settling,
resolving, arbitration: The decision is the umpire's
responsibility. 2 judgement, conclusion, resolution, verdict,
sentence, ruling, finding, decree, settlement, outcome:
According to the decision, the victims will receive compensatory
damages. 3 determination, firmness, decidedness, resolve,
decisiveness, conclusiveness, steadfastness, purpose,
purposefulness: She asserted her position with decision.

declaration
n. 1 statement, assertion, attestation, deposition,
asseveration, affirmation, avowal, announcement, proclamation,
pronouncement, profession: Henrietta desperately wanted to
believe Henry's declaration of love. 2 proclamation,
announcement, pronouncement, promulgation, pronunciamento,
edict, ukase, manifesto, notice: The colonists issued a
declaration of independence.

declare v. 1 assert, say, offer, submit, affirm, state, aver,
asseverate, avow, avouch, profess, protest, swear, claim,
proclaim; confirm, certify, ratify: I solemnly declare that the
testimony I am to give is true, so help me God. 2 announce, make
known, pronounce, decree, rule, proclaim, herald, promulgate,
publish, broadcast, trumpet (forth): Robert has declared his
intention to make Marianne his wife.


decline v. 1 refuse, turn down, deny, reject, demur, forgo, veto,
avoid, abstain from: She declined help with the packages. Roger
was offered a professorship at the university but he declined. 2
diminish, lessen, decrease, wane, flag, go down, fall or taper
off, subside, ebb, abate, dwindle, shrink, fade, Colloq peter
out, run out of steam, US run out of gas: Demand for hula hoops
declined. 3 slope or slant (downwards), descend, drop or fall
off, dip, sink: The meadow declines towards the river. 4
deteriorate, degenerate, worsen, fail: My health has declined
over the last year. 5 go or drop down, settle, dip, sink, set:
The sun was declining as I went home.

--n. 6 diminution, decrease, lessening, ebb, downturn,
fall-off, reduction, abatement, slump, descent: There has been

a steady decline in the value of the pound. 7 degeneration,
deterioration, loss, diminution, weakening, debility, weakness,
worsening, decay, failing: We noted a decline in the physical
condition of those living nearby. 8 declivity, (downward) slope
or slant, descent, downgrade, incline: The path led down a
steep decline towards the pond.

decompose v. 1 disintegrate, separate, fall or come apart, break up or
down, take apart, dissect, anatomize, atomize, resolve,
decompound, analyse: By absorption the scientists decomposed
the green light into yellow and blue. 2 rot, disintegrate,
decay, moulder, putrefy; spoil, go off or bad, turn sour: The
meat will decompose if it is left outside the fridge.


decorate v. 1 embellish, adorn, ornament, garnish, embroider, elaborate,
bedeck, deck (out), trim, dress (up), spruce or smarten up,
beautify, Literary caparison, Colloq Brit tart up: We decorated
the pub for the Christmas holidays. 2 Brit paint, wallpaper,
redecorate, furbish, refurbish, renovate, fix up, restore: All
the bedrooms have been decorated.

decoration
n. 1 garnish, trim, trimming, adornment, embellishment,
ornament, ornamentation, garnishment: There's a bit too much
decoration on the cake. 2 medal, laurel, award, badge, colours,
order, ribbon, star, garter: Captain Harder won many
decorations in the war.

decorous adj. becoming, dignified, decent, correct, mannerly, seemly,
refined, elegant, polite, well-behaved, genteel, demure,
polished, gentlemanly, ladylike, seemly: Your behaviour was
less than decorous at last night's party.

decorum n. 1 etiquette, proper behaviour, propriety, good form,
mannerliness, politeness, dignity, gentility, good manners,
respectability, courtliness, deportment: The decorum of the
meeting was disturbed by rabble-rousers. 2 correctness,
propriety, protocol, punctilio, conformity: Please observe
proper decorum when visiting the embassy.


decoy n. 1 bait, lure, trap, attraction, enticement, inducement,
stool-pigeon: The hunters set out their decoys and waited for
the ducks.


--v. 2 lure, entrap, entice, attract, induce, seduce, bait,
trick, tempt, ensnare, inveigle, allure: He was decoyed into a
dark alley and robbed.


decrease v. 1 diminish, reduce, decline, lessen, lower, abate, fall off,
shrink, shrivel (up), contract, dwindle, ebb, subside, wane,
taper off, de-escalate, slacken, let up, ease (off or up),
curtail, cut (down or back), Colloq run out of steam, US run out
of gas: Demand for tickets to rock concerts has decreased over
the years. The number of applicants for work is decreasing.

--n. 2 diminution, reduction, decline, lessening, lowering,
abatement, falling off, shrinking, shrivelling, contraction,
decrement, dwindling, ebb, subsidence, tapering off, wane,
de-escalation, slackening, easing (off or up), curtailment, cut,
cut-back: There has been no noticeable decrease in the price of
houses in the south-east. Have you noticed the decrease in
arrests for dangerous driving?


decree n. 1 order, mandate, directive, ordinance, edict, law, statute,
regulation, enactment, act, ruling, dictum, dictate, injunction,
sanction, manifesto, proclamation, promulgation, determination,
decision, judgement, rescript, prescription, pronunciamento,
firman, ukase, Rom Cath Ch decretal: The star chamber issued a
decree restricting the freedom of the press.

--v. 2 order, command, direct, rule, mandate, ordain, dictate,
charge, enjoin, proclaim, pronounce, prescribe, decide,
determine, adjudge, Scots law decern: The council has decreed
that no spirits can be sold on Sundays.

decrepit adj. 1 feeble, enfeebled, weak, weakened, frail, infirm,
wasted, worn out, unfit, debilitated, enervated, disabled,
incapacitated, crippled, doddering; out of shape, in bad shape;
aged, old, elderly, ancient, superannuated, senescent, senile,
Colloq gaga: The old man was so decrepit he was unable to lift
the cup to his lips. 2 dilapidated, deteriorated, crumbling,
decayed, decaying, withered, wasted, antiquated, tumbledown,
broken-down, rickety, unstable, shaky, ramshackle, derelict,
creaking, creaky, run-down: The barn was so decrepit we had to
tear it down.

decrepitude
n. 1 feebleness, weakness, infirmity, debilitation, enervation,
incapacity, old age, superannuation, senescence, senility,
caducity, dotage: Her decrepitude was so extreme that she could
neither walk nor understand what was said to her. 2
dilapidation, deterioration, decay, ruin: The house is in an
advanced state of decrepitude.

dedicate v. 1 devote, consecrate, give (up or over), yield, offer,
surrender, commit, pledge, assign: She dedicated her life to
helping the poor. 2 consecrate, bless, sanctify, hallow: There
stands the temple dedicated to Apollo. 3 inscribe; address,
assign: This book has been dedicated to you.


dedication
n. 1 devotion, assignment, pledge, commitment, allegiance,
adherence, faithfulness, fidelity, loyalty, devotedness,
wholeheartedness, single-mindedness, fixedness, fealty: I
admire Rudolph's dedication to duty. 2 inscription, address;
message: The dedication reads, 'To my mother and father'. 3
consecration, sanctification, hallowing: The ceremony for the
dedication of the youth centre will be held tomorrow.

deduce v. conclude, infer, understand, gather, assume, presume,
derive, draw, work out, divine, glean, take it, suppose,
surmise, suspect, Slang Brit suss out: From the tone of his
letter she deduced that he was going to change his mind.

deduct v. subtract, take away or out or off, take from, remove,
withdraw, Colloq knock off: Deduct six from ten and you're left
with four.

deduction n. 1 subtraction, diminution, decrease, reduction, withdrawal,
removal, abstraction: After deductions for expenses, you'll be
left with nothing. 2 conclusion, inference, finding, reasoning,
result: After considering the evidence, my deduction is that
the butler didn't do it.

deed n. 1 act, action; performance: Their deeds did not match their
promises. 2 exploit, feat, achievement, accomplishment: We are
here to honour her for her many deeds, both on and off the
tennis court. 3 title(-deed), document, instrument, indenture,
contract, agreement: The bank holds the title-deed until the

mortgage is paid off.

deep adj. 1 extensive, bottomless, abyssal, unfathomable, profound;
wide, broad, yawning, chasmal or chasmic: All our supplies were
lost in a deep crevasse in the glacier. 2 profound, arcane,
recondite, difficult, abstruse, obscure, esoteric,
incomprehensible, beyond or past comprehension, impenetrable,
unfathomable, inscrutable, mysterious, mystic(al), occult,
weighty, serious, Colloq heavy: Religious philosophy is too
deep a subject to discuss at breakfast. 3 wise, learned, sage,
sagacious, astute, perspicacious, profound, discerning, acute,
intense, penetrating, knowledgeable, knowing: Margaret is one
of the deepest thinkers on the subject. 4 rapt, absorbed,
engrossed, occupied, preoccupied, intent, intense, involved,
engaged, immersed, lost, Colloq into: Don't disturb him when
he's deep in thought. 5 devious, cunning, shrewd, crafty,
canny, clever, knowing, scheming, artful, designing: He thinks
there is a deep plot against him. 6 profound, intense, sincere,
serious, heartfelt, earnest, ardent, fervent, poignant,
deep-rooted: I know of your deep concern for her. 7 low,
resonant, booming, resounding, sonorous, rumbling: The deep
sound of thunder rolled across the valley. 8 rich, dark,
intense, strong: The sky was a deep blue.


--n. 9 the deep. the ocean, the main, the sea, the waters, the
high seas, the briny (deep), the wave(s), Davy Jones's locker,
Neptune's or Poseidon's kingdom or domain: It was midnight on
the waters and a storm was on the deep.


--adv. 10 deeply, far down, profoundly, intensely, earnestly,
heavily: We drank deep of the cooling liquid.

deepen v. 1 dig out, burrow, sink, dredge, excavate, scoop (out):
We'll have to deepen the hole to support the flag-pole. 2
intensify, increase, concentrate, strengthen, expand, magnify:
The programme reflects a deepening interest in education.

deeply adv. 1 deep, (far) downwards or inwards, way down, deep down:
The glacier was deeply fissured. She swam to the surface and
inhaled deeply. 2 profoundly, intensely, strongly, powerfully,
very much, acutely, keenly, gravely, greatly, to a great extent,
extremely, thoroughly, completely, entirely, seriously,
severely, irrevocably, unreservedly; passionately, heavily,

emotionally: She is deeply involved with a man from Kent. They
were deeply committed to the labour movement.

deface v. mar, disfigure, spoil, ruin, deform, blemish, damage,
mutilate, harm, impair, injure, destroy: Nothing should be
allowed to deface the beauty of these buildings.

default n. 1 failure, fault, defect, neglect, negligence, dereliction,
lapse, oversight, non-performance, non-fulfilment, inaction: We
won the case because of their default on the contract. The other
contestant failed to appear, so Gordon won the match by default.
2 non-payment, delinquency: Default in the rent may result in
eviction.


--v. 3 fail, neglect, dishonour, lapse, fall short, come (up)
short: He has defaulted on a car payment.

defeat v. 1 overcome, conquer, vanquish, be victorious over, get the
better of, beat, subdue, overwhelm, overpower, prevail over,
triumph over, bring down, worst, thrash, rout, repulse,
overthrow, trounce, whip, crush, destroy, do in, best: The
champion defeated the contender in a ten-round match. 2 thwart,
frustrate, disappoint, check, balk, stop, terminate, end,
finish, foil: He never let his handicap defeat his hopes of
winning.

--n. 3 conquest, overthrow, beating, repulse, trouncing, rout,
vanquishment: The defeat of our team must be charged to lack of
training. 4 frustration, undoing, failure, miscarriage,
set-back; Waterloo: The stock market crash spelled the defeat
of the company's plan for a share issue.

defecate v. void (excrement), move the bowels, excrete, eliminate,
evacuate (the bowels), have a (bowel) movement or bm, open the
bowels, relieve oneself, Babytalk do number two , Euphemistic go
to the men's or ladies' (room), go to the toilet or bathroom or
lavatory, excuse (oneself), wash (one's) hands, go to the
bathroom, go to the powder-room; Mincing go to the little boys'
or girls' room; Colloq Brit spend a penny, Colloq Brit go to the
loo, pass a motion, Taboo slang (take a) crap or shit: The
first symptoms of bowel disease are problems when defecating.

defect n. 1 shortcoming, deficiency, lack, want, inadequacy,

insufficiency, shortfall, failure, weakness, frailty, weak
point, imperfection, irregularity, liability: See the doctor
about that hearing defect. 2 blemish, imperfection, failing,
weakness, flaw, fault, mark, stain, irregularity, mistake,
error: The products should be inspected for defects before
shipping.

--v. 3 desert, change sides or loyalties, turn traitor, go
over; escape: Ropovich tried to defect, but the Albanians sent
him back.

defective adj. 1 imperfect, faulty, flawed, deficient, broken, out of
order, impaired, marred, Colloq on the blink, US on the fritz:
The brakes on his car were defective. 2 retarded, simple,
feeble-minded, (mentally) deficient or incompetent, backward,
subnormal, Brit education ESN ('educationally subnormal'), US
education exceptional: Found to be defective, he could not
stand trial.


defector n. deserter, apostate, turncoat, traitor, renegade, Colloq rat:
Some political defectors were suspected of being spies.

defence n. 1 shelter, protection, cover, guard, safeguard, shield:
There is no defence against certain illnesses. 2 fortification,
armour, barricade, screen, bulwark, rampart: Shore defences
were set up, including barbed wire entanglements and concrete
pillboxes. 3 excuse, apology, reason, apologia, explanation;
justification, vindication, argument, plea, advocacy, support:
His defence for decreasing welfare payments was inadequate. She
spoke in defence of nationalizing industry.

defenceless
adj. unprotected, exposed, vulnerable, unguarded; helpless,
weak, powerless, impotent: Would you take advantage of a poor,
defenceless creature?

defend v. 1 protect, watch over, guard, safeguard, keep (safe),
shelter, shield, screen, preserve; fight for: We must defend
our civil rights. 2 fortify, arm, secure; fend or ward off,
parry: Can you defend your position from attack? 3 plead for,
speak or stand up for, stick up for, go to bat for, support,
uphold, stand by, champion, stand with or behind or beside,
argue for or in behalf of, hold a brief for, espouse: The

lawyers defended her right to free speech.

deferฐ v. put off, postpone, delay, shelve, lay or put aside, adjourn,
US table; Colloq Brit kick into touch: The judge has deferred
his decision.

defer v. Often, defer to. give in (to), give ground or way (to),
yield (to), submit (to), bow (to), capitulate (to), cede (to),
accede (to), acquiesce (to); comply (with), agree (to): I'll
defer to your decision in the matter.

deference n. 1 respect, regard, politeness, civility, courtesy,
consideration, esteem: They treated him with deference owing to
his age. 2 obeisance, submission, acquiescence, obedience,
compliance: Considering her accomplishments, she is paid little
deference.

defiant adj. challenging, bold, brazen, audacious, daring; rebellious,
disobedient, stubborn, recalcitrant, obstinate, refractory,
unyielding, insubordinate, mutinous, unruly, self-willed,
aggressive, headstrong, contumacious, pugnacious, hostile,
belligerent, antagonistic, Slang gutsy, spunky: His defiant
attitude towards authority often gets him into trouble.


deficient adj. 1 wanting, lacking, defective, incomplete, unfinished,
short, insufficient, inadequate, sketchy, skimpy, scarce: Some
foods are deficient in vitamins. 2 faulty, impaired, flawed,
imperfect, incomplete, defective, inferior, unsatisfactory:
Many have a deficient knowledge of their legal rights.


deficit n. loss, deficiency, shortfall, shortage, default: At the end
of the year there was a considerable deficit.

define v. 1 determine, establish, fix, demarcate, mark off or out,
delimit, limit, lay or set down, circumscribe, specify,,
identify, delineate, describe: You must first define the
subjects to be covered. 2 describe, explain, interpret, spell
out, detail, clarify, delineate, expand on, expatiate on or
upon, delineate; characterize, state, name: No one dictionary
defines all the words of a language. Please define exactly what
you want me to do.

definite adj. 1 specific, particular, exact, pronounced, explicit,

express, precise: She came here with a definite purpose. 2
sure, positive, certain, assured, fixed, settled, confirmed:
Then we have a definite appointment for two o'clock? 3 clear,
plain, well-defined, unambiguous, unequivocal, distinct,
clear-cut, obvious: The plans for revision are definite.

definitely
adv. positively, absolutely, surely, to be sure, assuredly,
certainly, indubitably, undoubtedly, categorically,
unequivocally, unquestionably, decidedly, finally, once and for
all; plainly, clearly, obviously, patently: Then you're
definitely not going to the dance with Waldo? That was
definitely the worst movie of the year.


definition
n. 1 delineation, delimitation, demarcation, outlining;
acutance, resolution, distinctness, clarity, sharpness, focus,
precision: The definition at the edge of the photograph is
fuzzy. 2 description, explanation, explication, clarification,
statement (of meaning), sense, meaning: How many definitions
are there for the word 'good'?

definitive
adj. 1 decisive, final, conclusive, ultimate: My definitive
answer will be given tomorrow. 2 thorough, through and through,
exhaustive, ultimate, consummate, complete, authoritative,
reliable: She has written the definitive work on the axolotl.
3 clarifying, unambiguous, categorical, absolute, unqualified,
accurate, exact, precise: We expect a definitive statement from
the union regarding their claims.

deflect v. avert, turn away or aside, deviate, change, swerve, switch,
divert, shy, veer, sidetrack; fend off: The trajectory of a
bullet is deflected by gravity. By deflecting a bit to their
left, they managed to regain their original course.

deformed adj. 1 misshapen, malformed, distorted, twisted, grotesque,
gnarled, crooked, contorted, awry, warped, bent: This tree is
deformed because of the constant wind. 2 disfigured, crippled,
lame, misshapen; abnormal: He was born with a deformed foot. 3
distorted, warped, bent, perverted, twisted, grotesque;
abnormal: The deformed personalities of his patients are the
subject of my book.


defraud v. cheat, swindle, trick, beguile, cozen, dupe, delude, fool,
bilk, fleece, victimize, take in, deceive, humbug, hoodwink,
flimflam, Colloq do, diddle, con, slip one over on, put
(something) over on, pull a fast one on, fast-talk, rope in,, US
take; Slang take for a ride, gyp, rob, rip off, rook; Dialect
flam: Shareholders are defrauded by insider trading schemes.

defray v. pay, settle, meet, discharge, liquidate, clear, cover,
reimburse, Colloq pick up the bill or tab or US check (for),
foot the bill (for): The company defrays the cost of all
travelling expenses.

defunct adj. 1 dead, deceased, extinct: The dinosaurs have been
defunct for millions of years. 2 inoperative, inapplicable,
unused, unusable, invalid, expired, obsolete, pass‚, dead,
expired, non-existent, outmoded, out: Although still on the
books, that law is defunct.


defy v. 1 challenge, dare, face, confront, brave, stand up to,
flout, brazen out, thumb one's nose at, Colloq Brit cock a snook
at: The defendant defied the prosecutor to prove the
allegations. 2 frustrate, thwart, baffle, resist, withstand,
repel, disobey, repulse: Her feats of legerdemain defy the
imagination. Copeley has invented a device that defies the law
of gravity.

degenerate
adj. 1 debased, degraded, corrupt, corrupted, vitiated,
decadent, depraved, reprobate, dissolute, ignoble, base, low,
inferior, vile: He was a degenerate descendant of a once noble
lineage. Ben sank into the depths of a degenerate existence
after Penelope left him.


--v. 2 decline, deteriorate, decay, sink, worsen; backslide,
regress, retrogress, weaken, go to the dogs, go to rack and
ruin, Colloq go to pot: He felt that art had degenerated since
the days of Rembrandt.


--n. 3 reprobate, debauchee, wastrel, profligate, rake,
rakehell, rou‚; pervert, deviate: The detective said that only
a degenerate could have committed such a crime.

degradation
n. 1 degeneracy, degeneration, deterioration, corruptness,
corruption, vitiation, baseness, depravity, turpitude: History
records the moral degradation of a whole society. 2 disrepute,
discredit, shame, humiliation, ignominy, dishonour, disgrace,
abasement, debasement: He had to face the degradation of an
accusation of child molestation.

degrade v. 1 downgrade, demote, break, Military cashier, Ecclesiastical
unfrock, Law disbar; depose, unseat; disfranchise or
disenfranchise; Military drum out (of the corps), Chiefly naval
disrate; US military bust: They degraded him from captain to
lieutenant. 2 disgrace, dishonour, humble, shame, discredit,
debase, demean, abase; humiliate, mortify, belittle, deprecate,
depreciate, cheapen, reduce, lower: He has been degraded to
mopping the floor. 3 dilute, adulterate, weaken, thin, water
(down), alloy: Cologne is, essentially, degraded perfume.

degrading adj. demeaning, humiliating, shameful, shaming, debasing,
lowering, discreditable: Why should you deem selling a
degrading occupation?

degree n. 1 grade, level, stage, class, caste, rank, order, scale,
standing, status, station, position, situation, estate,
condition: He is entertaining a lady of high degree. 2
measure, magnitude, extent, limit, point; lengths, step: All
our needs, desires, and goals are biologically determined to
some degree. 3 by degrees. little by little, bit by bit, step by
step, inch by inch, inchmeal, gradually, slowly, (almost)
imperceptibly: By degrees, her health has improved. 4 to a
degree. a rather, somewhat, quite: She is to a degree a better
dancer than he. b substantially, considerably, highly,
decidedly, exceedingly, to a considerable extent: She must be
stupid to a degree if she believes in levitation.


deign v. condescend, stoop, vouchsafe, concede; yield, agree: Lord
Worthington deigned to say good morning to us.

deity n. god, goddess, Supreme Being, creator, demiurge: Deities in
various religions are represented as men, women, or animals.

dejected adj. downcast, downhearted, depressed, dispirited, discouraged,
despondent, down, low, chap-fallen, crestfallen, melancholy,

sad, unhappy, gloomy, glum, miserable, blue, low-spirited, in
low spirits, forlorn, woebegone, disconsolate, sorrowful,
morose, heartbroken, heavy-hearted, in the doldrums, Colloq down
in the dumps, down in the mouth: She was bound to feel dejected
when she couldn't find a job.

delay v. 1 postpone, put off or aside, defer, temporize, suspend,
shelve, hold off or up (on), put on hold, hold in abeyance, put
or keep in a holding pattern, pigeon-hole, put on ice, put in or
into the deep-freeze, Colloq put on the back burner, Brit kick
into touch, US hold off or up (on), table: We shall delay our
decision till next month. 2 hold up or back, detain, impede,
hinder, retard, keep, bog down, set back, slow (up or down);
stop, arrest, halt, check; obstruct: Delivery of the mail has
been delayed by the strike. We were delayed by traffic. 3
loiter, procrastinate, hesitate, poke or drag (along), tarry,
wait, lag (behind), dawdle, hang back, stall, linger, dally,
mark time, potter or US putter; vacillate; Colloq dilly-dally,
shilly-shally, drag one's feet: Stop delaying and get to work.


--n. 4 postponement, deferral, deferment, wait, hold-up;
set-back: There will be a ten-day delay in paying the rent. 5
lull, interlude, hiatus, interruption, gap, interval, lacuna,
stop, stoppage, wait, waiting, hold-up, suspension: After an
hour's delay, service was resumed. 6 tarrying, loitering,
dawdling, Colloq dilly-dallying, shilly-shallying: There should
be no further delay in shipping the order.

delectation
n. delight, enjoyment, amusement, entertainment, diversion,
pleasure, satisfaction: For your delectation, Le Moulin Rouge
presents La Goulue!

delegate n. 1 envoy, agent, legate, representative, ambassador,
plenipotentiary, minister, emissary, commissioner, (papal)
nuncio, (papal) internuncio, spokesperson, spokesman,
spokeswoman, go-between: They kowtowed to the delegate from His
Imperial Highness.


--v. 2 depute, commission, appoint, designate, assign, name,
nominate, accredit, authorize, empower, mandate: The president
delegated Ambassador Foxley to represent him at the meeting. 3
assign, give, hand over or on, pass over or on, depute,

transfer, entrust, relegate, Colloq pass the buck for, US buck:
She has delegated the responsibility to one of the directors.

delete v. erase, cancel, rub or cross out or off, remove, blot out,
expunge, efface, eliminate, obliterate, wipe out, eradicate,
strike out, cut or edit (out), Publishing blue-pencil; Printing
dele: Delete the old address and insert the new one.

deliberate
adj. 1 intentional, planned, studied, wilful, intended,
premeditated, calculated, conscious, prearranged, purposeful,
preconceived, considered; cold-blooded: The insult was
deliberate, not a slip. 2 slow, methodical, careful, unhurried,
paced, measured, regular, even, steady, sure, unhesitating,
unfaltering, confident: He moved across the room with a
deliberate step and tore the medals from the general's tunic. 3
careful, prudent, cautious, painstaking, discreet, considered,
considerate, thoughtful, well thought out, thorough, methodical,
systematic, fastidious, orderly, punctilious, dispassionate,
cool, composed, collected, calm, serene, unruffled: A
deliberate speaker, he chose his words with care.

--v. 4 consider, ponder, think (about or over), weigh, debate,
meditate (on or over), reflect (on or over), cogitate (on or
over), study: I shall need a few days to deliberate on that
question.

deliberately
adv. intentionally, on purpose, purposely, wilfully or US
willfully, consciously, wittingly, calculatedly, calculatingly,
knowingly, pointedly, resolutely, of one's (own) free will, on
one's own, with one's eyes (wide) open: She did that
deliberately, not by accident.


delicacy n. 1 fineness, exquisiteness, gracefulness, beauty, lightness,
daintiness: Notice the delicacy of the tracery in the rose
window. 2 fragility, fragileness, frailty, frailness, weakness,
infirmity, feebleness, tenderness; susceptibility: Because of
the delicacy of his constitution, even a cold might be fatal. 3
sensitivity, difficulty, ticklishness, finesse, nicety,
sensibility: The delicacy of the situation demands the utmost
diplomacy. 4 luxury, sweetmeat, dainty, titbit or US tidbit,
savoury: The table was laden with delicacies from all over the

world.

delicate adj. 1 fragile, breakable, frail, tender, frangible, dainty;
perishable, flimsy: This filament is extremely delicate, so be
careful. 2 fine, exquisite, dainty, graceful, elegant, subtle:
A delicate border of lace sets off the collar. 3 feeble, weak,
sickly, frail, debilitated, weakened, enfeebled, unhealthy: Her
condition is too delicate for her to be moved. 4 critical,
ticklish, sensitive, dangerous, tricky, precarious, touchy,
Slang hairy; Colloq sticky: Rescuing the survivors of the
avalanche was a delicate operation. 5 dainty, squeamish,
queasy, fastidious, prudish, Victorian, finicky, finical,
refined, discriminating, discerning, sensitive, puristic,
proper, coy, modest, demure: In those days ladies were thought
to be too delicate to mention such matters. 6 gradual, subtle,
nice, precise, muted, soft, faint, subdued: The delicate
shading at the horizon is characteristic of this artist.

delicious adj. 1 delectable, luscious, ambrosial, savoury,
mouth-watering, toothsome; choice, flavourful, tasty,
appetizing, palatable, Colloq scrumptious; Slang yummy: Larry's
fried chicken is quite delicious. 2 enjoyable, delightful,
pleasurable, pleasing, pleasant, choice, enchanting,
fascinating; agreeable, charming, engaging; amusing,
entertaining: I heard the most delicious bit of gossip about
the Browns.

delight v. 1 please, gratify, satisfy, gladden, cheer, tickle, amuse,
entertain, divert, excite, thrill, captivate, entrance,
fascinate: We were delighted to hear the Mighty Allen Art
Players once again. 2 delight in. enjoy, appreciate, like,
relish (in), savour, revel in, glory in; love, adore; Colloq get
a kick from or out of; Slang get off on: She delights in any
kind of jazz.


--n. 3 pleasure, gratification, joy, satisfaction, enjoyment,
delectation; bliss, ecstasy, rapture: She takes great delight
in playing practical jokes on her guests. In his dreams he
visited the garden of earthly delights.


delighted adj. pleased, happy, charmed, thrilled, enchanted, enchant‚(e):
I am delighted to meet you. 'Miss Smith, meet Mr Brown.'
'Delighted!'


delightful
adj. 1 pleasing, agreeable, pleasurable, enjoyable, joyful,
pleasant, lovely, amusing, entertaining, diverting, exciting,
thrilling: We spent a delightful evening together. 2
attractive, congenial, winning, winsome, charming, engaging,
exciting; captivating, ravishing, fascinating, enchanting:
Georgina is one of the most delightful people I have met in a
long time.


delinquent
n. 1 malefactor, (young or youthful) offender, wrongdoer,
lawbreaker, culprit, criminal, miscreant; hooligan, ruffian,
roughneck: The police rounded up six juvenile delinquents and
charged them with rowdyism.

--adj. 2 neglectful, negligent, derelict, remiss, failing,
defaulting: I have been delinquent in my obligations to my
mother. 3 overdue, past due, in arrears, late, unpaid: All
these delinquent accounts should be collected as soon as
possible.

delirious adj. 1 wild, hysterical, distracted, incoherent, rambling,
irrational, raving, ranting, frenzied, frantic, disturbed,
demented, deranged, unhinged, mad, insane, crazy, lunatic: He
is still delirious and doesn't know what he's saying. 2 wild,
excited, crazed, thrilled, ecstatic: She was delirious with joy
that Ken was coming home.


deliver v. 1 carry, bring, convey, distribute, give or hand out;
purvey, take round; cart, transport: Only in a few places in
the world do they still deliver milk to the door. 2 hand over,
give, surrender, cede, yield, make over, relinquish, give up or
over, commit, transfer, turn over, resign: We were forced to
deliver our children to the enemy as hostages. 3 set free,
liberate, enfranchise, extricate, release, save, rescue;
emancipate, manumit, redeem; disencumber, disburden, ransom:
They were delivered from certain death by the arrival of the
helicopter. Modern appliances have delivered millions of women
from the drudgery of housework. 4 give, present, utter, read,
broadcast; proclaim, announce, declare, set forth, communicate,
make known, express, publish, hand over, hand out, promulgate,
pronounce, enunciate: He has to deliver a speech tonight. The

police delivered an ultimatum to the terrorists. 5 give,
administer, inflict, deal, direct, send, launch, impart, throw;
cast, hurl, shoot, discharge, fire: He delivered a blow on the
chin that knocked me out. The ball was delivered with enormous
speed. 6 bring forth, bear, give birth to, bring into the world:
In the next three years, she delivered three more girls. 7
produce, perform, put one's money where one's mouth is: Roger
had better deliver, or we shall have to take drastic measures.


delivery n. 1 distribution, delivering, deliverance, conveyance,
transportation, transport: The strikers have caused delivery of
newspapers to stop. 2 liberation, release, deliverance,
emancipation: His delivery from poverty was still a few years
away. 3 childbirth, parturition; confinement: Many women find
that their second child is an easier delivery. 4 presentation,
performance; utterance, enunciation, articulation,
pronunciation, expression, execution: He is an accomplished
orator, with a spellbinding delivery.


delusion n. 1 deception, trick, stratagem, artifice, ruse, pretence: It
was a snare and a delusion to represent the painting as genuine.
2 false or mistaken impression, fallacy, illusion, mistake,
error, misconception, misbelief, hallucination: He suffers
under the delusion that he is a great pianist.


demand v. 1 require, order, bid, call (for); insist, command: I
demand that you retract that remark! She demanded to know where
he was going. 2 claim, ask (for), require, insist on; exact:
They had paid for tickets and demanded entrance. 3 require,
call for, need, want, necessitate, cry out for: This superb
dish demands an excellent claret. 4 ask (for), inquire or
enquire, request; requisition: We demanded help from the
police.


--n. 5 request, bid, behest, requisition, order, insistence;
outcry: Our demand for service went unheeded. 6 want, need,
requirement, desire; market (demand), marketability; consumer or
customer acceptance: The demand for our products is low at the
moment. 7 in demand. wanted, needed, requested, coveted,
popular, sought after, desired, desirable, Brit in request, US
on request: Bright graduates are always in demand. 8 on
demand. on call, on request, on presentation, when requested or
required; at once, immediately, without delay: These notes are

payable on demand.

demanding adj. 1 difficult, hard, exigent, tough, exacting, trying,
taxing: Edwards is a demanding boss. Diamond cutting is
demanding work. 2 insistent, clamorous, urgent, nagging,
persistent: Your demanding fans want another encore.

democratic
adj. egalitarian, classless; republican, representative,
popular, self-governing, autonomous: The colonists voted for a
democratic form of government.

demolish v. 1 tear or pull down, dismantle, reduce to ruin(s), smash,
pull to pieces, knock down, raze, topple, destroy, level: This
building will have to be demolished to make room for the new
shopping mall. 2 destroy, end, bring to an end, make an end of,
put an end to, devastate, terminate, annihilate, overturn,
overthrow, crush, defeat, refute, disprove, dispose of,
suppress, squelch, quash: With just one phrase he demolished
their entire argument.

demon n. 1 devil, evil spirit, fiend, cacodemon or cacodaemon;
monster, ghoul, ogre, harpy, vampire: Medieval demons are
generally depicted as having horns, hoofs, and tails. 2 fanatic,
fiend, enthusiast, addict, Colloq freak: He's a real speed
demon when he gets onto the motorway.

demonstrable
adj. provable, confirmable, attestable, verifiable; evident,
self-evident, obvious, undeniable, apparent, manifest,
indisputable, unquestionable, positive, certain, conclusive:
The judge showed a demonstrable bias against my client.

demonstrate
v. 1 show, prove, make evident, establish, evince, evidence,
exhibit, manifest: The increase in arrests demonstrates the
efficiency of the police. 2 display, explain, expose, describe,
present; illustrate: The salesman demonstrated the new camera
for us. 3 picket, march, parade, rally, protest: More than
5000 people demonstrated against the fraudulent election.

demonstration
n. 1 proof, evidence, testimony, confirmation, verification,

substantiation; manifestation, exhibition, display,
illustration, indication: I have seen sufficient demonstration
of her ineptitude. 2 presentation, display, show, explanation,
description, clarification, elucidation, exposition, Colloq
demo: The student gave an excellent demonstration of how a
computer works. 3 picketing, march, parade, protest, rally,
sit-in, Colloq Brit demo: There have been numerous
demonstrations against the government's policies.


demonstrative
adj. 1 open, unrestrained, unconstrained, unreserved,
expansive, effusive, emotional, warm, tender, affectionate,
loving: Pat is quite demonstrative, often causing me to blush.
2 illustrative, indicative, representative, probative,
evidential; provable, evident: Her point was proved by several
demonstrative arguments. The hostility of these few is
demonstrative of what to expect of the entire group.

demoralize
v. 1 dispirit, daunt, dishearten, discourage, defeat; weaken,
cripple, enervate, devitalize, depress, subdue, crush: The
party's crushing defeat in the election thoroughly demoralized
its supporters. 2 corrupt, pervert, deprave, vitiate, debase,
debauch: The committee consider him a demoralizing influence
and insist he should resign. 3 bewilder, discomfit, unnerve,
shake (up), confuse, fluster, disconcert, unnerve, perturb,
disturb, upset, Colloq rattle: The demonstrators were
completely demoralized when arrested for loitering.


denial n. 1 contradiction, negation, repudiation, refutation,
disavowal, disclaimer, disaffirmation: Her denials
notwithstanding, she was found guilty. 2 retraction,
recantation, renunciation, withdrawal: The arbitrary denial of
civil rights to some is unconscionable. 3 refusal, rejection,
negation; veto: The boy's persistent denial of authority went
into his record.

denizen n. inhabitant, dweller, occupant, frequenter, resident;
citizen: The depths of the seas harbour some strange denizens.
Carl is a denizen of The Bottle and Glass.

denomination
n. 1 sect, persuasion, school, church, order: He is a member

of the Mormon denomination. 2 sort, kind, type, nature,
variety, unit, size, value; grade, class, genus, species, order,
classification: The kidnappers demanded the ransom money in
used notes of small denomination. 3 designation, appellation,
name, identification, style, title, tag, term; designating,
naming, identifying, styling, classifying, titling, entitling,
tagging, terming, denominating: The denomination of people by
race, creed, colour, or sex is discriminatory.


denote v. 1 indicate, specify, designate, distinguish, signify, mark,
note: Hypothetical linguistic forms are denoted by an asterisk.
2 mean, name, symbolize, represent, betoken: The word mother
denotes 'female parent', but its connotations are far more
extensive.


denounce v. 1 accuse, brand, stigmatize, charge, blame, incriminate,
implicate, complain about: He has been denounced for the
blackguard he is. 2 betray, inform against, report, reveal: He
denounced his own son to the authorities. 3 criticize, condemn,
decry, denunciate, attack, assail, censure, impugn, declaim or
rail (against), vituperate, revile, vilify, inveigh against;
ridicule, (hold up to) shame, pillory, (heap) scorn (upon), cast
a slur on: The playwright was denounced as a neo-Nazi.


dense adj. 1 compact, thick, compressed, condensed, close, solid,
heavy, impenetrable: The fox escaped into a dense thicket. 2
crowded, packed, tight, impenetrable, impassable: There was a
dense crowd blocking the exit. 3 stupid, slow, slow-witted,
thickheaded, dull, thick-witted, obtuse, stolid, dim,
dim-witted, foolish, Colloq thick, dumb: He may be a gifted
artist but he is dense when it comes to money matters.

deny v. 1 contradict, gainsay, refute, controvert, disaffirm,
disclaim, confute, negate, dispute: She denies ever having met
the defendant. 2 reject, refuse, withhold, forbid, turn down,
decline, disallow; recall, revoke, recant: He asserts that his
right to counsel was denied. 3 disavow, repudiate, renounce,
disown, forswear, disclaim: The witch-doctor demanded
sacrifices, saying that the angry gods would not be denied.


depart v. 1 go, go away or out or from or off, leave, quit, retire
(from), retreat (from), withdraw (from), exit (from), set out or
forth or off, decamp, abscond, fly, cut and run, skip (out), run

off or away or out, take to the road, take one's leave, check
out, disappear, vanish, evaporate, Jocular toddle off,
Imperative Begone!, Colloq beat it, scram, shove off, make
oneself scarce, Brit scarper, US hit the road, be out of
(someplace), Slang split, Imperative get lost, US cut (on) out,
vamoose, take a (run-out) powder, lam (on) out, take it on the
lam, Brit do a moonlight flit, Usually imperative bugger off,
buzz off , Taboo, imperative fuck off: Our bags are packed and
we depart at noon. 2 Often, depart from. deviate (from),
change, diverge (from), turn (aside or away) (from), differ
(from), vary (from), break away (from), leave, abandon, stray
(from), veer (from): She refused to depart from established
practices.


department
n. 1 division, subdivision, branch, office, bureau, section,
segment, unit, part: Some departments are in another building.
2 responsibility, concern, worry, sphere, bailiwick,
jurisdiction, domain, control, area or sphere of influence or
activity: He was only responsible for the launch of the
missiles - where they came down was not his department.

depend v. 1 depend (on or upon). be contingent or dependent or
conditional on, turn on, hinge on, pivot on, hang on, be subject
to, rest on, be influenced or determined or conditioned by: The
plans for our picnic depend on the weather. 2 depend on or
upon. trust (in), rely on, count on, reckon on, bank on, be sure
of, put one's faith or trust in: I knew we could depend on you,
Giles, to do the right thing.


deplorable
adj. 1 lamentable, regrettable, sad, woeful, grievous,
wretched, miserable, unfortunate, awful, distressing,
disturbing, troubling, upsetting, grave, serious, oppressive,
difficult, desperate, hopeless, tragic, disastrous: Orphaned at
six, he had a deplorable childhood. 2 shameful, disgraceful,
scandalous, disreputable, awful, bad, appalling, dreadful,
abominable, execrable, terrible, reprehensible: What did you
think of Annie's deplorable behaviour at last week's dance?
That's a deplorable painting.

deposit v. 1 place, leave, set or put or lay (down), drop, Colloq US
plunk down: You are requested to deposit litter in the bin. 2

entrust, leave, lodge, consign, keep, place, put; store, save,
set aside, bank, lay or put away, Brit pay in, Colloq stash
away: Each morning she deposits the children at the day nursery
and goes to work. He deposits money every week in a pension
fund.

--n. 3 down payment, part or partial payment, advance payment:
A small deposit will hold your purchase until you are ready to
pay for it in full. 4 precipitate, sediment, silt, alluvium,
dregs, lees, accumulation, deposition: There is a dark deposit
at the bottom of the coffee-pot.

depreciate
v. 1 devalue, devaluate, decrease, diminish, lessen, reduce,
lower, depress, cheapen, mark down: The abundant harvest has
depreciated the price of commodities. 2 disparage, diminish,
deride, decry, underrate, undervalue, underestimate, minimize,
belittle, slight, derogate, deprecate, discredit, denigrate, run
down, vilipend, Colloq play down, US talk down: When he
depreciates another's work he adds nothing to the value of his
own.

depredation
n. plunder, plundering, pillage, pillaging, despoliation,
despoiling, ravaging, sacking, laying waste, devastation,
destruction; ransacking, robbery, looting; ravages: The
depredation caused by ten years of war is unimaginable.

depress v. 1 deject, dispirit, oppress, sadden, grieve, cast down,
dishearten, discourage, dampen, cast a gloom or pall over,
burden, weigh down: He's very depressed right now because he
failed to get a promotion. 2 weaken, dull, debilitate,
enervate, sap; depreciate, cheapen, devalue, devaluate;
diminish, lower, bring down, reduce: The news about a new oil
field depressed the market today. 3 press (down), push (down)
(on), lower: If the pressure gets too high, just depress this
lever.

depression
n. 1 indentation, dent, dimple, impression, pit, hollow,
recess, cavity, concavity, dip: When the box fell, its corner
left a small depression in the top of the metal cabinet. 2
dejection, despair, gloom, downheartedness, sadness, melancholy,

discouragement, despondency, gloominess, glumness, the blues,
unhappiness; Colloq the dumps: A general feeling of depression
came over us at the doctor's words. 3 recession, slump,
(economic) decline, downturn, US and Canadian bust: The
analysts are unable to predict accurately either booms or
depressions.

deprive v. withhold, deny, refuse; withdraw, remove, strip, dispossess,
take away, expropriate, divest; mulct: They deprived him of the
right to have visitors.

deprived adj. needy, in want, in need, impoverished, badly off,
destitute, poor, poverty-stricken, Euphemistic underprivileged,
disadvantaged: As a deprived family, they are entitled to a
number of benefits.

depth n. 1 deepness, extent, measure, profundity, profoundness: The
depth of the cavern was at least three miles. 2 profundity,
profoundness, abstruseness, obscurity, reconditeness,
complexity, intricacy: There is great depth of meaning in many
proverbs. 3 profundity, wisdom, sagacity, sageness,
understanding, perception, astuteness, perspicacity,
perspicaciousness, insight, intuition, acumen, penetration: One
would scarcely characterize Mickey Mouse as possessed of great
depth. 4 intensity, profundity, strength; vividness, brilliance,
brilliancy, brightness, richness: It is hard for me to express
the depth of my feeling for you. The depth of colour is much
better in this picture. 5 depths. deep(s), abyss, abysm, chasm,
bowels of the earth, (bottomless) pit, nethermost reaches or
regions, nadir: As we descended into the depths the temperature
increased. She is in the depths of despair and needs your moral
support. 6 in depth. thoroughly, comprehensively, in detail,
profoundly, deeply, extensively, intensively, concentratedly,
probingly: The specialists have looked into the problem in
depth and have no answer yet.

deputy n. substitute, replacement, surrogate, stand-in, reserve,
proxy; agent, operative, representative, go-between,
intermediary, spokesperson, spokesman, spokeswoman, delegate,
ambassador, minister, emissary, envoy, legate, (papal) nuncio;
Chiefly US alternate: She excused herself from the meeting,
leaving her deputy in charge.

deranged adj. mad, insane, demented, lunatic, unhinged, unbalanced,
berserk, crazy, crazed, psychotic, irrational, non compos
mentis, out of one's mind or senses or head, not all there, of
unsound mind, crack-brained, mad as a hatter or March hare, off
the rails, Colloq touched, dotty, daft, cracked, bats, cuckoo,
Brit potty, US have nobody home (upstairs), out to lunch,
off-the-wall; Slang bonkers, dippy, barmy or balmy, batty,
screwy, loony, nuts, nutty, wacky, bananas, off one's rocker,
off one's trolley, mental, missing a few marbles, not having all
one's marbles, kooky, with a screw loose, Chiefly Brit off one's
chump, Chiefly US (plumb) loco, meshuga: Police said that the
killer was completely deranged and should be approached with
caution.


derelict adj. 1 deserted, abandoned, forsaken, neglected; ruined,
dilapidated, run-down, tumbledown: The council has a scheme for
the renovation of derelict buildings in the inner city. 2
negligent, remiss, neglectful, delinquent, dilatory, careless,
heedless, lax, slack, irresponsible, slipshod, slovenly, Colloq
sloppy: He was accused of having been derelict in his duty.

--n. 3 vagrant, tramp, outcast, pariah, loafer, wastrel,
good-for-nothing, ne'er-do-well, malingerer, vagabond, slacker,
down-and-out, US and Canadian hobo, Colloq US bum: Because of
alcohol, he ended up as a derelict.

deride v. mock, ridicule, scoff (at), jeer (at), laugh (at), make fun
or sport (of), tease, taunt, twit, poke fun (at), make a
laughing-stock (of), sneer (at), scorn, flout, disdain,
pooh-pooh, belittle, diminish, disparage, laugh off, Brit rally,
Colloq knock, Brit take the mickey or micky out of: His
classmates had always derided his attempts at getting anywhere
with the girls.


derision n. ridicule, mockery, raillery, laughter, sarcasm, scoffing,
contempt, scorn, contumely, disrespect; satire, lampoon,
pasquinade, burlesque, caricature, travesty: Her suggestion was
greeted with derision.


derisory adj. mocking, ridiculing, scornful, derisive, disdainful,
contemptuous, taunting, insulting, contumelious, jeering;
sardonic, sarcastic, ironic(al), satirical: He felt crushed by
their derisory laughter.


derivation
n. origin, descent, extraction, source, beginning, foundation,
ancestry, genealogy, etymology, root: The derivations of many
words are unknown.

derivative
adj. 1 derived, borrowed, procured, obtained, acquired;
unoriginal, second-hand, copied, imitative, plagiarized,
plagiaristic: He created nothing of his own - all his
compositions were highly derivative.

--n. 2 derivation, offshoot, development, spin-off, by-product:
French, Italian, and other Romance languages are derivatives
from Latin.

derive v. 1 draw, extract, get, obtain, acquire, procure, receive,
secure, gain, elicit, deduce, educe, infer, gather, collect,
harvest, glean, cull, winnow: I derive no pleasure from
punishing you. I derived from her remark that she didn't like
the play. 2 derive from. arise from or out of, originate in or
with or from, emerge from or out of, come (forth) from or out
of, arrive from, issue from, proceed from, develop from, spring
from, flow from, emanate from, stem from, be traceable or traced
to: The word delicate derives from Latin. All our knowledge is
derived from experience.

derogatory
adj. depreciatory, depreciating, depreciative, disparaging,
abasing, debasing, lowering, denigrating, belittling,
diminishing, demeaning, detracting, deflating, minimizing,
mitigating; uncomplimentary, offensive, insulting: The family
took a somewhat derogatory attitude towards commerce. He said
something derogatory about my wife, so I punched him.


descend v. 1 come or go down, move down, climb down, get down: The sun
was setting as he descended from the mountain. 2 decline,
incline (downwards), slope, slant, dip, drop, fall, plunge,
plummet: Beyond the curve, the road descends suddenly for a
mile. 3 stoop, condescend, sink, lower oneself: If you start
shouting, you're just descending to Basil's level. 4 descend
on. attack, assault, invade, pounce on or upon, swoop down on or
upon: Fighter planes descended in droves and destroyed the base

entirely.

descendant
n. offspring, progeny, issue, heir, posterity, family; child,
son, daughter, grandchild, scion; offshoot: They claim to be
descendants of Tsar Nicholas.

describe v. 1 tell (of), recount, relate, give an account (of), narrate,
recite, report, chronicle; retail: He described his adventures
in Rio. 2 detail, define, explain, specify, delineate: Please
describe exactly where you found the body. 3 characterize,
portray, paint, depict, identify, label, style; represent: I
would describe her as careless rather than uncaring. 4 trace,
mark out, outline, traverse, draw: The trail of the comet
described a perfect arc in the black sky.

description
n. 1 portrayal, characterization, depiction, (thumbnail)
sketch, portrait: Her description of her boss was far from
flattering. 2 account, narrative, story, report,
representation, statement, definition; explanation, commentary;
chronicle, history, record, narration; memoir: I want your
detailed description of what led up to the argument. 3 sort,
kind, nature, character, type, variety, brand, breed, species,
category, genus, ilk, genre, class; stripe, kidney, feather:
Carstairs is a rou‚ of the worst description.

desecrate v. profane, defile, blaspheme (against), dishonour, degrade,
debase, befoul, contaminate, pollute, corrupt, violate, pervert,
vitiate: Vandals desecrated the temple of Minerva.

desertฐ n. 1 waste, wilderness, wasteland, dust bowl: The nearest
oasis was fifty miles away across the desert.


--adj. 2 barren, desolate, uninhabited, unpeopled, lonely,
deserted; arid, bare, vacant, empty, wild, uncultivated: I was
marooned on a desert island.

--v. 3 forsake, leave, abandon; jilt, throw over; maroon,
strand, leave to twist (slowly) in the wind; Colloq run or walk
out on, leave flat or in the lurch, leave high and dry: His
courage deserted him when he saw the child's eyes. He has
deserted his wife for some floozie. 4 abscond, quit, run away

(from), defect, abandon; Military slang go over the hill: He
deserted and will be court-martialled.

desert n. Often, deserts. payment, recompense, requital, compensation,
due, right; retribution, justice, Slang comeuppance, what's
coming to one: She'll get her just deserts one of these days.

deserted adj. abandoned, desolate, forsaken, neglected, uninhabited,
unpeopled, vacant, vacated, unfrequented, unvisited, unoccupied,
empty; stranded, rejected, God-forsaken, isolated, solitary,
lonely, friendless: At that hour the streets are completely
deserted.

deserter n. runaway, fugitive, escapee, absconder, defector, renegade,
outlaw; traitor, turncoat, Colloq rat: Deserters are shot when
caught.

deserve v. merit, earn, be entitled to, be worthy of, rate, warrant,
justify: You ought to be nicer to him - he really doesn't
deserve such unkind treatment.

deserved adj. merited, earned, just, rightful, suitable, fitting, fit,
appropriate, proper, right, fair, equitable, meet, warranted,
condign: Carla was never given her deserved credit for catching
the thief.

deserving adj. meritorious, worthy, merited, commendable, laudable,
praiseworthy, creditable, estimable: Perhaps you should leave
your money to a deserving charity.


design v. 1 plan, draw up, think of, conceive of, contemplate, devise,
lay out, visualize, envisage, envision, sketch (out), pattern,
set up: The building was originally designed as the
centre-piece for a whole new development. 2 plan, sketch (out),
delineate, outline, draft, work or map or block out, lay out,
devise, invent, contrive, create, conceive, originate, think up,
develop, organize, frame, shape, mould, forge, make, construct,
form, fashion: John Smithers has designed a new sales strategy
for the company. 3 sketch, draft, lay out, draw; form, devise:
Who designed the company's new logo? 4 intend, mean, plan;
purpose, destine; scheme, plot: The building was originally
designed to be a school. The book was designed for children.

--n. 5 plan, scheme, conception, study, project, proposal,
undertaking, enterprise; blueprint, pattern, chart, diagram,
layout, map, drawing, draft, sketch, model, prototype: The
grand design for rebuilding the city was not approved. 6 form,
shape, configuration, pattern, style, motif, format, layout,
make-up, delineation, arrangement, organization, composition,
structure, construction: I don't much care for her new design
of my monogram. 7 aim, purpose, intention, objective, object,
goal, point, target, intent: My design had been to go at once
to London. 8 designs. plot, intrigue, stratagem, cabal,
conspiracy, conniving, manipulation, connivance, evil intent or
intentions: His designs against me have borne bitter fruit.

designate v. 1 indicate, specify, pinpoint, particularize, delineate,
point out, identify, state, set forth, write or put down, name:
You should designate your heirs in your will. 2 appoint,
nominate, name, identify, denominate, select, pick, choose,
elect, assign, appropriate, delegate, depute: She has not yet
designated her successor. 3 mean, stand for, symbolize, denote,
represent: The Greek letter pi designates the ratio of the
circumference of a circle to its diameter. 4 call, name, style,
term, label, christen, dub, nickname, entitle: Elvis was
publicly designated 'The King of Rock 'n' Roll'.


designer n. 1 creator, originator, architect, artificer, author,
deviser, inventor; (interior) decorator, artist; draughtsman:
Raymond Loewy was a designer of locomotives and fountain pens.
Lady Mendl was the best-known interior designer of the 1920s. 2
intriguer, schemer, conniver, plotter, conspirator: He is a
cunning designer who has wormed his way into favour with the
management.

designing adj. scheming, plotting, conniving, conspiring, intriguing,
calculating, wily, tricky, cunning, sly, underhand(ed), crafty,
artful, shrewd, Machiavellian, guileful, deceitful,
double-dealing, devious, treacherous, Colloq crooked: The
prince has fallen prey to designing courtiers.

desirable adj. 1 sought-after, wanted, coveted, longed-for, looked-for,
desired: Few things are more desirable than security in old
age. 2 attractive, pleasant, pleasing, agreeable, winning,
winsome, captivating, seductive, alluring, fetching: Their
daughter had grown up into a most desirable young lady. 3 good,

goodly, excellent, choice, fine, superior, superb, Colloq Brit
plummy: The company has produced some very desirable motor
cars. 4 profitable, worthwhile, beneficial, advantageous,
valuable, worthy, estimable, commendable, admirable: Lady
Chelm's plan possesses many desirable attributes.

desire v. 1 crave, want, fancy, covet, wish for, hope for, long or
yearn for, pine or sigh for, hanker after, have an eye or taste
for, hunger or thirst for or after, die for, have one's heart
set on, give one's eye-teeth for, Colloq have a yen for, Slang
US have the hots for: I desire nothing but your happiness. He
desired her more than anything else in the world. 2 ask for,
request, order, demand, solicit, importune, summon, require: Do
you desire anything further, sir?


--n. 3 longing, craving, yearning, hankering, hunger, thirst,
appetite; passion, lust, libido, lustfulness, concupiscence,
lecherousness, lechery, lasciviousness, salaciousness,
prurience, Slang hot pants, US the hots; Colloq yen: He felt
desire rising in him like a fever. 4 wish, request, urge,
requirement, order, requisition, demand, desideratum; appeal,
entreaty, petition: He fulfils her every desire.

desirous adj. wishful, desiring, longing, yearning, hopeful, hoping: I
was desirous to learn more about his whereabouts.

desolate adj. 1 solitary, lonely, isolated, deserted, forlorn, forsaken,
friendless, alone, abandoned, neglected; desert, uninhabited,
empty, unfrequented, bare, barren, bleak, remote: He felt
desolate after his wife's death. Tristan da Cunha is a group of
four desolate islands in the Atlantic. 2 laid waste, ruined,
devastated, ravaged, destroyed: The explosion left the
surrounding countryside desolate. 3 dreary, dismal, wretched,
joyless, cheerless, comfortless, miserable, unhappy, down,
disconsolate, sad, melancholy, sorrowful, forlorn, mournful,
woebegone, gloomy, broken-hearted, heavy-hearted, inconsolable,
dejected, downcast, downhearted, dispirited, low-spirited,
depressed, melancholy, spiritless, despondent, dismal,
distressed, discouraged, hopeless: He has brought some
happiness into her desolate existence.

--v. 4 depopulate: The country was desolated by famine. 5
destroy, devastate, ruin, lay waste, despoil, ravage, demolish,

obliterate, annihilate, raze, gut: Invaders desolated the
countryside. 6 dismay, dishearten, depress, daunt, dispirit,
sadden, deject, dispirit, discourage: He was either buoyed up
by renewed hope or desolated by despair.


desolation
n. 1 destruction, ruin, devastation, waste, spoliation,
despoliation, sack, depredation, extirpation, obliteration,
ravagement, barrenness, havoc, chaos: We had to shape a new
life from the desolation left by the war. 2 grief, sorrow,
dreariness, despair, gloom, distress, melancholy, sadness,
misery, woe, anguish, wretchedness, dolour, dolefulness,
unhappiness: She felt the desolation of loneliness after her
husband's death.


despair n. 1 hopelessness, desperation, discouragement, disheartenment,
despondency, dejection, depression, gloom, gloominess, misery,
melancholy, wretchedness, distress, miserableness, anguish;
resignation: The despair of the prisoners was evident in their
ravaged faces.

--v. 2 give up or lose hope; surrender, quit: We despaired of
ever seeing our children again.


desperate adj. 1 reckless, foolhardy, rash, impetuous, frantic, frenzied,
panic-stricken: Desperate measures are required in such a
desperate situation. 2 careless, hasty, devil-may-care, wild,
mad, frenetic, furious: They made a last desperate attack on
the fort. 3 anxious (for), craving, hungry (for), thirsty
(for), needful (of), desirous (of), covetous (of), eager (for),
longing or yearning (for), wishing (for), hoping (for), aching
(for), pining (for): She is desperate for attention. 4 urgent,
pressing, compelling, serious, grave, acute, critical, crucial,
great: There is a desperate need for medicines at the disaster
site. 5 precarious, perilous, life-threatening, hazardous,
dangerous, tenuous, hopeless, beyond hope or help: Avalanches
are making the climbers' situation even more desperate. 6 at
one's wits' end, forlorn, despairing, despondent, wretched, at
the end of one's tether, frantic: With no one to turn to for
help, he was truly desperate.

desperation
n. 1 recklessness, impetuosity, rashness, foolhardiness,

imprudence, heedlessness: Penniless and half-starved, he was
driven to desperation and stole a loaf of bread. 2 despair,
anxiety, anguish, anxiousness, despondency, depression,
dejection, discouragement, defeatism, pessimism, hopelessness,
distress, misery, melancholy, wretchedness, gloom, sorrow: In a
final act of desperation, he attempted suicide.

despicable
adj. contemptible, below or beneath or beyond contempt or scorn
or disdain, mean, detestable, base, low, scurvy, vile, sordid,
wretched, miserable, ignoble, ignominious, shabby; shameful,
shameless, reprehensible: He is a thoroughly despicable person
and you should have nothing more to do with him.


despise v. disdain, scorn, look down on or upon, be contemptuous of,
sneer at, spurn, contemn; hate, loathe, detest, abhor: She
despised her servants and treated them badly. He despised anyone
who had not been to university.


despite prep. in spite of, notwithstanding, undeterred by, regardless
of, in the face or teeth of, in defiance of, without
considering, without thought or consideration or regard for,
ignoring: We went sailing despite the fact that gales had been
forecast.


despondent
adj. dejected, sad, sorrowful, unhappy, melancholy, blue,
depressed, down, downcast, downhearted, low, morose, miserable,
disheartened, discouraged, dispirited, low-spirited, down in the
mouth, Colloq down in the dumps: He's been despondent since she
went away.

despot n. absolute ruler, dictator, tyrant, oppressor, autocrat:
History has painted Ivan the Terrible as one of the cruellest
despots of all time.

despotic adj. dictatorial, tyrannical, oppressive, authoritarian,
imperious, domineering, totalitarian, absolute, autocratic,
arbitrary: The country was under the despotic rule of a callous
tyrant.

despotism n. autocracy, monocracy, autarchy, totalitarianism, absolutism,
dictatorship, tyranny, oppression, suppression, repression: She

denounced the new laws as another instance of the brutal
despotism of the regime.

dessert n. sweet, Brit pudding, Colloq Brit pud, afters: For dessert,
I had ice-cream and she had a fruit tart.

destination
n. journey's end, terminus, stop, stopping-place; goal, end,
objective, target: Our destination is Bristol.


destine v. 1 fate, predetermine, predestine, ordain, foreordain,
preordain; doom: His only ambition was to be a successful
farmer, but the gods destined him for greater things. 2 design,
intend, mean, devote, assign, appoint, designate, purpose, mark,
earmark, set aside: He beheld the chariot destined to carry him
heavenwards.

destined adj. 1 meant, intended, designed, predetermined, foreordained,
predestined, fated; doomed, written; US in the cards: His
destined end was to be shot while escaping. Oliver was destined
to fail at everything he tried. It was destined that the boy
would become king. 2 certain, sure, bound, ineluctable,
unavoidable, inevitable, inescapable: Being devoured by
monsters is the destined demise of all who dare to enter there.


destiny n. fate, doom, fortune, lot, kismet, karma: It is my destiny
to be ignored when living and forgotten when dead.

destitute adj. 1 in want, impoverished, poverty-stricken, poor, indigent,
down and out, needy, on one's uppers, badly off, penniless,
penurious, impecunious, insolvent, bankrupt, Colloq hard up,
broke, US on skid row: Why distribute food to destitute
families only at Christmas? 2 Usually, destitute of. bereft of,
deficient in, deprived of, devoid of, lacking (in), wanting
(in), in need, needful (of), without: The landscape was
entirely destitute of trees.

destroy v. 1 demolish, tear or pull down, raze, wipe out, ravage,
wreck, smash, ruin, break up or down, annihilate, crush,
eradicate, extirpate, exterminate, devastate, commit mayhem, lay
waste, vandalize, Slang US trash: The invading hordes destroyed
everything, leaving desolation in their wake. The storm
destroyed fifty houses. 2 ruin, do away with, end, make an end

of, bring to an end, bring or put an end to, terminate, finish,
kill: Realizing what he had done, he destroyed himself. The
trial destroyed his career. 3 counteract, neutralize, nullify,
annul, cancel (out), reverse; stop, interfere with: Caught
embezzling, Martin destroyed everything he had worked for.
Sunspot activity destroyed radio transmission this week. 4
disprove, refute, confute, deny, contradict, negate, overturn,
overthrow, ruin, spoil, undermine, weaken, enfeeble, devitalize,
exhaust, disable, cripple: By pointing out just one flaw, she
destroyed his entire argument.

destruction
n. 1 demolition, razing, wrecking, ruin, ruining, ruination,
breaking up or down, mayhem, havoc, annihilation, devastation,
tearing or knocking down, laying waste, ravagement; rack and
ruin, Colloq wiping out: The destruction of the city took place
in 1942. 2 slaughter, annihilation, killing, eradication,
murder, extermination, holocaust, liquidation, massacre,
extinction, genocide, assassination, slaying, putting to death,
putting an end to, making an end of, doing away with, putting
away, Colloq doing in, wiping out; Slang US rubbing out,
rub-out: They were bent on the destruction of an entire people.
3 undoing, end, ruin, ruination, downfall, termination, breakup,
breakdown, collapse: The imprisonment of the bosses spelt the
destruction of the entire crime network.

destructive
adj. 1 harmful, injurious, baneful, pernicious, dangerous,
hurtful, toxic, poisonous, virulent, noxious, bad, malignant,
baleful, unwholesome, damaging, detrimental, deleterious,
devastating; deadly, fatal, lethal, fell, killing, internecine:
The spray keeps away insects but is destructive of the plant
life. 2 negative, adverse, opposing, opposed, contrary,
contradictory, antithetical, conflicting, unfavourable,
condemnatory, derogatory, disparaging, disapproving, critical:
The playwrights feared and disliked him because of his
destructive criticism.

desultory adj. shifting, devious, unsteady, irregular, wavering,
inconstant, fitful, spasmodic, unmethodical, disconnected,
unsystematic, disorderly, disordered, unorganized, disorganized,
inconsistent, random, haphazard, chaotic, erratic, shifty: He
made no more than a desultory effort to stop smoking. The

countries engaged in intermittent, desultory warfare for
decades.

detach v. separate, uncouple, part, disjoin, disengage, disunite,
disconnect, disentangle, free, unfasten, undo, cut off, remove:
She carefully detached the printer lead from the back of the
computer.

detached adj. 1 disconnected, unattached, separate(d), free, isolated,
disentangled, unfastened, removed, cut off, divided, disjoined:
He suffered from a detached retina. Their new house is detached.
2 disinterested, aloof, uninvolved, unemotional, dispassionate,
d‚gag‚(e), reserved, impersonal, impartial, neutral, objective,
unbiased, unprejudiced: She seemed rather detached and did not
get involved in the discussion.

detachment
n. 1 separating, unfastening, disconnecting, detaching,
disengaging; separation, disconnection, disengagement: Most
young birds cannot survive a prolonged period of detachment from
their parents. 2 aloofness, unconcern, indifference, coolness,
inattention, insouciance: He viewed the carnage of the battle
with regal detachment. 3 See detail, 3, below.


detail n. 1 particular, element, factor, point, fact, specific,
technicality, component, item, feature; aspect, respect, count:
He gave us a general idea of the plan but not a single detail.
2 details. particulars, minutiae, niceties, fine points,
specifics, technicalities: Must we go into all the details of
his dismissal? 3 detachment, squad, party, cadre, duty,
fatigue, group: The sergeant appointed a detail to police the
area. 4 in detail. specifically, particularly, thoroughly, in
depth, item by item, point by point, exhaustively,
comprehensively, inside out, perfectly: We examined the report
in detail.

--v. 5 specify, spell out, itemize, delineate, catalogue, list,
tabulate, enumerate, particularize, recount, cite (chapter and
verse): She detailed every little move I was to make. 6
assign, appoint, charge, delegate, name, specify, send: We have
been detailed to act as your bodyguard during your visit.

detailed adj. 1 itemized, exhaustive, comprehensive, thorough, full,

complete, inclusive, particularized, precise, exact, minute,
blow-by-blow, circumstantial: He kept a detailed report of
everything that happened on D-Day. 2 intricate, complex,
complicated, elaborate, ornate: Note the detailed scrollwork on
this screen.

detect v. 1 uncover, find (out), discover, locate, learn of,
ascertain, determine, dig up, unearth: The pathologist detected
the presence of prussic acid in the victim's bloodstream. 2
perceive, note, notice, identify, spot, observe, sense, read,
scent, smell, discern, feel, catch, find: Did I detect a tone
of sarcasm in your reply, young man?

detective n. investigator, private investigator, CID man, policeman,
constable, Colloq private eye, sleuth, Sherlock, snoop, snooper,
Brit tec, US P.I., dick, Hawkshaw; Slang cop, copper, US and
Canadian gumshoe, peeper: Detectives have at last solved the
case of the missing weapon.


detention n. custody, confinement, imprisonment, captivity, internment,
incarceration, restraint, Archaic or literary durance: The
culprit was kept in detention for a week.

deter v. dissuade, discourage, inhibit, intimidate, daunt, frighten
off or from or away, scare off or from; prevent, stop, obstruct,
check, hinder, impede: I was deterred from entering by three
large dogs. Regular spraying of plants helps to deter aphid
infestation.


detergent n. 1 cleaner, cleanser, soap (powder or flakes or liquid);
surfactant, surface-active agent, detersive: You put too much
detergent into the washing machine and it overflowed.

--adj. 2 cleaning, cleansing, washing, purifying, detersive:
The detergent effect is reduced if too much soap is used.

deteriorate
v. 1 worsen, decline, degenerate, degrade, spoil, worsen, get
worse, depreciate, slip, slide, Colloq go to pot, go to the
dogs, go downhill: We have watched their relationship
deteriorate over the years. 2 decay, decline, disintegrate,
fall apart, decompose, crumble, erode: The building slowly
deteriorated and is now uninhabitable.


determination
n. 1 resoluteness, resolution, firmness, resolve,
steadfastness, tenacity, perseverance, fortitude, doggedness,
persistence, constancy, single-mindedness, will (power), Colloq
grit, guts: The idea is a good one, if only she has the
determination to see it through. 2 settlement, resolution,
resolving, decision, solution, judgement, verdict, outcome,
result, upshot, conclusion, end, termination: None of us could
live in peace till the determination of the border dispute. 3
fixing, settling, ascertainment, ascertaining, delimitation,
definition: The determination of our position is critical in
setting our course.


determine v. 1 settle, decide, clinch, arbitrate, judge, adjudge,
conclude, terminate, end: The ambiguity must be determined one
way or the other. 2 ascertain, find out, discover, conclude,
infer, draw, learn, detect; verify: From the evidence, they
determined the identity of the intruder. 3 decide, choose,
select, resolve, make up one's mind, settle on or upon, fix on
or upon: You alone can determine which candidate you want to
vote for. 4 affect, influence, act on, shape, condition,
govern, regulate, dictate: There were many factors determining
my choice.


determined
adj. 1 decided, resolute, resolved, purposeful, dogged,
strong-willed, strong-minded, single-minded, tenacious, intent,
firm, unflinching, unwavering, fixed, constant, persistent,
persevering, steady, unfaltering, unhesitating, unyielding,
stubborn, obstinate, adamant: He was determined not to go. We
made a determined effort to locate the wreck. 2 fixed,
determinate, definite, exact, precise, distinct, predetermined,
ascertained, identified: They worked to a previously determined
plan. They agreed to pay a percentage of the determined price.

deterrent n. hindrance, impediment, discouragement, disincentive,
dissuasion, check, hitch, obstacle, obstruction,
stumbling-block; catch, snag, rub, fly in the ointment, bar,
drawback: Some experts hold that the death penalty is no
deterrent to murder. The only deterrent to your plan is that we
are likely to be caught.

detest v. despise, loathe, hate, abhor, execrate, abominate: They
served turnips, which I detest, and sat me next to Ida, whom I
also detest.


detour n. 1 diversion, deviation, circuitous route or way, roundabout
way, bypass: The detour took us five miles out of our way.

--v. 2 deviate, turn (away) from, divert, bypass: I detoured
from the main road and took a short cut.


detract v. detract from. diminish, reduce, take away from, subtract
from, lessen, depreciate, disparage: Once you are in the public
eye, your slightest fault detracts from your reputation.


detriment n. disadvantage, drawback, liability; damage, harm, ill,
impairment, injury, hurt, loss: He has a tendency to support
lost causes, to his own detriment. Seeds survive without
detriment where their plants would perish.


detrimental
adj. disadvantageous, harmful, injurious, hurtful, damaging,
deleterious, destructive, prejudicial, adverse, unfavourable,
inimical, pernicious: I know nothing detrimental about either
one of them.


devastate v. 1 lay waste, ravage, destroy, waste, sack, raze, ruin,
desolate, spoil, wreck, demolish, level, flatten, gut,
obliterate: The island was completely devastated by the tidal
wave that followed the typhoon. 2 disconcert, confound,
discomfit, take aback, nonplus, shatter, overwhelm, abash,
shock; humiliate, mortify, embarrass, chagrin, Colloq floor, US
discombobulate: She was devastated by the news of Bertie's
expulsion from college.


devastating
adj. 1 keen, incisive, mordant, penetrating, trenchant,
telling; sardonic, sarcastic, bitter, acid, caustic, savage,
satirical, virulent, vitriolic: Because of his bland manner,
his devastating wit often caught people by surprise. 2
ravishing, captivating, enthralling, stunning, overpowering,
bewitching, spellbinding; spectacular: Kathy was wearing a
devastating black silk dress.

develop v. 1 bring out or forth, advance, expand (on or upon), broaden,
enlarge (on or upon), amplify, evolve, expatiate (on or upon),
elaborate (on or upon), reveal, lay open, expose, unfold,
disclose, bare, (cause to) grow, realize the potential (of);
cultivate, improve, promote, exploit, strengthen: The plot is
fine, but the characters need to be developed more fully. It is
the aim of the school to develop the students' natural
abilities. 2 (make) grow, mature, ripen, age, expand; flower,
blossom, bloom, increase: You can't develop that idea without
financial backing. These shrubs will be fully developed next
year. 3 exhibit, display, show, demonstrate, manifest: She has
recently developed an interest in cooking. 4 emerge, arise,
appear, come out, come to light, evolve, originate, begin,
commence, happen, occur, come about; come forth, result: A
serious fault has developed in the rocket's fuel line. His
natural talent for music developed when he joined the school
band.

development
n. 1 occurrence, happening, event, incident, circumstance,
situation, condition, phenomenon: William Nye will report new
developments from the scene. 2 evolution, growth, evolvement,
maturation, unfolding, maturing, maturity, increase, expansion,
enlargement, increment; advance, advancement, progress;
improvement: She has studied the region's economic development.

deviant adj. 1 deviating, divergent, different, abnormal, strange,
uncommon, unusual, odd, peculiar, curious, aberrant, eccentric,
idiosyncratic, deviate, queer, quirky, weird, bizarre, offbeat,
singular, Slang kinky, freaky, Chiefly Brit bent: They have
been observing his deviant behaviour for some time. 2 See
homosexual, 2, below.

--n. 3 See homosexual, 1, below.


deviate v. 1 turn aside or away, swerve, veer, wander, stray, drift,
digress, diverge; divert: He has chosen a path that deviates
from the straight and narrow.


--adj., n. 2 See deviant, 1, 3, above.

device n. 1 contrivance, mechanism, machine, machinery, implement,
utensil, apparatus, instrument, appliance, tool, gadget,

gimmick, Colloq contraption, widget, thingumajig or thingamajig,
Brit gubbins: She has patented a device for peeling hard-boiled
eggs. 2 stratagem, scheme, trick, artifice, ruse, plot, ploy,
gambit, strategy, manoeuvre, machination; machinery, apparatus,
mechanism, contrivance, gimmick, tool, weapon: They resorted to
a variety of devices in order to achieve their ends. That lawyer
used every device he could think of to separate Cornelia from
her inheritance. 3 design, emblem, figure, (heraldic) bearing,
insigne, cadency mark, mark of cadency, hallmark, trade mark,
symbol, badge, coat of arms, seal, crest, colophon, logotype,
logo, monogram, charge, cognizance, signet; motto, slogan,
legend: The device - a closed eye - is that of Lord Boring. 4
devices. pleasure, disposition, will, inclination, fancy,
desire, whim: Left to his own devices, he'll survive very well
indeed.

devil n. 1 Satan, Lucifer, Mephistopheles, Beelzebub, Asmodeus,
Abaddon, Apollyon, Belial, Lord of the Flies, prince of
darkness, spirit of evil, evil spirit, cacodemon or cacodaemon,
evil one, wicked one, archfiend, Fiend, deuce, Scots Clootie;
Colloq Old Harry, (Old) Nick, US (Old) Scratch: In medieval
times the devil was given horns, a tail, and cloven hooves. 2
brute, fiend, demon, beast, ogre, monster, rogue, scoundrel,
rake, knave, rakehell, villain, ghoul, hell-hound, vampire,
barbarian; witch, hell-cat, shrew, termagant, vixen, virago,
ogress, harpy, hag, Xanthippe or Xantippe, crone: If you hit me
again I'll phone the police, you devil! 3 fellow, person, chap,
wretch, bloke, guy, beggar, unfortunate, Colloq bugger, Brit
sod: The poor devil lost an arm at Gallipoli. 4 imp, scamp,
rascal, fox, slyboots, sly dog, rapscallion, confidence man,
trickster, Colloq operator, smoothie, smooth or slick operator,
con man, con artist: The little devil has stolen our hearts.
The devil wormed his way into our confidence and then made off
with our money. 5 like the devil. exceedingly, extremely,
excessively, violently, speedily, confoundedly, deucedly: The
car was going like the devil when it hit the tree. She fought
like the devil to protect the house. 6 - the devil. in heaven's
name, the dickens, in the world, on God's green earth, in hell:
What the devil do you think you are doing? Who the devil is she?
Where the devil have you put my trousers?

devilish adj. diabolic(al), satanic, Mephistophelian, fiendish, demonic,
cacodemonic, demoniac(al), infernal, hellish, villainous,

sinister, wicked, evil, iniquitous, sinful, flagitious, heinous,
malign, malevolent, malignant, cruel, maleficent; impish,
mischievous, prankish, naughty, crazy, madcap: He has come up
with a devilish plan for stealing the secret formula.


devilry n. 1 deviltry, mischief, mischievousness, roguery, naughtiness,
rascality, roguishness, diablerie, archness, knavery,
knavishness: His latest bit of devilry is hiding father's
bedroom slippers. 2 deviltry, devilishness, wickedness, evil,
fiendishness, diablerie, cruelty, malice, malevolence,
viciousness, perversity, iniquity, hellishness, villainy: That
traitor is up to some devilry.

devious adj. 1 deceitful, underhand(ed), insincere, deceptive,
misleading, subreptitious, sneaky, furtive, surreptitious,
secretive, double-dealing, treacherous, dishonest, shifty,
smooth, slick, slippery, scheming, plotting, designing, foxy,
vulpine, wily, sly, crafty, tricky Colloq crooked: The plot to
poison the queen was the product of a devious mind. 2 indirect,
roundabout, zigzag, evasive, circuitous, crooked, rambling,
serpentine, tortuous, sinuous, anfractuous: That is about the
most devious bit of reasoning I have ever heard!

devise v. 1 concoct, make up, conceive, scheme, contrive, dream up,
design, draft, frame, form, formulate, plan, arrange, work out,
think up, originate, invent, create, Colloq cook up: He devised
a method for making sandals out of leather scraps. 2 bequeath,
will, convey, hand down, give, assign, dispose of, transfer,
bestow: I devise to my nephew, Ian Ferguson, my property in
Yorkshire.

devote v. 1 apply, appropriate, assign, allot, commit, allocate, set
aside or apart, put away or aside, dedicate, consecrate: Each
of the chapels was devoted to a separate sect. 2 apply, pledge,
dedicate, commit, give up: She has devoted her life to helping
others.

devoted adj. faithful, true, dedicated, committed, devout, loyal,
loving, doting, staunch, tender, staunch, steadfast, constant;
ardent, loving, caring, fond, earnest, zealous, enthusiastic:
Your brother was my most devoted friend throughout his life.

devotee n. fan, aficionado, adherent, votary, enthusiast, addict,

Colloq buff, fiend, US hound; Slang bug, nut, freak, US head,
junkie, groupie: The band was followed about on tour by scores
of screaming devotees of rock music.


devotion n. 1 devotedness, devoutness, reverence; earnestness,
religiousness, piety, religiosity, pietism, godliness, holiness,
spirituality, sanctity; worship, prayer, observance, ritual:
The sect was noted for its devotion to martyrs and their relics.
It is gratifying to see such devotion amongst the younger
members of the congregation. They interrupted the holy man at
his devotions. 2 dedication, consecration, attachment, loyalty,
devotedness: His devotion to duty will be remembered by his
fellow soldiers. 3 zeal, ardour, fervour, ardency, intensity,
fanaticism, eagerness, enthusiasm, earnestness, readiness,
willingness; love, passion, infatuation, fondness, affection,
attachment, adherence, loyalty, allegiance: They would dedicate
themselves with slavish devotion to some brutal master.

devour v. 1 wolf (down), gulp (down), bolt, swallow (up), gorge,
gobble (up), gormandize, cram, stuff, eat (up) greedily, Archaic
gluttonize; Colloq Brit pig, US and Canadian pig out (on): He
was so hungry when he came in that he devoured two whole pies
and a plate of chips. 2 consume, waste, destroy, wipe out,
ravage, annihilate, demolish, ruin, wreak havoc (up)on,
devastate, obliterate, eradicate: A quarter of Europe was
already devoured by the plague. 3 relish, revel in, absorb, be
absorbed by; engulf, consume, drink in, eat up, swallow up, take
in; swamp, overcome, overwhelm: He eagerly devoured all of
Dickens's novels. The sea devoured its victims silently.


devout adj. 1 devoted, pious, religious, reverent, worshipful,
faithful, dedicated, staunch, churchgoing; holy, godly, saintly,
pure: When I last saw him, he had become a devout Christian. 2
devotional, reverential, religious, solemn: Through devout
prayer one might see the kingdom of heaven. 3 earnest, sincere,
genuine, hearty, heartfelt, devoted, ardent, zealous: You have
my devout best wishes for your happiness.

dexterity n. 1 touch, nimbleness, adroitness, deftness, facility, knack,
skill, proficiency; sleight of hand: Much fine rug-weaving is
done by little children because of the dexterity of their small
fingers. 2 cleverness, ingenuity, ingeniousness, tact,
astuteness, keenness, sharpness, shrewdness, cunning, guile,

canniness, artfulness: I admire his dexterity in arguing the
case in court. He exercised great dexterity in eluding capture.

dexterous adj. 1 dextrous, deft, lithe, nimble, supple, agile, quick,
skilful: He was a dexterous archer. 2 clever, ingenious,
astute, keen, sharp, shrewd, cunning, guileful, canny, artful,
crafty, slick: She was devout in religion, decorous in conduct,
and dexterous in business. He was the most dexterous of our
political leaders.


4.3 diabolic...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



diabolic adj. 1 diabolical, devilish, satanic, Mephistophelian, demonic,
demoniac(al), fiendish, hellish, infernal: His interest in the
supernatural included participation in diabolic rituals of the
most repulsive kind. 2 diabolical, cruel, wicked, iniquitous,
evil, fiendish, appalling, dreadful, inhuman, atrocious,
execrable, abominable, awful, terrible, damnable, accursed,
horrid, horrible, hideous, monstrous, odious, vile, base,
corrupt, foul, depraved, flagitious, heinous, malicious,
malevolent, malign, maleficent, sinister, sinful, impious, bad:
The prisoners suffered the most diabolic treatment.


diagnose v. identify, name, determine, recognize, distinguish, pinpoint,
interpret; analyse: The doctor diagnosed the symptoms as those
of rheumatoid arthritis.


dialect n. speech (pattern), phraseology, idiom, accent, pronunciation,
patois, vernacular; jargon, cant, slang, argot, language,
tongue, Creole, pidgin; brogue, burr, Colloq lingo: Some of the
regional dialects are hard to understand.


dialogue n. 1 duologue, conversation, discussion, conference, talk,
chat, colloquy, communication: I wrote down that dialogue - it
was hilarious! 2 parley, conference, meeting, huddle,
tˆte-…-tˆte, colloquy, Colloq US and Canadian rap session: A
meaningful dialogue between labour and management could easily
settle the question.

diary n. appointment book, date-book, calendar, engagement book;
journal, chronicle, log, record, annal(s): According to my

diary, the date we dined was the lst.

dicey n. risky, tricky, dangerous, difficult, ticklish,
unpredictable, uncertain, unsure, doubtful, Colloq iffy, chancy
or chancey, hairy: Asking for another pay rise could be pretty
dicey, Daniel.

dicker v. 1 bargain, trade, barter, deal, haggle, negotiate: If I
dicker with him, he may drop his price.


--n. 2 bargain, deal, haggle, negotiation: We had a bit of a
dicker but finally settled on a figure.

dicky adj. dickey, shaky, unreliable, unsteady, unsound, faulty,
Colloq dodgy: The engine sounds a bit dicky to me - you'd
better have it seen to.

dictate v. 1 say, prescribe, ordain, decree, demand, command, lay down
(the law), order, direct, pronounce, impose: It is our leader
who dictates what we may say and do.

--n. 2 decree, demand, command, order, direction, instruction,
charge, pronouncement, edict, fiat, ukase, mandate, caveat,
injunction, requirement, bidding, behest: Each must act in
accord with the dictates of his conscience.

dictator n. autocrat, absolute ruler or monarch, despot, overlord,
oppressor, tsar or czar, tyrant, Fuehrer or F•hrer: Among
monarchs, Henry VIII certainly could have been characterized as
a dictator.

dictatorial
adj. 1 absolute, arbitrary, totalitarian, authoritarian,
autocratic, all-powerful, omnipotent, unlimited: The peoples of
some countries often confer dictatorial powers on their leaders.
2 despotic, tyrannical, authoritarian, iron-handed, domineering,
imperious, overbearing, Colloq bossy: The dictatorial way she
runs the department makes those who work there miserable.


diction n. 1 language, wording, (verbal or writing) style, expression,
usage, expressiveness, terminology, word choice, vocabulary,
phraseology, phrasing, rhetoric: Please go over my paper and
correct the diction. 2 articulation, pronunciation,

enunciation, delivery, elocution, oratory, presentation, speech,
intonation, inflection: That course in public speaking,
improved Brian's diction enormously.


dictionary
n. lexicon, glossary, wordbook; thesaurus: My dictionary gives
the pronunciation, etymology, and meanings of hundreds of
thousands of words.


die v. 1 lose one's life, lay down one's life, perish, expire,
decease, suffer death, Euphemistic depart, give up the ghost, be
no more, (go to) meet one's Maker, breathe one's last, go to the
happy hunting-grounds, go to one's reward, go to one's final or
last resting-place, go west, pay the debt of nature, pay one's
debt to nature, pass through the pearly gates, pass away or on,
join the majority, go the way of all flesh; Slang pop off, bite
the dust, kick the bucket, croak, Brit snuff it, go for a
burton, pop one's clogs, US turn up one's toes, cash in one's
chips or checks: He died of tuberculosis, a rare affliction
these days. 2 Often, die down or out or away. dwindle, lessen,
diminish, decrease, ebb, decline, wane, subside, wither (away),
wilt, melt (away), dissolve, peter out, fail, weaken,
deteriorate, disintegrate, degenerate, fade (away), droop,
moulder, sink, vanish, disappear: We lost the race because the
breeze died down. After the third try, her enthusiasm died. The
sound of the flute died away among its echoes. 3 expire, end,
stop, cease: Your secret will die with me. 4 Usually, die off
or out. become extinct, perish: By about 200 million years ago,
all the dinosaurs had died out. 5 long, pine, yearn, crave,
hanker, want, desire, hunger, ache: He said he was dying to
meet a real movie star.

dietฐ n. 1 fare, food, nourishment, nutriment, sustenance,
subsistence, victuals, intake, aliment: A well-balanced diet is
very important. 2 regimen, regime: She is on a diet of bread
and water.

--v. 3 fast, abstain; slim; reduce: I am dieting to lose
weight.


diet n. council, congress, parliament, senate, legislature, house,
chamber, assembly: In Japan, the legislature is called a diet .

differ v. 1 diverge, deviate, be separate or distinct, be dissimilar
or different, contrast; depart: Even the leaves of the same
tree differ from one another. These substances differ in their
magnetic properties. 2 disagree, conflict, contradict, be
contradictory, vary, be at variance, take issue, part company,
fall out, quarrel, argue: Opinions differ as to the best way to
bring up children. She differed with me on many subjects.

difference
n. 1 distinction, dissimilarity, discrepancy, unlikeness,
disagreement, inconsistency, diversity, variation, imbalance;
inequality, dissimilitude, incongruity, contrast,
contradistinction, contrariety: Difference of opinion can be
constructive in a business partnership. Being colour-blind, he
cannot tell the difference between red and green. 2 Often,
differences. dispute, quarrel, argument, disagreement,
dissension, conflict: We were able to settle our differences
amicably. 3 change, alteration, metamorphosis, reformation,
transformation, conversion, adjustment, modification: Since her
operation, the difference in Philippa is surprising. 4
idiosyncrasy, peculiarity, characteristic, character, nature:
There are important differences between socialism and communism.
5 rest, remainder, leftovers, balance: After each had taken his
share, the difference was 12, which we divided equally among the
four of us.

different adj. 1 unlike, unalike, dissimilar, conflicting; contrary,
discrete, contrastive, contrasting, disparate, divergent,
diverse, distinct, opposite, separate, distinguishable; another
or other: We both enjoy boating but in different ways. When
modelling, she assumes a different pose every few seconds. 2
unique, unusual, peculiar, odd, singular, particular,
distinctive, personal, extraordinary, special, remarkable,
bizarre, rare, weird, strange, unconventional, original, out of
the ordinary; new, novel, exceptional, unheard-of: And now, for
something completely different, we present a juggling trick
cyclist. 3 assorted, manifold, multifarious, numerous, abundant,
sundry, various, varied, divers, many, several: Different kinds
of breakfast cereal are now available.


differentiate
v. 1 distinguish, discriminate, contradistinguish, separate,
contrast, oppose, set off or apart, tell apart: They must learn

how to differentiate one species from another. 2 modify,
specialize, change, alter, transform, transmute, convert, adapt,
adjust: All organisms possess the power to differentiate
special organs to meet special needs.


difficult adj. 1 hard, arduous, toilsome, strenuous, tough, laborious,
burdensome, onerous, demanding: He found it difficult to work
the longer hours. The first birth is sometimes difficult. 2
puzzling, perplexing, baffling, enigmatic(al), profound,
abstruse, obscure, recondite, complex; thorny, intricate,
sensitive, knotty, problematic(al), ticklish, scabrous: Some of
the questions in the exam were very difficult. The analyst
raised a lot of difficult issues which I had to confront. 3
intractable, recalcitrant, obstructive, stubborn, unmanageable,
obstinate, contrary, unaccommodating, refractory, unyielding,
uncompromising; naughty, ill-behaved; Colloq Brit bloody-minded:
Tessa has three difficult teenagers in the house these days. 4
troubled, troubling, tough, burdensome, onerous, demanding,
trying, hard, grim, dark, unfavourable, straitening: We have
been through some difficult times together. 5 fussy,
particular, demanding, finicky, finical, fastidious, critical,
troublesome, difficile, awkward, Colloq nit-picking: I'll go
wherever you like; I don't want to be difficult about it. Sharon
can be a very difficult person to be with.


difficulty
n. 1 strain, hardship, arduousness, laboriousness,
formidableness, tribulation, painfulness: Despite much
difficulty she succeeded. 2 hardship, obstacle, problem,
distress, pitfall, dilemma, predicament, problem, snag,
hindrance; Gordian knot: He has encountered difficulties during
his career. 3 Often, difficulties. embarrassment, plight,
predicament, mess, strait(s), trouble, scrape, Colloq hot water,
jam, pickle, fix; hot potato: She always seems to be in
financial difficulties.

diffuse adj. 1 spread (out or about or around), scattered, dispersed,
widespread; sparse, meagre, thin (on the ground): A few diffuse
clouds could be seen on the horizon. 2 wordy, verbose, prolix,
long-winded, loquacious, discursive, digressive, rambling,
circumlocutory, meandering, roundabout, circuitous,
periphrastic, ambagious, diffusive, pleonastic: The style of
the book is very diffuse, being extravagantly uneconomic of

expression.

--v. 3 spread, circulate, distribute, dispense, disperse;
dispel, scatter, broadcast, sow, disseminate; dissipate: The
colour rapidly diffused, turning the liquid crimson. She has
successfully diffused her ideas of female equality throughout
the community.

dig v. 1 excavate, burrow, gouge, scoop, hollow out; tunnel: He
dug a hole in which to set the post. 2 nudge, thrust, stab,
jab, plunge, force, prod, poke: I dug my spurs into my horse
and rode off. He kept digging me in the ribs with his finger. 3
appreciate, enjoy, like, understand: They really dig the jazz
of the big-band era. 4 notice, note, look at, regard: Hey,
man, dig that crazy gear! 5 dig into. probe (into), delve into,
go deeply into, explore, look into, research, study: We dug
into many books of forgotten lore to find the words of the magic
spell. 6 dig out or up. unearth, disinter, exhume, bring up,
find, obtain, extract, ferret out, winkle out, discover, bring
to light, expose, dredge up, extricate, come up with, Australian
fossick: I dug out an old book on witchcraft. She has dug up
some interesting information about your friend Glover.

--n. 7 thrust, poke, jab, stab, nudge: She playfully gave him
a dig in the ribs. 8 insult, insinuation, gibe, slur; taunt,
jeer; Colloq slap (in the face), wisecrack, crack, US low blow:
Referring to him as a Dartmoor graduate was a nasty dig.

digest v. 1 assimilate: She has trouble digesting milk. 2 bear,
stand, endure, survive, assimilate, accept, tolerate, brook,
swallow, stomach: The attack was too much for even him to
digest. 3 comprehend, assimilate, understand, take in,
consider, grasp, study, ponder, meditate (on or over), reflect
on, think over, weigh: I need a little time to digest the new
regulations. 4 abbreviate, cut, condense, abridge, compress,
epitomize, summarize, reduce, shorten: Her assistant had
digested the report into four pages by noon.

--n. 5 condensation, abridgment or abridgement, abstract,
pr‚cis, r‚sum‚, synopsis, summary, conspectus, abbreviation: I
never did read the original novel, only a digest.

dignified adj. stately, noble, majestic, formal, solemn, serious, sober,

grave, distinguished, honourable, distingu‚, elegant, august,
sedate, reserved; regal, courtly, lordly, lofty, exalted, grand:
Despite the abuse, he maintained a dignified demeanour.


dignify v. distinguish, ennoble, elevate, raise, exalt, glorify,
upraise, lift, uplift, enhance, improve, better, upgrade: The
critic wrote that he wouldn't deign to dignify the book by
calling it a novel.


dignitary n. personage, official, notable, worthy, magnate, power,
higher-up; celebrity, lion, luminary, star, superstar, Colloq
VIP, bigwig, big shot, big wheel, big name, big gun, hotshot,
hot stuff, big noise, big White Chief, big Chief, big Daddy,
Brit Lord or Lady Muck, high-muck-a-muck, Slang big cheese,
Chiefly US Mr Big, biggie, fat cat: Anyone with a lot of money
is treated today as a dignitary.

dignity n. 1 nobility, majesty, gravity, gravitas, solemnity,
courtliness, distinction, stateliness, formality, grandeur,
eminence; hauteur, loftiness: She entered and walked with
dignity to the throne. 2 worth, worthiness, nobility,
nobleness, excellence, honour, honourableness, respectability,
respectableness, standing, importance, greatness, glory,
station, status, rank, level, position: The real dignity of a
man lies not in what he has but in what he is. 3 self-respect,
self-regard, amour propre, self-confidence, self-esteem, pride,
self-importance: It was beneath her dignity to speak directly
to a footman.


digression
n. 1 aside, departure, deviation, detour, obiter dictum,
parenthesis, apostrophe, excursus: His numerous digressions
made it difficult to focus on the main points of the speech. 2
digressing, deviating, divergence, going off at a tangent,
rambling, meandering, straying, wandering, deviation:
Digression from the main theme of his speech only diluted his
argument.

dilapidated
adj. ruined, broken-down, in ruins, gone to rack and ruin,
wrecked, destroyed, falling apart, decrepit, derelict, battered,
tumbledown, run-down, ramshackle, crumbling, decayed, decaying,
rickety, shaky, shabby, Brit raddled: We shall have to fix up

that dilapidated barn if we expect to use it.

dilemma n. predicament, quandary, double bind, catch-22, impasse,
deadlock, stalemate; plight, difficulty, trouble; stymie,
snooker; Colloq bind, box, fix, jam, spot, pickle, squeeze: He
was faced with the dilemma of killing the injured animal or
allowing it to die in agony.

dilettante
n. dabbler, trifler, aesthete, amateur: You know art like a
curator; I am a mere dilettante.

diligent adj. persevering, persistent, industrious, assiduous, sedulous,
intent, steady, steadfast, focused, concentrated, earnest,
attentive, conscientious, hard-working, indefatigable, tireless,
constant, painstaking, careful, thorough, scrupulous,
meticulous, punctilious: Only through diligent application was
she able to get through law school.


dilute v. water (down), thin (down or out), cut, weaken, doctor,
adulterate; mitigate, lessen, diminish, decrease: For the
table, wine was often diluted with water. He dilutes his
argument by citing irrelevancies.


dim adj. 1 obscure, obscured, vague, faint, weak, weakened, pale,
imperceptible, fuzzy, indistinct, ill-defined, indiscernible,
undefined, indistinguishable, foggy, clouded, cloudy, nebulous,
blurred, blurry, unclear, dull, hazy, misty, dark, shadowy,
murky, tenebrous, gloomy, sombre, dusky, crepuscular: Her
beauty made The bright world dim. We could barely see in the dim
light of the cave. 2 stupid, obtuse, doltish, dull, dull-witted,
foolish, slow-witted, dim-witted, dense, Colloq thick, dumb:
Anyone who can't understand that is really quite dim.


--v. 3 obscure, dull, becloud: His natural feelings of
compassion had been dimmed by neglect. 4 darken, bedim, shroud,
shade: Twilight dims the sky above. The stage-lights dimmed and
the curtain fell.


diminish v. 1 decrease, decline, abate, lessen, reduce, lower, shrink,
curtail, contract, lop, crop, dock, clip, prune, cut, truncate,
cut down, abbreviate, shorten, abridge, compress, condense, pare
(down), scale down, boil down: As the height increases, the

pressure diminishes. The need for police patrols was diminished
when we hired security guards. 2 belittle, disparage, degrade,
downgrade, discredit, detract (from), vitiate, debase,
deprecate, demean, derogate, depreciate, vilipend, devalue,
cheapen, put down, dismiss, humiliate, demean, reject: His
abuse by the authorities did not diminish him in her eyes. 3
wane, fade, dwindle, ebb, die out or away, peter out, recede,
subside; slacken, let up, wind down, slow (down), ease (off),
Colloq run out of steam: Soaking in the hot water, I felt the
tensions of mind and body gradually diminishing. The campaign
finally diminished to a negligible effort.

diminutive
adj. small, tiny, little, miniature, petite, minute, minuscule,
mini, compact, undersized, pocket, pocket-sized, pygmy, elfin,
Lilliputian, midget, wee, microscopic; micro, infinitesimal; US
vest-pocket, vest-pocket-sized, Colloq teeny, teeny-weeny or
teensy-weensy: The bride and groom appeared with their
diminutive page-boys and bridesmaids behind them.


din n. 1 noise, clamour, uproar, shouting, screaming, yelling,
babel, clangour, clatter, commotion, racket, row, hullabaloo,
hubbub, hurly-burly, rumpus, hollering, blare, blaring, bray,
braying, bellow, bellowing, roar, blast, roaring, pandemonium,
tumult: We couldn't hear the speech above the din of the crowd.

--v. 2 instil, drum, hammer: The names and dates of the
British monarchs were dinned into me in childhood.


dine v. eat, banquet, feast, sup, break bread, breakfast, lunch,
have a bite or snack, nibble, Colloq feed, Slang nosh: We'll
dine at 8.00, so don't be late.

dingy adj. dark, dull, gloomy, dim, lacklustre, faded, discoloured,
dusky, drab, dreary, dismal, cheerless, depressing, gloomy,
shadowy, tenebrous, smoky, sooty, grey-brown, smudgy, grimy,
dirty, soiled: He was a dingy man, in dingy clothes, who lived
in a dingy house.


dip v. 1 immerse, plunge, duck, dunk, douse, bathe, submerge: He
dipped each dish into the soapy water. 2 decline, go down,
fall, descend, sag, sink, subside, slump: The road dips after
the next curve. The price of shares has dipped again. 3 dip in

or into. dabble in, play at; skim, scan: I haven't had time to
read it, but I dipped into it here and there.

--n. 4 swim, plunge; immersion; Brit bathe: We are going for a
dip in the pool before dinner. 5 lowering, sinking, depression,
drop, slump, decline: This dip in the price of oil means
nothing.

diplomacy n. 1 tact, tactfulness, adroitness, discretion: She was able
to get rid of that rude boor with her customary diplomacy. 2
statecraft, statesmanship, negotiation; intrigue,
Machiavellianism, machination, manoeuvring or maneuvering:
Cardinal Richelieu is considered the founder of modern
diplomacy.


diplomatic
adj. tactful, discreet, prudent, wise, sensitive, politic,
courteous, polite, discerning, perceptive, perspicacious,
thoughtful: How diplomatic it was of you to have invited
Frances's husband!

direct v. 1 manage, handle, run, administer, govern, regulate,
control, operate, superintend, supervise, command, head up,
rule; Colloq call the shots: She directs the company with an
iron hand. 2 guide, lead, conduct, pilot, steer, show or point
(the way), be at the helm; advise, counsel, instruct,
mastermind; usher, escort: He has directed the company for 40
years, through good times and bad. Can you direct me to the post
office? 3 rule, command, order, require, bid, tell, instruct,
charge, dictate, enjoin; appoint, ordain: He directed that the
attack be launched at dawn. 4 aim, focus, level, point, train;
turn: That bullet was directed at my heart. Direct your
attention to the front of the room. 5 send, address, post, mail:
Please direct the letter to my home.


--adj. 6 straight, unswerving, shortest, undeviating, through:
We turned off the direct road to take in the view. 7
uninterrupted, unreflected, unrefracted, without interference,
unobstructed: She cannot remain in direct sunlight for very
long. 8 unbroken, lineal: He claims to be a direct descendant
of Oliver Cromwell's. 9 straightforward, unmitigated, outright,
matter-of-fact, categorical, plain, clear, unambiguous,
unmistakable, to the point, without or with no beating about the

bush, unqualified, unequivocal, point-blank, explicit, express:
I expect a direct answer to my direct question. Have you direct
evidence of his guilt? That was a gross insult and a direct lie!
10 straightforward, frank, candid, outspoken, plain-spoken,
honest, blunt, open, uninhibited, unreserved, forthright,
honest, sincere, unequivocal; undiplomatic, tactless: She is
very direct in commenting about people she dislikes.

direction n. 1 directing, aiming, pointing, guiding, guidance,
conducting, conduct, instructing, instruction, managing,
management, administering, administration, governing,
government, supervising, supervision, operating, operation,
running, leadership, directorship, directorate, control,
captaincy, handling, manipulation, regulation, rule, charge:
The Freedom Party's direction of the country has led to many
reforms. 2 Often, directions. instruction(s), information;
bearing, road, way, route, avenue, course: To assemble the
appliance, follow the directions printed in the leaflet. Can you
give me directions to the nearest filling-station?


directly adv. 1 straight, in a beeline, unswervingly, undeviatingly, as
the crow flies: This road should take me directly to the beach.
2 immediately, at once, straight away, right away, quickly,
promptly, without delay, speedily, instantly, Colloq US and
Canadian momentarily: She called and I went directly. 3 soon,
later (on), anon, presently, in a (little) while, shortly: The
doctor will be here directly. 4 exactly, precisely, just;
completely, entirely: My garage is directly opposite. The
cricket pitch is directly at the centre of the park.


--conj. 5 as soon as, when: The police arrested him directly
he entered the building.

director n. 1 executive, administrator, official, principal; chairman,
president, vice-president; governor; head, chief, boss, manager,
superintendent, supervisor, overseer, foreman, headman, Colloq
kingpin, number one, numero uno, Mr Big, the man; Slang top dog,
top banana, Brit gaffer, US big cheese, head or chief honcho:
The sale of the company was announced at the meeting of the
board of directors. 2 guide, leader; steersman, helmsman, pilot,
skipper, commander, commandant, captain; cicerone; maestro,
concert-master, conductor; impresario: We were lucky to have a
director who really knew what he was doing.


dirt n. 1 soil, mud, muck, mire, grime, slime, sludge, ooze, slop;
dust, soot; excrement, ordure; filth, waste, refuse, trash,
garbage, rubbish, offal, junk, dross, sweepings; leavings,
scrap, orts; Slang Brit gunge, US grunge: This vacuum cleaner
is guaranteed to pick up any kind of dirt. 2 soil, earth, loam,
ground, clay: Hydroponics is the technique of farming without
dirt, using only liquid nutrients. 3 indecency, obscenity, smut,
pornography, foulness, corruption, filth, vileness: Customs
confiscated much of the dirt before it could enter the country.
4 gossip, scandal, talk, rumour, inside information , Colloq
low-down, dope, Slang US scuttlebutt: I got the dirt from David
about what really happened at the party.


dirty adj. 1 foul, unclean, befouled, soiled, begrimed, sooty, grimy,
filthy, mucky, besmeared, besmirched, befouled, polluted,
squalid, sullied, stained, spotted, smudged, slovenly, unwashed,
bedraggled, slatternly, untidy, Slang Brit gungy, US grungy: If
you think his shirt was dirty, you should have seen his body! 2
smutty, indecent, obscene, ribald, off colour, prurient, risqu‚,
salacious, lewd, lascivious, salacious, pornographic, coarse,
licentious, rude, blue, scabrous: His parents were shocked to
hear him telling dirty jokes. 3 unfair, unscrupulous,
unsporting, dishonest, mean, underhand(ed), unsportsmanlike,
dishonourable, deceitful, corrupt, treacherous, perfidious,
villainous, disloyal; malicious, malevolent, rotten, filthy: It
was a dirty trick of Sue's to tell the teacher. 4 bad, foul,
nasty, stormy, rainy, windy, blowy, blowing, squally, sloppy:
We're in for some dirty weather, Mr Christian, so you'd best
reduce sail. 5 bitter, resentful, angry, furious, wrathful,
smouldering: She gave me a dirty look when I said anything
about her sister. 6 sordid, base, mean, despicable,
contemptible, ignoble, scurvy, low, low-down, ignominious, vile,
nasty, infamous: That villain has done his dirty work and now
we must all suffer. He's nothing but a dirty coward!

--v. 7 stain, sully, befoul, soil, begrime, besmirch, pollute,
muddy, smear, defile; blacken, tarnish: She refused to so much
as dirty her hands to help us. Are you afraid it will dirty your
reputation to be seen with me?

disability
n. 1 handicap, impairment, defect, infirmity, disablement:

James is unable to play tennis owing to his disability. 2
inability, incapacity, unfitness, impotence, powerlessness,
helplessness: The teacher helped her to overcome her
disability.


disabled adj. incapacitated, crippled, lame; damaged, ruined, impaired,
harmed, non-functioning, inoperative, Slang Brit scuppered:
Disabled ex-servicemen ought to receive compensation. No parts
could be found for the disabled machines.


disadvantage
n. 1 deprivation, set-back, drawback, liability, handicap,
defect, flaw, shortcoming, weakness, weak spot, fault: Being
colour-blind has not been a disadvantage in his kind of work. 2
detriment, harm, loss, injury, damage; prejudice, disservice:
Failure to send in a tax return will be to your distinct
disadvantage.

disagree v. 1 differ, dissent, diverge: She disagrees with most of my
ideas. I said the painting was by Hockney, but he disagreed. 2
conflict, dispute, quarrel, argue, contend, contest, bicker,
fight, fall out, squabble, wrangle, debate: Those who agree on
major principles often disagree about trifles, and vice versa.


disagreeable
adj. 1 unpleasant, unpleasing, offensive, distasteful,
repugnant, obnoxious, repellent, repulsive, objectionable,
revolting, odious: He found the heat and humidity in the
tropics most disagreeable. 2 offensive, noxious, unsavoury,
unpalatable, nauseating, nauseous, nasty, sickening, disgusting,
revolting, repellent, abominable, objectionable: A disagreeable
odour arose from the beggar on the doorstep. 3 bad-tempered,
ill-tempered, disobliging, uncooperative, unfriendly, uncivil,
abrupt, blunt, curt, brusque, short, uncourtly, impolite,
bad-mannered, ill-mannered, discourteous, rude, ill-tempered,
bad-tempered, testy, grouchy, splenetic, cross, ill-humoured,
peevish, morose, sulky, sullen: Brian became quite
disagreeable, and I did not see him again.


disagreement
n. 1 difference, discrepancy, discord, discordance,
discordancy, dissimilarity, disaccord, diversity, incongruity,
nonconformity, incompatibility: Can you resolve the

disagreement between the results of these experiments? 2
dissent, opposition, conflict, contradiction, difference,
disparity: The problem arises from a basic disagreement in
their principles. 3 quarrel, strife, argument, dispute,
velitation, altercation, controversy, contention, dissension,
debate, clash, Colloq US rhubarb: Their mother had to settle
the disagreement between the brothers.

disappear v. 1 vanish, evaporate, vaporize, fade (away or out), evanesce,
Poetic evanish: After granting my wish, the genie disappeared,
laughing diabolically. 2 die (out or off), become extinct,
cease (to exist), perish (without a trace): The dinosaurs,
though enormously successful as a species, suddenly disappeared
from the earth.


disappoint
v. 1 let down, fail, dissatisfy: Miss Sheila disappointed her
public by refusing to sing. 2 mislead, deceive, disenchant,
Colloq stand up: She disappointed me by saying she would be
there and then not arriving. 3 undo, frustrate, foil, thwart,
balk, defeat: How can I answer you truthfully without
disappointing your expectations?

disappointed
adj. 1 frustrated, unsatisfied, dissatisfied, disillusioned,
disenchanted, discouraged, downhearted, disheartened, downcast,
saddened, unhappy, dejected, discontented, let down: There will
be a lot of disappointed children at Christmas this year. 2
foiled, thwarted, balked, defeated, undone, failed, let down:
Though she campaigned energetically, Theodora was among the
disappointed candidates.

disappointing
adj. discouraging, dissatisfying, unsatisfactory, unsatisfying,
disconcerting; poor, second-rate, sorry, inadequate,
insufficient, inferior, pathetic, sad: The former champion
turned in a disappointing performance yesterday evening.

disappointment
n. 1 frustration, non-fulfilment,unfulfilment, unsatisfaction,
dissatisfaction, set-back, failure, let-down, defeat, blow,
fiasco, calamity, disaster, fizzle, Brit damp squib, Colloq
wash-out: Recently he has had one disappointment after another.

2 dejection, depression, discouragement, disenchantment,
distress, regret, mortification, chagrin: I cannot tell you the
disappointment your father and I felt when you failed to get
into university.


disapproval
n. disapprobation, condemnation, censure, criticism, reproof,
reproach, objection, exception, disfavour, displeasure,
dissatisfaction: The council voiced their disapproval of
holding a carnival in the village square.

disapprove
v. condemn, criticize, censure, object to, decry, denounce, put
or run down, deplore, deprecate, belittle, look down on, frown
on or upon, Colloq knock, look down one's nose at, tut-tut: I
don't care if you disapprove of my marrying Eustace. The
monopolies commission has disapproved the merger.

disarm v. 1 unarm; demilitarize, demobilize, disband, deactivate:
After the war, most - but not all - European countries disarmed.
2 win over, put or set at ease, mollify, appease, placate,
pacify, reconcile, conciliate, propitiate, charm: I was
completely disarmed by her friendly disposition. Many people
found his na‹vety disarming.


disaster n. catastrophe, calamity, cataclysm, tragedy, misfortune,
d‚bƒcle, accident, mishap, blow, act of God, adversity, trouble,
reverse: The flooding of the river was as much of a disaster as
the earlier drought.


disastrous
adj. 1 calamitous, catastrophic, cataclysmic, tragic,
destructive, ruinous, devastating, appalling, harrowing, awful,
terrible, dire, horrendous, horrible, horrifying, dreadful,
fatal: There has been a disastrous earthquake which killed
thousands. 2 awful, terrible, unlucky, unfortunate,
detrimental, grievous, harmful: The postal strike has had
disastrous effects on the mail-order business.


disband v. disperse, disorganize, scatter, break up, dissolve,
demobilize, deactivate, retire: After the war, the special spy
force was disbanded.

discard v. 1 get rid of, dispense with, dispose of, throw away or out,
toss out or away, abandon, jettison, scrap, Colloq trash, dump,
Slang ditch: We discarded boxes of old photographs when we
moved house.


--n. 2 reject, cast-off: I felt like a discard from the lonely
hearts club.

discernible
adj. 1 perceptible, visible, seeable, perceivable, apparent,
clear, observable, plain, detectable; conspicuous, noticeable:
A small sailing-boat was discernible on the horizon. 2
distinguishable, recognizable, identifiable, distinct: To me
there is a discernible difference between puce and burgundy.


discharge v. 1 release, let out, dismiss, let go, send away; pardon,
exonerate, liberate, (set) free, acquit, let off, absolve: She
was discharged from hospital yesterday. He was discharged from
police custody last week. 2 expel, oust, dismiss, cashier,
eject, give notice, Colloq sack, give (someone) the sack, fire,
kick out: He was discharged from his job yesterday. 3 shoot,
fire (off); set or let off, detonate, explode: It is illegal to
discharge a firearm or other explosive device in this area. 4
emit, send out or forth, pour out or forth, gush; disembogue;
ooze, leak, exude; excrete, void: The sore in his leg continued
to discharge pus. We can ill afford to discharge those effluents
into the sea. 5 carry out, perform, fulfil, accomplish, do,
execute: He faithfully discharges the duties of his office. 6
pay, settle, liquidate, clear, honour, meet, square (up):
Before going off on holiday, we discharged all our financial
obligations. 7 unload, offload, disburden, empty: After
discharging its cargo, the vessel rode high in the water.

--n. 8 release, dismissal: What is the date of his discharge
from the clinic? 9 expulsion, ouster, dismissal, ejection,
notice, Colloq the axe or US ax, the sack, the boot, Chiefly US
and Canadian walking papers, Slang US and Canadian the bounce,
the gate: Her discharge from the firm was rather ignominious.
10 shooting, firing (off), report, shot; salvo, fusillade,
volley; detonation, explosion, burst: The discharge of a pistol
could not be heard at that distance. I heard the discharge from
the guns of the firing squad in the courtyard below. The
discharge of the bomb maimed three children. 11 emission,

release, void, voiding, excretion, excreting, emptying, flow;
ooze, oozing, pus, suppuration, secretion, seepage: The
discharge of blood from the wound continued. 12 performance,
fulfilment, accomplishment, execution, observance, achievement:
The discharge of my family responsibilities will have to await
my return from the front. 13 payment, settlement, liquidation,
squaring (up), clearance: The bank expects full discharge of
all debts before they lend any money. 14 unloading,
disburdening, offloading, emptying: The customer will pay in
full after the discharge of his cargo.

disciple n. 1 apprentice, pupil, student, proselyte, learner, scholar:
Pietro Zampollini was a disciple of the great artist Ravelli. 2
follower, adherent, devotee, admirer, votary; partisan, fan,
aficionado: She is a disciple of Louis Armstrong's.

disciplinarian
n. taskmaster, martinet, drill-sergeant; tyrant, despot,
dictator: The headmaster at Briarcliffe was a stern
disciplinarian who regularly used to beat us.

discipline
n. 1 training, drilling, regimen, exercise, practice, drill,
inculcation, indoctrination, instruction, schooling: Strict
discipline is good for young people, according to my father. 2
punishment, penalty, chastisement, castigation, correction: The
discipline meted out to senior students was very harsh. 3
order, routine, (proper) behaviour, decorum: The sergeant is
there to maintain discipline among the recruits. 4 direction,
rule, regulation, government, control, subjection, restriction,
check, curb, restraint: There was far too much discipline
during my childhood, both at school and at home. 5 subject,
course, branch of knowledge, area, field, speciality or chiefly
US and Canadian specialty: Latin is a discipline which is fast
disappearing from our schools.

--v. 6 train, break in, condition, drill, exercise, instruct,
coach, teach, school, indoctrinate, inculcate; edify, enlighten,
inform: The aim of his education is to discipline him to
respond to orders. 7 check, curb, restrain, bridle, control,
govern, direct, run, supervise, manage, regulate, hold or keep
in check, US ride herd on: You have to discipline those
children or they will always misbehave. 8 punish, chastise,

castigate, correct, penalize, reprove, criticize, reprimand,
rebuke: Discipline that boy or he will just do it again.

disclose v. 1 reveal, impart, divulge, betray, release, tell, blurt out,
blab, leak, let slip, report, inform, Colloq spill the beans,
blow the gaff, Slang squeal, snitch, squeak, rat, peach, US
fink: To get a shorter sentence, he disclosed all to the
police. 2 bare, reveal, expose, uncover, show, unveil: When
the pie was opened, twenty-four blackbirds were disclosed.


discomfit v. 1 embarrass, abash, disconcert, disturb, confuse, make
uneasy or uncomfortable, discompose, fluster, ruffle, confound,
perturb, upset, worry, unsettle, unnerve, Colloq rattle, US
faze, discombobulate: Being short, she was discomfited by
references to her height. 2 frustrate, foil, thwart, baffle,
check, defeat, trump, outdo, outwit, overcome: Discomfited by
her violent reaction, her attacker fled.

discomfort
n. 1 uneasiness, hardship, difficulty, trouble, care, worry,
distress, vexation: She hasn't known the discomfort of being
the wife of a miner. 2 ache, pain, twinge, soreness,
irritation; bother, inconvenience, nuisance: Some discomfort
persisted in my legs long after the accident.


disconcerted
adj. discomposed, discomfited, ruffled, uneasy, put out or off,
uncomfortable, queasy, flustered, agitated, upset, shaken,
unsettled, perturbed, confused, bewildered, perplexed, baffled,
puzzled, US thrown off, Colloq rattled, US fazed,
discombobulated; Slang (all) shook (up): They were really
disconcerted by the arrival of the police.

disconcerting
adj. awkward, discomfiting, off-putting, upsetting, unnerving,
unsettling, disturbing, confusing, confounding, bewildering,
perplexing, baffling, puzzling: I found his persistence quite
disconcerting.


disconnect
v. separate, disjoin, disunite, uncouple, detach, unhook, undo,
disengage, unhitch; cut or break off; cut or pull apart, part,
divide, sever: They disconnected the engine after pushing the

carriages onto a siding. Disconnect the power before changing
the light-bulb.

disconnected
adj. 1 unconnected, separate, apart, unattached; split,
separated: A totally disconnected thought suddenly occurred to
me. 2 incoherent, irrational, confused, illogical, garbled,
disjointed, rambling, mixed-up, unintelligible, uncoordinated,
random: He lost the debate because his argument was
disconnected and lacked cogency.

discontent
n. displeasure, unhappiness, dissatisfaction, discontentment,
distaste, uneasiness; malaise: He felt discontent at being
barred from the club.

discontented
adj. displeased, dissatisfied, discontent, annoyed, vexed,
fretful, irritated, testy, piqued, petulant, disgruntled,
exasperated, Colloq fed up, Slang browned off, pissed off, Brit
cheesed or brassed off: The umpire's decision made many fans
quite discontented.

discontinue
v. cease, break off, give up, stop, terminate, put an end to,
quit, leave off, drop; interrupt, suspend: Please discontinue
newspaper delivery until further notice.

discord n. strife, dissension, disagreement, conflict, disharmony,
contention, disunity, discordance, division, incompatibility:
The seeds of discord between the families were sown generations
before.

discordant
adj. 1 contrary, disagreeing, divergent, opposite, opposed,
adverse, contradictory, incompatible, differing, different,
conflicting, at odds, incongruous, in conflict, in disagreement,
at variance, dissimilar: The testimony of the fossils is
discordant with the evidence in the legend. 2 inharmonious,
dissonant, jarring, cacophonous, unmelodious, unmusical, harsh,
strident, jangling, grating: He struck some discordant notes on
his zither.

discount v. 1 reduce, mark down, deduct, lower, take or knock off: As I
was buying a dozen, he discounted the price by ten per cent. 2
diminish, lessen, minimize, detract from: One must discount
what she says when she's angry. 3 disregard, omit, ignore, pass
or gloss over, overlook, brush off, dismiss: Those statistics
are old and can be discounted.

--n. 4 reduction, mark-down, deduction, rebate, allowance: The
shop overstocked the item and is offering it at a big discount.


discourage
v. 1 dispirit, dishearten, daunt, unman, dismay, cow,
intimidate, awe, overawe, unnerve: We were discouraged by the
arrival of more enemy troops. 2 deter, put off, dissuade,
advise or hint against, talk out of, divert from; oppose,
disapprove (of), Colloq throw cold water on: They discouraged
me from applying again. 3 prevent, inhibit, hinder, stop, slow,
suppress, obviate: This paint is supposed to discourage
corrosion.


discourteous
adj. uncivil, impolite, rude, unmannerly, ill-mannered,
bad-mannered, disrespectful, misbehaved, boorish, abrupt, curt,
brusque, short, ungentlemanly, unladylike, insolent,
impertinent, ungracious: He had been discourteous and would not
be invited again.

discover v. 1 find (out), learn, perceive, unearth, uncover, bring to
light, turn or dig up, smoke or search out, root or ferret out;
determine, ascertain, track down, identify; locate: He
discovered the ninth moon of Saturn. We discovered why the tyre
had gone flat. 2 see, spot, catch sight or a glimpse of, lay
eyes on, behold, view, encounter, meet (with); notice, espy,
descry, detect, discern: He discovered Madagascar lying right
on their course. 3 originate, conceive (of), devise, contrive,
invent, make up, design, pioneer; come or chance or stumble
upon: She discovered a method for tin-plating gold.

discovery n. 1 finding, recognition, uncovering, determining,
ascertaining, unearthing; origination, invention, conception,
idea; development: Who is credited with the discovery of
Christmas Island? That year marks the discovery of a vaccine
against smallpox. 2 exploration, disclosure, detection,

revelation: He's off on a voyage of discovery.

discredit v. 1 detract, disparage, defame, dishonour, disgrace, degrade,
bring into disfavour or disrepute, deprecate, demean, lower,
devalue, depreciate, devaluate, belittle, diminish, reduce;
slur, slander, vilify, calumniate, sully, smear, blacken, taint,
tarnish, besmirch, smirch, stigmatize, asperse, malign, libel:
Both of them were thoroughly discredited by the scandal. 2
disbelieve, deny, dispute, doubt, question, raise doubts about,
distrust, mistrust, give no credit or credence to: As he's a
known liar, you can discredit whatever he tells you. 3
disprove, reject, refute, invalidate; mock, ridicule: The
phlogiston theory is generally discredited by most modern
chemists.


--n. 4 dishonour, degradation, disfavour, disrepute, ill
repute, disgrace, ignominy, infamy, odium, stigma, shame, smear,
slur, scandal, obloquy, opprobrium, humiliation: Her
performance has brought discredit to all female saxophonists. 5
damage, harm, reflection, slur, aspersion, slander, defamation,
blot, brand, tarnish, blemish, taint: The discredit to her
reputation is irreparable. 6 doubt, scepticism, dubiousness,
doubtfulness, qualm, scruple, question, incredulity, suspicion,
distrust, mistrust: The new evidence throws discredit on the
validity of the previous testimony.

discreet adj. careful, cautious, prudent, judicious, considerate,
guarded, tactful, diplomatic, circumspect, wary, chary, heedful,
watchful, circumspect: She has always been very discreet in her
business dealings with me.

discrepancy
n. gap, disparity, lacuna, difference, dissimilarity,
deviation, divergence, disagreement, incongruity,
incompatibility, inconsistency, variance; conflict, discordance,
contrariety: There is a great discrepancy between what he says
and what he means.

discrete adj. separate, distinct, individual, disconnected, unattached,
discontinuous: These items must be treated as discrete entities
and not taken together.

discretion

n. 1 tact, diplomacy, prudence, care, discernment, sound
judgement, circumspection, sagacity, common sense, good sense,
wisdom, discrimination: You can rely on my discretion not to
reveal the club's secrets. 2 choice, option, judgement,
preference, pleasure, disposition, volition; wish, will, liking,
inclination: Buyers may subscribe to insurance cover at their
own discretion.

discriminate
v. 1 distinguish, separate, differentiate, discern, draw a
distinction, tell the difference: He cannot discriminate
between good art and bad. 2 favour, disfavour, segregate, show
favour or prejudice or bias for or against, be intolerant: It
is illegal here to discriminate against people on the basis of
race, creed, or colour.

discriminating
adj. discerning, perceptive, critical, keen, fastidious,
selective, particular, selective, fussy, refined, cultivated:
From the wine you chose, I see you are a lady of discriminating
tastes.

discrimination
n. 1 bigotry, prejudice, bias, intolerance, favouritism,
one-sidedness, unfairness, inequity: In Nazi Germany
discrimination was practised against everyone except the Nazis.
2 taste, perception, perceptiveness, discernment, refinement,
acumen, insight, penetration, keenness, judgement, sensitivity;
connoisseurship, aestheticism: He exercises excellent
discrimination in his choice of paintings.

discursive
adj. wandering, meandering, digressing, digressive, rambling,
circuitous, roundabout, diffuse, long-winded, verbose, wordy,
prolix, windy: Frobisher was again boring everyone with his
discursive description of life in an igloo.

discuss v. converse about, talk over or about, chat about, deliberate
(over), review, examine, consult on; debate, argue, thrash out:
We discussed the problem but came to no conclusion.

discussion
n. conversation, talk, chat, dialogue, colloquy, exchange,

deliberation, examination, scrutiny, analysis, review;
confabulation, conference, powwow; debate, argument; Colloq
chiefly Brit chin-wag, US and Canadian bull session: The
subject of your dismissal came up for discussion yesterday.


disdainful
adj. contemptuous, scornful, contumelious, derisive, sneering,
superior, supercilious, pompous, proud, prideful, arrogant,
haughty, snobbish, lordly, regal; jeering, mocking, insolent,
insulting, Colloq hoity-toity, high and mighty, stuck-up,
highfalutin or hifalutin; Slang snotty: She was most disdainful
of our efforts to enter the cosmetics market.

disease n. 1 sickness, affliction, ailment, malady, illness, infection,
complaint, disorder, condition, infirmity, disability, Archaic
murrain, Colloq bug: The colonel contracted the disease while
in Malaysia. 2 blight, cancer, virus, plague; contagion: Panic
spread through the Exchange like an infectious disease.


diseased adj. unhealthy, unwell, ill, sick, ailing, unsound, infirm, out
of sorts, abed, infected, contaminated; afflicted, abnormal: We
must care for the diseased patients before those with broken
bones.


disembark v. land, alight, go or put ashore, get or step off or out,
leave; debark, detrain, deplane: Tomorrow we disembark at
Tunis.

disembodied
adj. incorporeal, bodiless; intangible, immaterial,
insubstantial or unsubstantial, impalpable, unreal; spiritual,
ghostly, spectral, phantom, wraithlike: She wafted before his
eyes, a disembodied spirit.


disenchanted
adj. disillusioned, disabused, undeceived, disappointed; blas‚,
indifferent, jaundiced, sour(ed), cynical: I'm afraid she's now
thoroughly disenchanted with her job.


disengage v. loose, loosen, unloose, detach, unfasten, release,
disconnect, disjoin, undo, disunite, divide, cleave (from),
separate, uncouple, part, disinvolve, extricate, get out (of),
get away (from), cut loose, throw off, shake (off), get rid of,

break (with or from), break (up) (with); unbuckle, unhitch,
unclasp, unlatch, unbolt, unlock, unleash, unfetter, unchain,
unlace, unhook, unbind, untie; (set) free, liberate,
disentangle: She was holding on to me so tenaciously that I
could hardly disengage myself.

disfavour n. 1 disapproval, dislike, displeasure, disapprobation,
unhappiness: Katerina regards your decision with disfavour. 2
disesteem, discredit, dishonour, disgrace, disrepute: After
last night's events, we are really in disfavour with the
management.

--v. 3 disapprove (of), dislike, discountenance, frown on or
upon: We strongly disfavour the merger.


disfigured
adj. marred, damaged, scarred, defaced, mutilated, injured,
impaired, blemished, disfeatured, deformed, distorted, spoilt or
spoiled, ruined: Plastic surgery has repaired her disfigured
face.

disgrace n. 1 ignominy, shame, humiliation, embarrassment, degradation,
debasement, dishonour, discredit, disfavour, disrepute,
vitiation, infamy; disesteem, contempt, odium, obloquy,
opprobrium: His conduct has brought disgrace on his family. 2
blemish, harm, aspersion, blot, scandal, slur, stigma,
vilification, smirch, smear, stain, taint, black mark: The way
she has been treated by the company is a disgrace.


--v. 3 shame, humiliate, embarrass, mortify: He has been
disgraced by his son's cowardice. 4 degrade, debase, dishonour,
discredit, disfavour, vitiate, defame, disparage, scandalize,
slur, stain, taint, stigmatize, sully, besmirch, smirch,
tarnish, smear, asperse, vilify, blacken, drag through the mud,
reflect (adversely) on: Once again his actions have disgraced
the family name.

disgraceful
adj. 1 shameful, humiliating, embarrassing, dishonourable,
disreputable, infamous, ignominious, degrading, debasing,
degraded, debased, base, low, vile, corrupt, bad, wrong, sinful,
evil, low, mean, despicable, contemptible, opprobrious: He was
forced to submit to the most disgraceful punishment. 2

shameless, outrageous, notorious, shocking, scandalous,
improper, unseemly, unworthy; indecent, rude, flagrant, lewd,
lascivious, delinquent, objectionable: Your drunken behaviour
at the party last night was a disgraceful performance.


disgruntled
adj. displeased, dissatisfied, irritated, peeved, vexed, cross,
exasperated, annoyed, unhappy, disappointed, discontented, put
out; malcontent, discontent, testy, cranky, peevish, grouchy,
grumpy, moody, sullen, sulky, ill-humoured, bad-tempered,
ill-tempered, Colloq fed up, Slang browned off, Brit cheesed
off: He was disgruntled at the thought of having to go shopping
in the pouring rain.


disguise v. 1 camouflage, cover up, conceal, hide, mask: The van was
disguised as a hay wagon. 2 misrepresent, falsify, counterfeit,
fake, deceive: They have disguised the true profits to avoid
paying taxes.


--n. 3 guise, identity, cover-up, camouflage, appearance,
semblance, form, outfit, costume: She appeared in the disguise
of a policewoman. 4 pretence, deception, dissimulation, fa‡ade,
semblance, Colloq front: Disguise is seldom resorted to by
spies these days.


disgust v. 1 sicken, offend, nauseate, repel, revolt, put off, outrage,
appal, Slang gross out: His patronizing attitude disgusts those
who work for him.


--n. 2 revulsion, nausea, sickness, repugnance, fulsomeness,
outrage, distaste, aversion: One look at the food filled me
with disgust. 3 loathing, contempt, hatred, abhorrence, odium,
animus, animosity, enmity, antagonism, antipathy, dislike: Some
feel disgust at the thought of eating insects.


disgusted adj. nauseated, sickened, nauseous, queasy; offended, outraged,
Colloq fed up (with), sick (of), sick and tired (of); Slang US
grossed out: Disgusted customers complain about delays in
service.


disgusting
adj. nauseating, sickening, offensive, outrageous, sick-making,
fulsome, repulsive, revolting, repugnant, off-putting,

repellent, obnoxious, loathsome, gross, vile, foul, nasty;
unappetizing, unsavoury, objectionable, distasteful: Spitting
in public is now considered a disgusting way to behave.


dishonest adj. untrustworthy, underhand(ed), dishonourable, fraudulent,
fake, counterfeit, deceiving, deceptive, unfair, double-dealing,
thieving, thievish, knavish, cheating, deceitful, lying,
untruthful, mendacious, treacherous, perfidious, corrupt,
unscrupulous, unprincipled; two-faced, hypocritical; Colloq
crooked, shady; Chiefly Brit slang bent: He was so dishonest he
stole from his mother's purse.

dishonour v. 1 insult, abuse, affront, outrage, slight, offend, injure:
His slaughter of the prisoners has dishonoured our flag. 2
disgrace, degrade, shame, debase, humiliate, mortify, abase,
vitiate, humble: We were all dishonoured by our colleague's
defection. 3 defile, violate, ravish, rape, seduce, deflower,
debauch: The general learned that his wife had been dishonoured
by one of his adjutants.


--n. 4 disesteem, disrespect, irreverence, slight, indignity,
ignominy, disgrace, shame, disrepute, discredit, insult,
offence, affront, loss of face, depreciation, belittlement,
disparagement, detraction, derogation, obloquy: You cannot
retreat without dishonour. 5 aspersion, defamation, libel,
slander, blot, slur, smear, smirch, black mark, blemish,
denigration: His actions have brought us dishonour.

dishonourable
adj. 1 disgraceful, degrading, inglorious, ignominious,
shameful, shaming, base, debased: After the court martial, he
received a dishonourable discharge. 2 unprincipled, shameless,
corrupt, unscrupulous, untrustworthy, treacherous, traitorous,
perfidious, dishonest, hypocritical, two-faced, duplicitous,
disreputable, discreditable, base, despicable; disloyal,
unfaithful, faithless: A double agent is considered
dishonourable by both governments. 3 improper, unseemly,
unbecoming, unworthy, outrageous, objectionable, reprehensible,
flagrant, bad, evil, vile, low, mean, contemptible, below or
beneath criticism, foul, heinous, dirty, filthy: Informing on
your classmates is the most dishonourable thing you can do.

disillusion

v. disabuse, disappoint, disenchant, disenchant, break the
spell, enlighten, set straight, disentrance, disenthral,
undeceive: When I saw her without make-up, I was thoroughly
disillusioned.


disinclined
adj. averse, indisposed, reluctant, unwilling, loath, opposed,
unwilling; hesitant: I was disinclined to try skydiving.


disinfect v. clean, cleanse, purify, purge, sanitize, fumigate,
decontaminate, sterilize: The bedding will have to be
disinfected before it can be used.

disinfectant
n. germicide, antiseptic, sterilizer, bactericide, sanitizer,
fumigant, decontaminant, decontaminator, purifier, cleaner,
cleanser: Most disinfectants are poisonous.

disingenuous
adj. clever, artful, crafty, sly, on the qui vive, cunning,
insidious, foxy, wily, slick, smooth; insincere, false,
dishonest, tricky, devious, deceitful, underhand(ed), guileful,
shifty; double-dealing, two-faced, duplicitous, hypocritical,
scheming, plotting, calculating, designing, contriving: It is
disingenuous to ask for advice when what you want is assistance.

disintegrate
v. break up or apart, shatter, come or fall apart, come or go
or fall to pieces, crumble; decompose, rot, decay, moulder: The
fossil disintegrated in my hands.

disinterested
n. unbiased, impartial, unprejudiced, altruistic, objective,
fair, neutral, open-minded, equitable, just, dispassionate,
detached, even-handed, impersonal, uninvolved: The judge is
supposed to be a disinterested party.

disjointed
adj. 1 disjoined, separate(d), disconnected, unconnected,
dismembered, disunited, divided, split (up): The disjointed
parts of the building were kept in a warehouse. 2 ununified,
loose, incoherent, confused, aimless, directionless, rambling,
muddled, jumbled, mixed up, fitful, discontinuous, disorganized,

unorganized, disorderly: His speech was disjointed - total
gibberish.

dislike v. 1 be averse to, mind, turn from, disfavour, disesteem, be
put or turned off by; hate, loathe, scorn, despise, contemn,
detest, abominate, execrate: I no longer dislike spinach.

--n. 2 aversion, displeasure, distaste, disfavour, disesteem,
disrelish, disaffection, disinclination; loathing, hatred,
animus, animosity, antipathy, detestation, contempt, execration,
ill will; disgust, repugnance; hostility, antagonism: I took an
instant dislike to the fellow. She feels an intense dislike for
her father.


disloyal adj. unfaithful, faithless, untrue, false, untrustworthy,
recreant; treasonable or treasonous, treacherous, traitorous,
unpatriotic, subversive, perfidious, deceitful; renegade,
apostate, heretical: It would be disloyal of you not to vote
along party lines.


dismal adj. depressing, gloomy, cheerless, melancholy, sombre, dreary,
sad, bleak, funereal, lugubrious, forlorn, morose, solemn, dark,
grim, wretched, woebegone, woeful, black, blue, joyless,
doleful, dolorous, unhappy, miserable, lowering; pessimistic:
She was alone, alone on the dismal moor. The prospects for the
company looked very dismal.

dismay v. 1 alarm, frighten, scare, terrify, appal, panic, horrify,
petrify, intimidate, cow, disconcert, unnerve: We were dismayed
when the motor-cycle gang came to the house. 2 unsettle,
discompose, upset, discourage, take aback, startle, shock, put
off, dishearten: I was dismayed to hear she was still married
to Grimsby.


--n. 3 consternation, alarm, anxiety, agitation, terror, panic,
horror, shock, fright, fear, trepidation, apprehension, dread,
awe: The thought of the children alone in the boat filled me
with dismay.


dismiss v. 1 discharge, oust, release, give notice (to), let go, lay
off, throw out, toss out, remove, Chiefly military cashier,
Old-fashioned military drum out, Brit politics deselect, Colloq
fire, send packing, kick out, Brit sack, give (someone) the

sack, boot (out), turn off, US give (someone) his or her walking
papers, give (someone) a pink slip, can; Slang give (someone)
the (old) heave-ho: Gabney has been dismissed without notice.
2 reject, set aside, repudiate, spurn, discount, disregard, lay
aside, put out of one's mind, think no more of, write off,
banish, have or be done with, scorn, discard, ignore, shrug off;
belittle, diminish, pooh-pooh: She dismissed the story as just
so much gossip. 3 disperse, release, disband, send away: After
returning from the mission, the commando unit was dismissed.


dismissal n. 1 discharge, expulsion, notice, Colloq firing, bounce,
marching orders, Chiefly US and Canadian walking papers, Brit
sack, sacking, one's cards, US pink slip; Slang the (old)
heave-ho , Brit the boot: Cholmondley got his dismissal
yesterday. 2 cancellation, adjournment, discharge, end,
release; cong‚: The judge ordered dismissal of the charge of
murder.

disobedient
adj. 1 insubordinate, unruly, naughty, mischievous, bad,
ill-behaved, badly behaved, obstreperous, unmanageable,
refractory, fractious, ungovernable, uncomplying, unsubmissive,
wayward, non-compliant, incompliant, intractable, defiant;
delinquent, derelict, disregardful, remiss, undutiful:
Disobedient children will be kept in after school. 2 contrary,
perverse, wilful, headstrong, stubborn, recalcitrant, obdurate,
obstinate, contumacious, wayward, cross-grained, opposed,
mutinous, rebellious, revolting, anarchic, Colloq pigheaded: We
cannot tolerate disobedient recruits.


disobey v. defy, break, contravene, flout, disregard, ignore, resist,
oppose, violate, transgress, overstep, go counter to, fly in the
face of, infringe, thumb one's nose at, snap one's fingers at,
Brit cock a snook at; mutiny, rebel, revolt, strike: You cannot
play because you disobeyed the rules. If anyone disobeys, throw
him in irons.

disorder n. 1 disarray, confusion, chaos, disorderliness,
disorganization, untidiness, mess, muddle, jumble, hash,
mishmash, tangle, hotchpotch or US and Canadian also hodgepodge,
derangement, shambles, clutter: After the party, the place was
in terrible disorder. 2 tumult, riot, disturbance, pandemonium,
upheaval, ferment, fuss, unrest, uproar, hubbub, hullabaloo,

commotion, clamour, turbulence, turmoil, turbulence, violence,
bedlam, free-for-all, rumpus, brouhaha, fracas, affray, fray,
brawl, Donnybrook, scuffle, fight, mˆl‚e or melee, battle royal,
battle, civil disorder, breach of the peace, Colloq Brit
kerfuffle or carfuffle or kurfuffle, Slang Brit bovver: The
army had to be called out to quell the disorder. 3 ailment,
illness, sickness, affliction, malady, affection, complaint,
disease: The doctors diagnosed it as a liver disorder.


--v. 4 upset, disarrange, muddle, confuse, confound, unsettle,
disorganize, discompose, shake up, disturb, mix (up), befuddle,
jumble, scramble, tangle, snarl: You obscure the sense when you
disorder the words.


disorderly
adj. 1 confused, chaotic, scrambled, muddled, disordered,
irregular, untidy, messy, messed-up, disarranged, disorganized,
unorganized, jumbled, cluttered, haphazard, in disarray,
pell-mell, helter-skelter, Colloq topsy-turvy,
higgledy-piggledy: The books lay about in disorderly array. 2
unruly, uncontrolled, undisciplined, ungoverned, disobedient,
mutinous, rebellious, lawless, obstreperous, refractory,
turbulent, violent, tumultuous, unrestrained, boisterous, noisy,
rowdy, wild; unmanageable, ungovernable, uncontrollable,
intractable: He was charged with being drunk and disorderly.

disorientated
n. confused, bewildered, lost, adrift, (all) at sea, mixed up,
uncertain, unsure, insecure, disoriented, Colloq out of it, in a
fog, Brit off (the) beam, US off the beam: I left by another
door and was completely disorientated for a moment.

disparage v. 1 belittle, diminish, depreciate, devalue or devaluate,
cheapen, talk down, discredit, dishonour, decry, demean,
criticize, denigrate, deprecate, derogate, underrate,
undervalue, downgrade, reduce, minimize: She keeps making
remarks that disparage her husband. 2 run down, slander, libel,
defame, traduce, malign, backbite, vilify, insult, stab in the
back, US back-stab; Colloq poor mouth; Slang US and Canadian
bad-mouth: A loving person never disparages others.

disparity n. difference, discrepancy, gap, inequality, unevenness,
imbalance, dissimilarity, contrast, imparity, inconsistency,

incongruity: Our interests differ owing to the disparity in our
ages.

dispassionate
adj. 1 cool, calm, composed, self-possessed, unemotional,
unexcited, unexcitable, unflappable, level-headed, sober,
self-controlled, even-tempered, unruffled, unmoved, tranquil,
equable, placid, peaceful, serene: You can count on Henry for a
dispassionate treatment of the subject. 2 fair, impartial,
neutral, disinterested, detached, equitable, even-handed,
unbiased, just, objective, unprejudiced, open-minded, candid,
frank, open: The judge is known to be completely dispassionate
in his decisions.


dispatch v. 1 send off or away or out, send on one's way: We dispatched
a messenger with the parcel. 2 send, mail, post, transmit,
forward, ship, express, remit, convey , Chiefly US and Canadian
freight: Please dispatch this letter as quickly as possible. 3
kill, murder, slay, dispose of, put to death, execute, do away
with, do in, assassinate,- liquidate, finish (off), put an end
to, put away (for good), Slang polish off, bump off, eliminate,
gun down, silence, get, erase, rub out, knock off, bury, US ice,
hit, take for a ride, waste, zap: The gang soon dispatched all
their rivals. 4 hasten, hurry, speed up, accelerate, get done,
accomplish, get through, conclude, finish off, complete,
execute, do: The task was dispatched in just two days.

--n. 5 haste, speed, promptness, quickness, expedition,
expeditiousness, celerity, alacrity, swiftness, hurry, rapidity:
She concluded the interview with dispatch and sent me away. 6
communiqu‚, report, bulletin, story, news (item), communication,
message, piece: document, instruction, missive: Here is a
dispatch from our correspondent on Pitcairn Island. 7
execution, killing, murder, disposal, assassination,
dispatching, slaying: The dispatch of the consul left us
without a representative.

dispensable
adj. disposable, non-essential, unessential, inessential,
unnecessary, unneeded, expendable, superfluous, needless,
useless: He said that a dishwasher was a luxury and entirely
dispensable.

dispense v. 1 distribute, give out, hand or pass out, furnish, supply,
provide, give away, deal (out), dole out, parcel out, disburse,
mete out, share (out), issue, apportion, allocate, allot,
assign, Colloq dish out: The Red Cross dispensed medicines to
the stricken villagers. 2 administer, conduct, direct, operate,
superintend, supervise, carry out, execute, discharge, apply,
implement, enforce: It is the governor who dispenses justice in
these islands. 3 dispense with. a do without, forgo, give up,
eschew, relinquish, refuse, waive, forswear, abstain (from),
renounce, reject: Can we dispense with the jokes and get to
work? b do away with, get rid of, eliminate, do without,
dispose of, abolish, manage or do without, remove, cancel,
ignore, render unnecessary or superfluous: Building on solid
rock will dispense with the need for a foundation.


disperse v. 1 spread (out), scatter, broadcast, distribute, circulate,
diffuse, disseminate: The practice is now widely dispersed
throughout Asia. 2 disband, spread out, scatter, dissipate,
break up; disappear, vanish; dispel, dismiss, rout, send off or
away: The crowd dispersed quietly.

displace v. 1 move, transfer, shift, relocate, dislocate, misplace,
disturb, disarrange, disorder, unsettle: The entire population
of the village was displaced when the dam was built. 2 expel,
unseat, eject, evict, exile, banish, depose, remove, oust,
dismiss, discharge, cashier, Colloq fire, kick or throw out,
Brit sack: The voters displaced the corrupt council. 3 take
the place of, supplant, replace, supersede, succeed: Watching
television has displaced reading in many modern homes.


display v. 1 show, exhibit, air, put or set forth, make visible,
expose, evince, manifest, demonstrate, betray, reveal, unveil,
disclose; advertise, publicize: Her paintings are being
displayed at the gallery today. 2 unfurl, unfold, spread or
stretch or open out, present: The ship suddenly displayed the
Jolly Roger. 3 show off, flaunt, parade, flourish, vaunt,
Colloq flash: He goes on those quiz programmes only to display
his knowledge.


--n. 4 show, exhibition, exhibit, presentation, array;
demonstration; exposition, manifestation, revelation: We
visited a display of weapons at the armoury. I have seldom seen
such a display of ignorance. 5 ostentation, spectacle, flourish,

show, parade, ceremony, pageantry, pageant, splendour, array,
panoply, magnificence, grandeur, pomp, splash, ‚clat, ‚lan,
dash: The display put on for Queen Victoria's jubilee was truly
lavish.


displease v. offend, put out, dissatisfy, upset, provoke, exasperate,
worry, trouble, vex, annoy, irritate, pique, irk, nettle, peeve,
chafe, rile, ruffle, anger, infuriate, frustrate, get
(someone's) goat, Colloq miff; Slang US bug: Having to listen
to rock 'n' roll on your damned hi-fi is what displeases me
most.

displeasure
n. 1 dissatisfaction, disapproval, disfavour, discontentment,
distaste, dislike, discountenance: Your parents view your
giving up college with displeasure and disappointment. 2
annoyance, irritation, vexation, chagrin, indignation, dudgeon,
ire, anger, exasperation: He incurred the king's displeasure
and was banished from the land.


disposable
adj. 1 discardable, throw-away, non-returnable, paper, plastic,
biodegradable: The new product is packaged in a disposable
container. 2 available, liquid, spendable, usable, expendable,
obtainable: Her disposable assets include valuable government
bonds.

dispose v. 1 place, arrange, move, adjust, order, array, organize, set
up, situate, group, distribute, put: She is planning how to
dispose the furniture in the room. 2 incline, influence,
persuade, induce, bend, tempt, move, motivate, lead, prompt,
urge: Her actions disposed me to cut her out of my will. 3
dispose of. a deal with, settle, decide, determine, conclude,
finish (with): I hope we can dispose of these matters quickly.
b throw away or out, discard, get rid of, jettison, scrap,
Colloq dump, junk, US trash: Dispose of the remains of the
broken chair. c distribute, give out, deal out, give (away),
dispense, apportion, parcel out, allot, part with, transfer,
make over, bestow, sell: My grandfather disposed of his wealth
before he died. d do away with, finish off, put away, demolish,
destroy, consume, devour, eat, Slang kill (off), knock off,
polish off: She could dispose of four hamburgers at one
sitting. The boys disposed of Louie because he knew too much.


disposed adj. likely, inclined, apt, liable, given, tending or leaning
towards, prone, subject, of a mind to, minded, willing, ready,
predisposed: She was still awake when he got home and seemed
disposed to talk.

disposition
n. 1 character, temper, attitude, temperament, nature,
personality, bent, frame of mind, humour, make-up, spirit:
Alan's son David has a cheerful disposition. 2 arrangement,
organization, placement, disposal, ordering, grouping, set,
placing: I don't care much for the disposition of the
furniture. 3 transfer, transference, dispensation, disposal,
assignment, settlement, determination, bestowal, parcelling out,
distribution: The disposition of father's assets is not your
affair. 4 determination, choice, disposal, power, command,
control, management, discretion, decision, regulation:
Distribution of favours is at the disposition of the crown.


dispossess
v. evict, expel, oust, eject, turn or drive out, dislodge,
Colloq kick or throw out, Brit boot out, US bounce: The
landlord dispossessed them for non-payment of rent.


disproportion
n. inequality, unevenness, disparity, imbalance, asymmetry,
irregularity, lopsidedness, dissimilarity, inconsistency,
incongruity: Now that we're older, there isn't such a
disproportion in our ages.


disproportionate
adj. unbalanced, out of proportion, asymmetrical, irregular,
lopsided, dissimilar, inconsistent, incommensurate, incongruous;
unfair, unequal, uneven, disparate: The windows are
disproportionate to the size of the house. The contractor was
paid a disproportionate amount for his work.

disprove v. refute, confute, invalidate, contradict, negate, rebut,
discredit, controvert, puncture, demolish, destroy, Colloq shoot
or poke full of holes: Modern science has disproved the
phlogiston theory.

disputable

n. debatable, moot, doubtful, uncertain, dubious, questionable,
uncertain, undecided, unsettled, controversial; arguable: His
claim to ownership of the property is disputable.


dispute v. 1 argue with or against, question, debate, challenge,
impugn, gainsay, deny, oppose, fight (against), object to, take
exception to, disagree with, contest, confute, quarrel with,
doubt, raise doubts about, dissent (from): The council dispute
his right to build a hotel on that land. 2 argue (about),
debate, discuss, quarrel about, wrangle over, differ (on or
about): A bill of rights has occasionally been disputed in
Parliament.

--n. 3 argument, debate, disagreement, difference (of opinion),
controversy, polemic, conflict, quarrel, wrangle, velitation;
discussion; Colloq Brit argy-bargy or argie-bargie or
argle-bargle: There is a dispute about the runner's eligibility
for the race. 4 conflict, disturbance, fight, altercation, row,
disagreement, brawl, Donnybrook, feud, rumpus, fracas; strife,
discord; tiff, velitation, US spat: Four people have been
injured in the dispute.

disqualify
v. declare ineligible or unqualified, turn down or away,
reject, exclude, bar, debar, rule out: He was disqualified from
voting because of his age.

disregard v. 1 ignore, overlook, pay little or no heed or attention to,
take little or no notice or account of, dismiss from one's mind
or thoughts, turn a blind eye or deaf ear to, brush aside, pass
up, wink or blink at, make light of, let go by, gloss over, Rare
pretermit: I shall disregard those insulting remarks. 2 snub,
slight, turn up one's nose at, disparage, despise, contemn,
disdain, scorn, (give the) cold shoulder (to), cut; underrate,
underestimate, take little or no account of, undervalue,
minimize, dismiss, sneeze at, Slang brush off, give the go-by:
Visitors often disregard the cultural attractions of Las Vegas.

--n. 3 disrespect, contempt, indifference, inattention,
non-observance, neglect, heedlessness, Rare pretermission;
disdain, low regard, disesteem: Some drive with a profound
disregard for the law.

disrepair n. decay, ruin, collapse, dilapidation, deterioration,
ruination: The house is in a terrible state of disrepair.

disreputable
adj. 1 low, base, abject, contemptuous, unrespectable,
disrespectable, untrustworthy, discreditable, dishonourable,
disgraceful, reprehensible, shameful, despicable, ignominious,
bad, wicked, heinous, vicious, iniquitous, vile, opprobrious,
scandalous, louche, questionable, dubious, Colloq shady: She
keeps disreputable company. 2 dishevelled, unkempt, slovenly,
untidy, shabby, disordered, messy, dirty, bedraggled, scruffy,
seedy, threadbare, tattered, Brit down at heel, raddled, US down
at the heel(s), Colloq sloppy, Slang Brit grotty: That
disreputable beggar is your brother?


disrespect
n. rudeness, impoliteness, discourtesy, incivility,
unmannerliness, irreverence, impudence, impertinence, insolence,
indecorum, Colloq cheek: I meant no disrespect by keeping my
hat on, ma'am.

disrespectful
adj. impolite, rude, discourteous, uncivil, unmannerly,
ill-mannered, bad-mannered, irreverent, impudent, insolent,
indecorous, pert, saucy, forward, Colloq fresh, cheeky: Sara is
sometimes disrespectful to her elders.

disrobe v. undress, strip, bare oneself: She disrobed and put on a
swimsuit.


disrupt v. 1 disorder, upset, disorganize, disturb, unsettle, shake up,
disconcert, agitate: You've disrupted my plan completely. 2
interrupt, break in or into, interfere (with): They disrupted
the meeting with their loud outbursts.


dissatisfaction
n. 1 discontent, discontentment, unhappiness, displeasure,
non-fulfilment, disappointment, frustration, discomfort,
uneasiness, disquiet, malaise: I was left with a feeling of
dissatisfaction at the end of the play. 2 annoyance, irritation,
dismay, displeasure: Complaints concerning dissatisfaction with
the food plagued the hospital administrators.

dissatisfied
adj. discontented, displeased, disappointed, unsatisfied,
discontent, disgruntled, unhappy, unfulfilled, ungratified,
frustrated: We return the full purchase price to any
dissatisfied customer.

dissension
n. disagreement, dissent, discord, contention, strife,
conflict, discordance, friction: The issue has sown dissension
among the members.

disservice
n. harm, damage, injury, wrong, unkindness, bad turn,
disfavour, injustice: It was a disservice to tell my boss about
my expense account.

dissident n. 1 dissenter, nonconformist, protester or protestor, heretic,
rebel, apostate, recusant; revolutionary: Many dissidents were
released and allowed to leave the country.


--adj. 2 disagreeing, nonconformist, nonconforming, dissenting,
dissentient, apostate, non-compliant, heterodox, discordant,
conflicting, contentious: The couple spent ten years in Siberia
for promoting their dissident philosophy.


dissimilar
adj. different, unlike, unalike, distinct, separate,
contrasting, diverse, unrelated, heterogeneous: The styles are
entirely dissimilar.


dissimilarity
n. difference, dissimilitude, unlikeness, disparity;
discrepancy: The dissimilarities between art deco and art
nouveau are too numerous to mention.


dissimulate
v. pretend, dissemble, feign, disguise, camouflage, cover up,
conceal, deceive, misrepresent, fake, counterfeit: She's
dissimulating her real attitude towards the wealthy.


dissimulation
n. deception, misrepresentation, dissembling, deceit,
deception, hypocrisy, sham, pretence, duplicity, double-dealing:

There can be no dissimulation between honest people.

dissipate v. 1 scatter, spread (out), disperse, be dispelled, diffuse;
disseminate, sow, distribute; break up: The crowd had
dissipated by noon. 2 spread thin, evaporate, vanish,
disappear, vaporize, peter out, diminish: By the time we were
ready to go, the clouds had dissipated. 3 squander, waste,
fritter away, throw away, burn up, use up, exhaust, run through:
By the time he was twenty, he had dissipated a huge fortune. 4
revel, carouse, party, sow one's wild oats, burn the candle at
both ends, roister, make merry, debauch, go on a spree: Before
their marriage, he was seen dissipating in the fleshpots of
Europe.


dissipation
n. 1 squandering, waste, wastefulness, profligacy, abandon,
abandonment, self-indulgence, self-gratification,
overindulgence, intemperance, hedonism, fast or high living,
dolce vita, voluptuousness, sensualism, sybaritism,
dissoluteness, dissolution, excess(es), wantonness, debauchery,
carousing, prodigality, recklessness, extravagance, rakishness:
Owing to my dissipation, I had become an alcoholic vagrant. 2
disappearance, dispersion, dispersal, diffusion, scattering,
vanishing: The dissipation of the tear-gas was rapid in the
strong breeze. 3 distraction, amusement, diversion,
entertainment: Reading, once a dissipation, had become an
obsession.

dissociate
v. separate, cut off, sever, disassociate, disjoin, disconnect,
abstract, disengage, detach, isolate, distance, break off
(from), break up (with), divorce, set apart, segregate: I have
carefully dissociated myself from any political party.


dissolute adj. dissipated, debauched, abandoned, corrupt, degenerate,
rakish, profligate, wanton, rakehell, intemperate, incontinent,
loose, licentious, overindulgent, carousing, self-indulgent,
hedonistic, pleasure-bound, immoral, amoral, libidinous,
unrestrained, depraved: He has paid dearly for his dissolute
life.

dissolution
n. 1 disintegration, separation, breakup, breakdown,

separation, breaking up, breaking down, collapse, undoing: Much
ill will attended the dissolution of our marriage. 2
destruction, decomposition, decay, ruin, overthrow, dissolving,
disbandment, dismissal, dispersal, disorganization,
discontinuation; adjournment, ending, end, termination,
conclusion, finish: A vote of no confidence led to the
dissolution of Parliament.

dissolve v. 1 melt (away), liquefy, disperse, disintegrate, diffuse,
decompose, thaw (out), fuse, deliquesce; sublime; vanish,
disappear, fade (away), diminish, decline, peter out: Dissolve
one tablet in water. The sugar dissolved in the tea. 2
collapse, break into, melt into: She dissolved into tears
whenever he shouted at her. 3 break up, disperse, dismiss,
terminate, finish, conclude, adjourn, recess, disband, wind up;
liquidate: We took a vote and dissolved the meeting.

distance n. 1 remoteness, space, gap, interval, mileage, footage,
stretch: What is the distance from here to your house? 2
aloofness, detachment, reserve, coolness, haughtiness, hauteur,
stiffness, rigidity: He maintains a distance between himself
and the servants.

--v. 3 separate, detach, dissociate, disassociate: She
distanced herself from her students.

distant adj. 1 far, far-off, remote, far-away, long-way-off; removed:
The creature said he had come from a distant star. 2 away, off:
The ship is ten miles distant. 3 aloof, detached, reserved,
cool, cold, haughty, standoffish, unapproachable, inaccessible,
withdrawn, reticent, ceremonious, formal, stiff, rigid, frigid,
unfriendly: You find him warm, but I think him very distant.

distaste n. 1 dislike, disfavour, antipathy, disrelish, disinclination;
dissatisfaction, displeasure, discontentment: You know of my
distaste for cocktail parties. 2 aversion, revulsion, disgust,
nausea, abhorrence, loathing, repugnance, horror: She has a
distinct distaste for avocado pears.


distasteful
adj. disgusting, revolting, sick-making, nauseating, nauseous,
repugnant, repulsive, loathsome, fulsome, nasty, disagreeable,
foul, off-putting, unpalatable, obnoxious, objectionable,

offensive, unpleasing, unpleasant, displeasing: I found their
children's table manners quite distasteful.

distinct adj. 1 clear, perceptible, plain, understandable, vivid,
definite, well-defined, precise, exact, unmistakable or
unmistakeable, noticeable, recognizable, obvious, patent,
marked, manifest, evident, apparent, explicit, unambiguous,
clear-cut, palpable, unequivocal, lucid, sharp, pellucid,
limpid, transparent: There is a distinct outline of a figure on
the Turin shroud. 2 separate, detached, discrete, different,
dissimilar, distinguishable, distinguished; individual, sui
generis, unique, special, singular; peculiar, unusual, uncommon,
contrasting: The government of Puerto Rico is distinct from
that of the US. He has been charged with three distinct
offences.

distinction
n. 1 differentiation, discrimination, difference, contrast,
separation, division, dividing line; distinctiveness: Any
distinction between them is difficult to discern. 2 honour,
credit, prominence, eminence, pre-eminence, superiority,
uniqueness, greatness, excellence, quality, merit, worth, value,
prestige, note, importance, significance, consequence, renown,
fame, repute, reputation, celebrity, glory, account: We all
know her as a scholar of distinction.

distinctive
adj. distinguishing, characteristic, unique, singular,
distinct, individual, typical, idiosyncratic, peculiar: She has
developed a distinctive style of her own.

distinguish
v. 1 differentiate, discriminate, tell the difference, tell
apart, determine, judge, decide, tell who's who or what's what:
He is still unable to distinguish between his own twin
daughters. 2 classify, categorize, characterize, individualize,
mark, identify, define, designate, denote, indicate, separate,
single out, set apart; grade, group: The male is distinguished
by his brighter colouring. 3 sense, make out, perceive,
discern, pick out, recognize, identify, detect, notice; see,
espy, descry; hear; smell; taste; feel: I could distinguish two
people in the dark. 4 call attention to, identify, mark, set
apart, separate, segregate, indicate, particularize: She

distinguished herself by her great beauty and her awful voice.

distinguished
adj. 1 celebrated, famous, illustrious, noted, renowned,
notable, noteworthy, pre-eminent, eminent, prominent, honoured,
respected, honourable: Churchill was one of the most
distinguished men of his day. 2 dignified, noble, grand,
stately, distingu‚, royal, regal, aristocratic: What is he
doing in this distinguished gathering?


distort v. 1 twist, warp, deform, misshape, contort, gnarl, bend,
disfigure, wrench: The car was completely distorted in the
crash. 2 twist, warp, slant, tamper with, colour, varnish,
torture, pervert, misrepresent, fabricate, falsify, misstate,
alter, change, bend, garble, violate: She distorted the facts
if she said it was Bill who had a gun.

distract v. 1 divert, deflect, sidetrack, turn aside, draw away: Sorry,
I was distracted for a moment - where were we? 2 divert, amuse,
entertain, gratify, delight, occupy, interest, absorb, engross:
We found the belly-dancers quite distracting. 3 bewilder,
confuse, confound, perplex, puzzle, discompose, befuddle,
mystify, disconcert, fluster, rattle, bemuse, daze, disturb,
agitate, trouble, bother: I am distracted with doubts about
whether to phone the police.

distraction
n. 1 bewilderment, befuddlement, disorder, disturbance, upset,
confusion, agitation: The princess loves you to distraction. 2
diversion, entertainment, amusement: I was never really
interested in him, he was merely a temporary distraction.

distraught
adj. distracted, agitated, troubled, disturbed, upset,
perturbed, wrought or worked up, excited, frantic, at (one's)
wits' end, overwrought, frenetic, nervous, frenzied, feverish,
wild, hysterical, delirious, irrational, crazy, mad, insane,
berserk, run(ning) amok: He is distraught with grief.


distress n. 1 anguish, anxiety, affliction, angst, grief, misery,
torment, ache, pain, suffering, agony, torture, woe, woefulness,
wretchedness; unhappiness, sorrow, sadness, depression,
heartache, desolation: It is impossible to imagine the distress

of a bereaved parent. 2 calamity, trouble, adversity,
catastrophe, tragedy, misfortune, difficulty, hardship, straits,
trial, disaster: Has he no sympathy for the distresses that
have beset his people?


--v. 3 bother, disturb, perturb, upset, trouble, worry, harrow,
harry, vex, harass, plague, oppress, grieve, torment, torture,
afflict: The thought of Miss Camberley as a hostage distressed
us all.


distribute
v. 1 deal or dole out, parcel out, give (out), mete out,
dispense, apportion, allot, share (out), partition, divide up,
assign, issue, circulate, pass out, pass round or around, hand
out, deliver, convey, Colloq dish or spoon out: Emergency
rations were distributed to the flood victims. 2 disperse,
scatter, strew, spread (round or around or about), diffuse,
disseminate: Mammals are uniformly distributed over the globe.
3 sort, classify, class, categorize, assort, arrange, group,
file, order: Distribute the packages according to their size.

distribution
n. 1 apportionment, allotment, allocation, assignment,
parcelling or US also parceling out, sharing; deployment: She
supervised the distribution of the prizes. 2 issuance,
circulation, dissemination, giving (out), dispersal,
dispensation; deployment: The distribution of food parcels is
being handled by charities. 3 arrangement, disposition,
grouping, classification, order, ordering, division,
cataloguing, codification; deployment: What is the distribution
of scientists among the population?

district n. territory, region, section, sector, division, partition,
part, precinct, locality, area, locale, department, province,
community, quarter, neighbourhood, ward: We need a new hospital
in our district.

distrust v. 1 mistrust, doubt, question, be sceptical of, be circumspect
or cautious about, suspect, be suspicious or wary of, discredit,
disbelieve, Colloq smell a rat; Colloq be leery of: I
distrusted her motives from the very beginning.

--n. 2 mistrust, doubt, doubtfulness, uncertainty,

misgiving(s), scepticism, suspicion, disbelief, incredulity,
incredulousness, hesitation, caution, wariness, qualm,
hesitancy: His claims were greeted with distrust.


distrustful
adj. distrusting, untrusting, mistrustful, doubting, chary,
wary, cautious, suspicious, sceptical, doubtful, dubious,
cynical, disbelieving, unbelieving, uneasy, nervous, hesitant,
hesitating, unsure, uncertain, Colloq leery: She is distrustful
of men who bring her flowers.

disturb v. 1 interrupt, disrupt, intrude (on), inconvenience, put out,
interfere (with); bother, pester, annoy, irritate, irk, upset,
plague, hector, harry, harass, worry, vex, provoke, pique,
peeve, get on (someone's) nerves, Colloq bug, miff, get under
(someone's) skin, get in (someone's) hair, drive nuts or crazy
or bats or batty or bananas or up the wall, hassle: The sound
of dripping water disturbed me. Please do not disturb the
animals. 2 agitate, stir or churn (up), shake (up), unsettle,
roil, disorder: The lake's surface was violently disturbed by
an enormous creature. 3 unsettle, affect, upset, damage, harm,
destroy: We put the delicate mechanism where it wouldn't be
disturbed by curious visitors. 4 trouble, disconcert, discomfit,
perturb, ruffle, fluster, upset, agitate, put off, bother,
discommode, put out, unsettle, distress; alarm, Colloq shake
(up): He was greatly disturbed by the death of his father. 5
affect, upset, confound, confuse, change, put off, ruin,
destroy, cancel, make ineffectual or ineffective, negate: Any
change in temperature will disturb the results of the
experiment.

disturbance
n. 1 disruption, disorder, disorganization, disarrangement,
disarray; upheaval, interruption, upset, intrusion,
interference: She won't tolerate any disturbance to her
schedule. 2 commotion, disorder, upset, outburst, tumult,
turmoil, turbulence, violence, hubbub, hullabaloo, hurly-burly,
uproar, brouhaha, rumpus, brawl, mˆl‚e or melee, breach of the
peace, Donnybrook, fray, affray, fracas, trouble, Colloq ruckus,
Brit spot of bother, Slang Brit spot of bovver: There was a
disturbance at the pub yesterday.

disturbed adj. 1 upset, uneasy, uncomfortable, discomfited, troubled,

worried, bothered, agitated, anxious, concerned, apprehensive,
nervous: He's disturbed that Marie didn't come home last night.
2 psychoneurotic, neurotic, unbalanced, psychopathic, psychotic,
maladjusted, mad, insane, out of one's mind, depressed, Colloq
crazy, unable to cope, Brit bonkers, Slang nuts, screwy, batty,
off one's rocker, off the deep end, messed-up, screwed-up: She
looks after her sister, who is disturbed.

disturbing
adj. upsetting, off-putting, perturbing, troubling, unsettling,
worrying, disconcerting, disquieting, alarming, distressing:
There is disturbing news from the front.

disused adj. abandoned, neglected, unused; discontinued, obsolete,
archaic: We had to sleep in a disused railway carriage.

diurnal adj. daily, circadian; day-to-day, regular, everyday,
quotidian; daytime: Jet lag is a disturbance of the body's
diurnal rhythms. Are these animals nocturnal or diurnal?


dive v. 1 plunge, nosedive, sound, descend, dip, submerge, go under,
sink; jump, leap, duck; swoop, plummet: The submarine dived at
once.


--n. 2 plunge, nosedive: The plane went into a dive. 3 bar,
saloon, nightclub, bistro, club, Colloq nightspot, Slang joint,
US dump, honky-tonk, juke-joint: He met the woman in a dive in
Limehouse.


diverge v. 1 separate, radiate, spread (apart), divide, subdivide,
fork, branch (off or out), ramify, split: The roads diverge
further on. 2 deviate, turn aside or away, wander, digress,
stray, depart, drift, divagate: Our policy diverges from that
set up by the committee.


divergent adj. differing, different, dissimilar, disparate, variant,
separate, diverging, disagreeing, conflicting, discrepant:
There are divergent theories about the origin of the universe.


divers adj. various, several, sundry; miscellaneous, multifarious,
manifold, varied, assorted, variegated, differing, different;
some, numerous, many: We have the divers statements of the
witnesses.


diverse adj. different, varied, diversified, multiform, various,
assorted, mixed, miscellaneous; distinctive, distinct, separate,
varying, discrete, dissimilar, differing, divergent,
heterogeneous: Diverse subjects are available for study.

diversify v. vary, variegate, change, mix, change; spread, distribute,
divide, break up, separate; branch out: We must diversify our
investments to hedge against losses. Perhaps this is not a good
time to diversify into other areas.

diversion n. 1 digression, deviation, departure, distraction: George
created a diversion, while we robbed the safe. 2 detour,
sidetrack, deviation, bypass, deviation: Owing to roadworks, we
had to take a diversion off the main road. 3 amusement,
distraction, entertainment, pastime, recreation, divertissement,
game, play, relaxation: She prefers chess for diversion.

diversity n. 1 difference, dissimilarity, dissimilitude, unlikeness,
disparity, deviation, divergence, departure, distinctiveness,
diverseness, variation, variety, individuality, inconsistency,
contrariety, discrepancy, contrast: Flowers are impressive in
their diversity. 2 variety, range, extent, heterogeneity,
multiplicity, multifariousness, variegation, multiformity:
Democracy encourages diversity of opinion.

divert v. 1 switch, rechannel, redirect; change, alter, deflect:
Funds for the new civic centre have been diverted to housing.
We must divert the course of the river. 2 turn away, turn aside,
avert, re-route, deflect; change course, swerve (off or away),
shift, sidetrack, depart, deviate: Cars were diverted to avoid
flooded areas. We diverted from our route because of the
roadworks. 3 entertain, amuse, distract, interest, beguile,
engage, occupy, absorb: We found the stand-up comedian mildly
diverting but not really funny.

divest v. 1 strip, denude, rid, get rid, relieve, disencumber,
deprive, dispossess; despoil, mulct: The company has been
divested of all its assets. 2 divest oneself of. take or put
off, doff, remove; disrobe,unclothe, undress: She divested
herself of her fur coat.

divide v. 1 separate, split (up), break up, cleave, cut up or asunder,

partition, segregate, subdivide; disconnect, disjoin, detach,
sever, sunder, part: Argyle divided his mountaineers into three
regiments. A divided nation cannot stand. Some would like to see
Britain divided from continental Europe. 2 Sometimes, divide up.
distribute, share (out), measure out, parcel out, partition,
dole (out), deal (out), mete out, allocate, allot, apportion,
dispense, give (out): The remaining food was divided among us.
3 separate, split, cause to disagree, alienate, disunite, set at
odds, sow dissension (among), pit or set against one another,
disaffect: Racial issues still divide the people. 4 branch
(out), ramify, split, separate: The road divides there and
passes on each side of that huge rock. 5 categorize, classify,
sort, assort, grade, group, (put in) order, rank, organize,
arrange: You have to divide the books into several piles
according to size.

divine adj. 1 godlike, godly, holy, deiform, deific, angelic,
seraphic, saintly; heavenly, celestial; sacred, sanctified,
hallowed, consecrated, religious, spiritual: They believe in
the divine right of kings. He receives divine inspiration at
divine services. 2 superhuman, supernatural, gifted,
pre-eminent, superior, excellent, supreme, exalted,
transcendent, extraordinary: Even the divine Homer nods. 3
great, marvellous, splendid, superlative, glorious, superb,
admirable, wonderful, awesome, perfect, excellent, beautiful,
Colloq super, great, terrific, smashing, fantastic,
splendiferous, Colloq Brit ace, magic: They say that the new
musical is simply divine.


--v. 4 intuit, imagine, conjecture, guess, assume, presume,
infer, suppose, hypothesize, surmise, suspect, understand,
perceive, speculate, theorize, predict, foretell, have
foreknowledge of; determine, discover: He had divined that she
might be there.


--n. 5 holy man, priest, clergyman, cleric, ecclesiastic,
minister, pastor, reverend, churchman, prelate: At his club, he
enjoys the company of bishops, archbishops, and other divines.


division n. 1 dividing, split, splitting (up), breaking up, partition,
partitioning, partitionment, separation, separating, diremption,
segmentation, segmenting, compartmentation, sectioning,
apportioning, apportionment, allotment: In England a division

between Church and State is not recognized. 2 section,
compartment, segment; partition, separation: Egg crates have
144 divisions. 3 branch, department, sector, section, unit,
group, arm; part, set, category, class, classification: The
textile division of the company lost money last year. 4
boundary (line), border, borderline, frontier, margin, line,
dividing line: Where is the division between good and evil? 5
discord, disagreement, upset, conflict, strife, disunity,
disunion: The issue of equal rights has led to much division
within the movement.

divorce n. 1 separation, split, split-up, dissolution, severance,
disunion, break-up: Their divorce after twenty years surprised
everyone.


--v. 2 separate, divide, split (up), part, sever, detach,
dissociate, disassociate; dissolve: A splinter group has
divorced itself from the main party. We were divorced last year.


dizzy adj. 1 giddy, vertiginous, light-headed, faint, dazed,
tottering, unsteady, reeling, tipsy, Colloq woozy: I felt dizzy
after going down the helter-skelter. 2 confused, silly, giddy,
empty-headed, scatterbrained, muddled, befuddled, flighty,
feather-headed, feather-brained, rattle-brained, hare-brained,
frivolous: He is dizzy with power.

4.4 dock...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



dock n. 1 wharf, pier, berth, jetty, quay: We went to the dock to
see them off.

--v. 2 (drop) anchor, berth, tie up, moor, land, put in: The
ship docks at noon.

doctor n. 1 physician, medical practitioner, M.D., general
practitioner, G.P., Colloq medic, medico, doc, sawbones, bones:
You ought to see a doctor about that cough.


--v. 2 treat, attend, medicate; cure, heal; practise medicine:
She knows very little about doctoring children, in spite of
having worked as a general practitioner. 3 mend, repair, patch

(up), fix: We doctored the tyre as best we could. 4 falsify,
tamper with, adulterate, disguise, change, modify, alter; cut,
dilute, water (down); spike; drug, poison: This sauce has been
doctored.


doctrine n. teaching, body of instruction, precept; principle, tenet,
dogma, article of faith, canon, conviction, creed, belief,
credo, opinion, idea, concept, theory, proposition, thesis,
postulate: Few believe the doctrine that all men are created
equal.

document n. 1 paper, certificate, instrument, report, chronicle, record:
All the legal documents are at my lawyer's office.


--v. 2 record, chronicle, particularize, detail, describe;
verify, validate, certify, authenticate, corroborate,
substantiate: Detectives have documented every move you made
since the murder.


doddering adj. shaking, quaking, palsied, trembling, trembly, quivering,
quavering, reeling, unsteady, shaky, staggering, shambling,
decrepit, faltering; feeble, weak, frail, infirm; aged, old,
superannuated, senile, anile: Once a vigorous sportsman, his
illness has reduced him to a doddering octogenarian.


dodge v. 1 dart, shift, move aside, sidestep, duck, bob, weave,
swerve, veer: He dodged here and there across the traffic. 2
avoid, elude, evade, escape from: He neatly dodged the punches
of his opponent. 3 escape from answering, sidestep, duck,
evade, hedge; quibble, tergiversate, double-talk, Colloq waffle:
She dodged the questions put to her by the interviewer.

--n. 4 trick, subterfuge, ploy, scheme, ruse, device,
stratagem, plan, plot, machination, chicane, deception,
prevarication, contrivance, evasion, Slang wheeze, racket:
Crenshaw worked out a new dodge to avoid paying tax.

dodgy adj. tricky, dangerous, perilous, risky, difficult, ticklish,
sensitive, delicate, touchy; uncertain, unreliable; rickety,
Colloq chancy, hairy, Brit dicky, dicey: Climbing up the sheer
face of that rock could be a bit dodgy. You shouldn't be
exerting yourself with your dodgy ticker.

dogmatic adj. arbitrary, categorical, dictatorial, imperious,
peremptory, overbearing, doctrinaire, authoritarian, emphatic,
insistent, assertive, arrogant, domineering; obdurate, stubborn;
opinionated, positive, certain, Rare thetic(al), Colloq pushy:
Patrick tends to be quite dogmatic when he is sure of his
ground.

dole n. 1 portion, allotment, share, quota, lot, allowance, parcel;
compensation, benefit, grant, award, donation, gift, largesse,
alms, gratuity; Slang hand-out: The prisoners received a daily
dole of bread. If you've lost your job, are you eligible for the
dole? 2 distribution, apportionment, allocation, dispensation:
The money was given to the disaster victims by dole.


--v. 3 give (out), deal (out), distribute, hand out, mete out,
share (out), dispense, allot, allocate, apportion, Colloq dish
out: They dole out the reparations on the basis of need.

doleful adj. sad, sorrowful, melancholy, gloomy, mournful, cheerless,
joyless, sombre, depressed, disconsolate, blue, down,
distressed, dejected, downhearted, forlorn, unhappy, lugubrious,
dolorous, wretched, miserable, woebegone, dreary, woeful, Colloq
down in the mouth, down in the dumps; distressing, funereal,
depressing, grievous, harrowing: From his doleful expression I
thought he would cry any minute. She lives in the most doleful
surroundings.

dolt n. fool, ass, blockhead, dunce, dullard, idiot, nitwit,
ignoramus, numskull or numbskull, donkey, nincompoop, ninny,
ninny-hammer, simpleton, dunderpate, dunderhead, bonehead,
simpleton, twit, fat-head, goon, moron, imbecile, Colloq dope,
dumb-bell, dim-wit, chump, dummy, halfwit, birdbrain, pinhead,
clot, clod, chucklehead, Brit muggins, US thimble-wit, jerk,
knuckle-head, lunkhead, meat-head, lame-brain, dingbat,
ding-a-ling, flake: The dolt actually tried to buy striped
paint!

domain n. 1 realm, dominion, territory, property, land(s), province,
kingdom, empire: At one time his domain included most of
Europe. 2 province, realm, territory, field, bailiwick, area,
department, sphere, discipline, speciality, specialization,
concern: As a dentist, he considered diseases of the throat
outside his domain.


domestic adj. 1 home, private, family, familial; residential, household:
Her domestic life is a shambles. This toaster is for domestic
use. 2 tame, domesticated, house-trained, house-broken: Tenants
are forbidden to keep domestic animals. 3 home, native,
indigenous, internal, autochthonous: The domestic market
accounts for most of the company's income.

--n. 4 servant, (hired) help, housekeeper, major-domo, steward:
Her domestics left and she now does the cleaning herself.

domicile n. 1 dwelling (place), residence, abode, home, habitation,
(living) quarters, housing, accommodation(s), lodging(s), Colloq
Brit digs, diggings, Slang pad: Domiciles in south-east England
have increased enormously in value.

--v. 2 locate, quarter, lodge, settle, establish, situate,
domiciliate: She is domiciled abroad, hence pays no income tax
here.


dominant adj. 1 commanding, authoritative, controlling, governing,
ruling, leading, reigning, influential, assertive, supreme,
superior, ascendant: He has taken a dominant role in promoting
foreign language teaching. 2 predominant, chief, main,
principal, primary, prevailing, outstanding, pre-eminent,
paramount: A large nose is a dominant characteristic in their
family.

dominate v. 1 command, control, govern, rule, direct, lead, reign
(over), exercise command or authority or control or rule over,
have the whip or upper hand (over), run (things), be in or have
under control, rule the roost or roast, Colloq call the shots or
the tune, wear the trousers or US the pants, be in the driver's
seat, rule with an iron hand, have under one's thumb: She
clearly dominates the board of directors. 2 overlook, look
(out) over, tower over or above, rise above, overshadow;
predominate: The Eiffel Tower dominates the Parisian skyline.

domination
n. 1 authority, control, rule, power, command, influence, sway,
supremacy, ascendancy, hegemony, the whip or upper hand,
pre-eminence, mastery: The tsar's domination lasted for more
than thirty years. 2 oppression, subjection, repression,

suppression, subordination, enslavement, enthralment;
dictatorship, despotism, tyranny: The Allies finally brought to
an end the Fascist domination of Europe.


domineering
adj. overbearing, imperious, officious, arrogant, autocratic,
authoritarian, high-handed, high and mighty, masterful,
arbitrary, peremptory, dictatorial, despotic, tyrannical,
oppressive, strict, hard, harsh, tough, Colloq bossy, pushy: A
classic character in humorous writing is the domineering spouse.

dominion n. 1 rule, authority, control, dominance, domination, grasp,
mastery, grip, command, jurisdiction, power, sovereignty, sway,
ascendancy, pre-eminence, primacy, supremacy, hegemony: The
magician claimed dominion over the entire universe. 2 domain,
realm, territory, region, area, country, kingdom: For six
generations the dynasty ruled over its dominions on five
continents.


donate v. give, provide, supply, present, contribute, subscribe (to or
for), pledge, award, bestow, confer, grant, vouchsafe, will,
bequeath: Lady Crayford donated two silver candlesticks to our
charity drive.


donation n. 1 gift, contribution, largesse, present, grant, award, alms,
offering, bequest: Donations have exceeded our expectations. 2
giving, contribution, bestowal, allotment, provision, offer: We
are seeking the donation of a piano for our theatre group.


donor n. giver, provider, supplier, benefactor or benefactress,
contributor, supporter, backer: Blood donors receive a suitably
inscribed certificate.

doom n. fate, karma, destiny, fortune, lot, kismet; downfall,
destruction, death, ruin, extinction, annihilation, death, end,
termination, terminus: The young warrior had defied the Snake
God, and his doom was sealed.

doomed adj. 1 fated, cursed, condemned, damned, destined, ordained,
foreordained, predestined: She was doomed to live for ever. 2
accursed, bedevilled, ill-fated, luckless, star-crossed,
bewitched, condemned: The doomed ship sank to the bottom of the
sea.


dope n. 1 See dolt. 2 narcotic, drug, opiate, hallucinogen,
psychedelic, Slang upper, downer: He was caught trying to
smuggle dope past customs. 3 information, data, facts, news,
details, story, scoop, Slang info, low-down, score, Brit gen, US
and Canadian poop: The real dope on the minister is
sensational!

dormant adj. 1 asleep, sleeping, slumbering, resting, at rest, quiet,
inactive, still, inert, unmoving, motionless, stationary,
immobile, quiescent, comatose, torpid, hibernating, slumberous,
somnolent, sleepy, lethargic, dull, sluggish: The bears are
dormant during much of the winter. 2 latent, potential, hidden,
concealed, undisclosed, unrevealed, unexpressed: The theory lay
dormant for centuries and has only recently been revived.

dose n. 1 portion, quantity, amount, measure, dosage: How big a
dose of the medication did the doctor prescribe?


--v. 2 dispense, administer, prescribe: I was dosed with
medicine and slept all day.

dot n. 1 spot, speck, point, jot, mark, iota, fleck, dab; decimal
point, Brit full stop, US period: Use three dots to denote text
omissions. 2 on the dot. exactly, precisely, punctually, to the
minute or second, on time, Colloq on the button: She arrived at
noon on the dot.

--v. 3 spot, fleck, speckle, stipple, bespeckle: The wallpaper
is dotted with tiny squares of colour.

dote v. Often, dote on or upon. be fond of, be infatuated with,
love, idolize, hold dear, adore, make much of; coddle, pamper,
spoil, indulge: I think she dotes on her husband at the expense
of the children. What we need is a doting grandmother to
babysit when we want to go out.

double adj. 1 twofold, paired, coupled, duplicate(d), doubled: The
forms banned and banning are spelt with a double n . 2 folded
or doubled or bent over, overlapped, two-ply: This wound needs
a double bandage. 3 dual, twofold, ambiguous, double-barrelled:
He pronounced it 'de-seat', giving deceit a double meaning. 4
twice: The plant had grown to double its size. 5 deceitful,

dishonest, treacherous, traitorous, insincere, hypocritical,
double-dealing, false: It was Maria who exposed Fernando as a
double agent.


--v. 6 duplicate, replicate; copy; increase, enlarge; magnify:
We'll have to double our milk order.

--n. 7 twin, duplicate, copy, replica, facsimile, clone, copy,
counterpart, doppelg„nger, look-alike, stand-in, understudy,
Slang (dead) ringer, spitting image or spit and image: He could
be Clint Eastwood's double. 8 at or on the double. quickly, on
the run, at full speed or tilt, briskly, immediately, at once,
without delay, Slang p.d.q. (= 'prety damned quick'): Put down
that book and come over here on the double!


double-cross
v. cheat, defraud, swindle, hoodwink, trick, betray, deceive,
mislead, play false with, Colloq two-time: He swore he'd give
me the money but he double-crossed me and kept it himself.


doubt v. 1 disbelieve, discredit, mistrust, distrust, have misgivings
(about), question, suspect: I doubted his ability to beat the
record. 2 hesitate, waver, vacillate, fluctuate, scruple, be
uncertain, entertain doubts, have reservations: Who ever
doubted about her honesty?

--n. 3 uncertainty, hesitation, misgiving, reservation(s),
qualm, anxiety, worry, apprehension, disquiet, fear: He has
harboured doubts about the success of the enterprise. 4
distrust, mistrust, suspicion, incredulity, scepticism,
dubiousness, dubiety or dubiosity, lack of faith or conviction,
irresolution: Her doubts about his intentions have evaporated.
5 in doubt. See doubtful, below.


doubtful adj. 1 in doubt, dubious, questionable, open to question,
problematic, debatable, disputable, uncertain, unpredictable,
indeterminate, unsettled, unresolved, conjectural, indefinite,
unclear, obscure, vague, anybody's guess , Colloq up in the air:
The result is very doubtful. 2 sceptical, unconvinced,
distrustful, mistrustful, suspicious, uncertain, unsure,
hesitant, hesitating, vacillating, indecisive: I am doubtful
whether an investigation will yield anything. 3 dubious,
questionable, shady, louche, disreputable, controversial: Those

are people of doubtful reputation.

doubtless adv. 1 doubtlessly, undoubtedly, no doubt, indubitably,
indisputably, unquestionably, surely, for sure, certainly, for
certain, naturally, without (a) doubt, beyond or without (a
shadow of) a doubt, truly, positively, absolutely, Colloq
absotively, posolutely, US make no mistake: You doubtless
remember my aunt? 2 probably, most or very likely, in all
probability, supposedly, presumably: He will doubtless be
refused entry into the country.

dour adj. 1 sullen, sour, unfriendly, cold, gloomy, morose, dreary,
grim, cheerless, dismal, forbidding: We went to Spain, away
from the dour northern climate. 2 hard, tough, austere, severe,
hardy, inflexible, obstinate, stubborn, unyielding,
uncompromising, strict, rigid, obdurate, stern, harsh, adamant,
Colloq hard-nosed: Her father was a dour Scot who wouldn't let
me in the house.


dowdy adj. frowzy, frumpy, drab, dull, seedy, shabby, unseemly,
unbecoming; slovenly, sloppy, messy, unkempt; old-fashioned,
unfashionable, Colloq US tacky: Aunt Patience looked
particularly dowdy in her dressing-gown and slippers.


down and out
adj. 1 indigent, poverty-stricken, poor, penniless, destitute,
impoverished, Colloq broke, US on the skids, on skid row, on the
bum, Slang Brit skint: Those vagrants are down and out and need
help, not pity.


--n. 2 down-and-out. derelict, beggar, outcast, tramp, vagrant,
vagabond, US bum: He took to drink and ended up a complete
down-and-out.


downfall n. ruin, undoing, d‚bƒcle, collapse, degradation, defeat,
overthrow, breakdown: Selling the company to the conglomerate
spelt its downfall.

downgrade v. 1 demote, dethrone, humble, lower, reduce, displace, depose,
dispossess, disfranchise or disenfranchise, US military bust;
Colloq bring or take down a peg: He was downgraded from
supervisor to foreman. 2 belittle, minimize, play down,
disparage, decry, denigrate, run down, US and Canadian downplay:

How could she downgrade her own sister?

--n. 3 descent, decline, declension, (downward) slope,
gradient, grade, inclination: Apply the brake as you approach
the downgrade. 4 on the downgrade. on the wane, waning,
declining, falling, slipping, falling off, losing ground, going
downhill, US and Canadian on the skids: After the drug scandal,
her popularity was on the downgrade.


downhearted
adj. discouraged, depressed, low-spirited, miserable, blue,
sad, downcast, dejected: Don't be so downhearted, we know you
can win the gold medal.


downpour n. rainstorm, deluge, inundation, cloudburst, thunder-shower,
thunderstorm, torrential rain, torrent; monsoon: We got caught
in that downpour without an umbrella.

downright adj. 1 direct, straightforward, plain, frank, open, candid,
plain-spoken, explicit, blunt, brash, bluff, not roundabout or
circuitous, unambiguous, out-and-out, outright, categorical,
flat, unequivocal, outspoken, unreserved, unabashed,
unrestrained, unconstrained, bold: She speaks with a downright
honesty you have to admire.


--adv. 2 completely, entirely, totally, thoroughly, certainly,
surely, (most) assuredly, definitely, absolutely,
unconditionally, unequivocally; very, extremely, unqualifiedly,
perfectly, uncompromisingly, unmitigatedly, utterly,
unquestionably, profoundly, undoubtedly, indubitably: It's
downright stupid of you to leave in this weather.

downtrodden
adj. subjugated, oppressed, burdened, plagued, afflicted,
exploited, overwhelmed, cowed, overcome, beaten, abused,
mistreated, maltreated, tyrannized, Colloq beat: This poor,
downtrodden wreck of a man had once been on top.

downward adj. declining, sliding, slipping, spiralling, descending,
going or heading or moving down: This downward trend in the
market will soon be reversed.

downwards adv. down, downward, below, lower: We moved downwards, towards

the centre of the earth.

doze v. 1 Often, doze off. (take or have a) nap, catnap, drowse,
sleep, slumber, Colloq snooze, have forty winks, drop or nod
off, grab some shut-eye, Chiefly Brit (have or take a) zizz,
Brit kip, US catch or log a few zees (Z's): I was dozing in the
sun when the phone rang.

--n. 2 nap, catnap, siesta, sleep; rest; Colloq snooze, forty
winks, shut-eye, Brit zizz, kip, lie-down: I'll have a short
doze before dinner.

4.5 drab...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



drab adj. dull, colourless, dreary, dingy, lacklustre, lustreless,
dismal, cheerless, grey, sombre: She wore drab clothes and no
make-up.


draft n. 1 plan, sketch, drawing, outline, rough (sketch), blueprint,
diagram, prospectus: We must have the draft of the new design
by morning. 2 bill of exchange, cheque, money order, postal
order; letter of credit: Our customer issued a draft in full
payment.

--v. 3 sketch, delineate, outline, design, plan, frame, block
out, compose, diagram, draw (up): The art department has
drafted the layout for the new encyclopedia.


drag v. 1 pull, draw, haul, tow, tug, trail, lug: It took the two
of us to drag the desk into the other office. 2 pull, distract,
draw; induce, persuade, coax, wheedle: She's been unable to
drag him away from the TV. 3 trudge, slog, crawl, creep, inch,
shuffle, shamble: He's looking for a job and just drags along
from one employment agency to another. 4 trail (behind), linger,
dawdle, lag (behind), straggle, draggle, potter, loiter, poke
(along), dilly-dally, US lallygag: She just drags along after
us wherever we go. 5 (be) prolong(ed), (be) extend(ed),
(be)draw(n) out, (be) protract(ed), (be) stretch(ed) out, spin
out or be spun out: Why drag out the agony of uncertainty any
longer? His speech dragged on for another hour. 6 drag one's
feet or heels. delay, procrastinate, hang back; obstruct, block,

stall: The committee is dragging its feet on the housing issue.

--n. 7 bore, nuisance, annoyance; pest; Colloq drip, pain (in
the neck), headache: That course in botany is a real drag.


drain n. 1 ditch, channel, trench, culvert, conduit, pipe, gutter,
outlet, watercourse, sewer, cloaca: The storm drains have
overflowed. 2 depletion, reduction, sapping, sap, exhaustion,
strain, drag; outgo, outflow, withdrawal, disbursement,
expenditure: The cost of the new roof was a drain on our
resources. 3 down the drain. wasted, gone, thrown away, lost,
Slang up the spout: All that money spent on his education went
down the drain.


--v. 4 draw off, tap, extract, remove, take away, withdraw,
pump off or out; empty, evacuate, drink up or down, quaff,
swallow, finish: After washing the lettuce, drain off the
water. He drained the glass in one gulp. 5 consume, use up,
exhaust, sap, deplete, bleed, strain, tax, spend; weaken,
debilitate, impair, cripple: The car repairs drained my bank
account. After climbing to the top of the mountain, we were
completely drained. 6 seep, trickle, ooze, drip, leave, go or
flow from or out of, disappear (from), ebb: Let the pus drain
from the boil. The blood drained from his face when he saw her.


drama n. 1 play, stage play, photoplay, screenplay, (stage) show,
(theatrical) piece, (stage) production; scenario: He plays only
in dramas, never in musicals. 2 dramaturgy, stagecraft, theatre
art(s), Thespian or histrionic art(s), acting, theatre, dramatic
art: She has studied drama at RADA. 3 histrionics, dramatics,
theatrics, theatricalism, play-acting: There's always a drama
over who's going to wash up.

dramatic adj. 1 theatric(al), dramaturgic(al), Thespian, histrionic,
stage: She was studying the dramatic works of Shakespeare.
There will be a festival of dramatic arts at the centre next
week. 2 vivid, sensational, startling, breathtaking, sudden,
striking, noticeable, extraordinary, impressive, marked,
shocking, expressive, graphic, effective; complete,
considerable, radical, major: A dramatic change has come over
him since meeting her. 3 flamboyant, melodramatic, colourful,
showy, stirring, spectacular; theatrical, histrionic,
exaggerated, overdone: His presentation was quite dramatic,

well staged and with much arm-waving.

dramatist n. playwright, dramaturge, screenwriter, scriptwriter,
scenarist, tragedian, melodramatist: The actors failed to carry
out the dramatist's intentions.

dramatize v. exaggerate, overplay, overstate, overdo, make a production
or show (out) of, Colloq lay it on (thick), pile it on, ham
(something or it) up: He always dramatizes everything way out
of proportion.

drape v. 1 hang, festoon, swathe, deck, array, bedeck, adorn,
ornament, decorate: The coffin was draped with the national
flag.


--n. 2 drapery, curtain; hanging, tapestry: The drapes match
neither the carpet nor the wallpaper.

drapery n. drape, curtain; hanging, valance, pelmet, tapestry, arras,
portiŠre, lambrequin, drop: Which colour will you choose for
the drapery?

drastic adj. violent, severe, extreme, strong, powerful, potent,
puissant, fierce, forceful, vigorous, rigorous, harsh, radical,
Draconian, desperate, dire: I shall have to take drastic
measures if this misbehaviour continues.

draught n. 1 breeze, breath (of air), (light) wind, current (of air),
puff (of air or wind): You'll get a cold sitting in the
draught. 2 dose, portion, measure, quantity, drink, swallow,
sip, nip, tot, potation, dram, gulp, Colloq swig, tipple: The
doctor recommended a draught of this tonic before meals.

draw v. 1 pull, tug, tow, drag, haul, lug: The gypsy caravan was
drawn by two horses. 2 pull or take out, extract; unsheathe,
unholster: The cowboy drew his gun and began firing. 3 draw
off; pour; drain off or out: She drew two pails of water for
the horses. 4 attract, gather, allure, lure, bring out or
forth, elicit, Colloq pull: Anything will draw a crowd in New
York. 5 depict, sketch, portray, outline, delineate, design,
limn, paint: The artist was drawing pictures in chalk on the
pavement. 6 devise, draw up, draft, create, contrive, frame,
compose, prepare: The plans for the new civic centre have not

yet been drawn. 7 inhale, breathe (in), inspire; suck in:
She's very ill and may draw her last breath any minute. 8 draw
out, withdraw, take, receive, get, acquire, obtain, secure,
procure, extract, remove: I have to draw some money from my
bank account for groceries. 9 choose, pick, select, take: It
is your turn to draw a card. 10 draw back. retreat, recoil,
shrink (from), withdraw: He drew back quickly when he saw the
snake. 11 draw in. arrive, pull in: The train drew in to the
station. 12 draw off. a tap, pour: The barmaid drew off two
large beers from the keg. b withdraw, draw or go away, depart,
leave: The Indians drew off and waited to see what we would do.
13 draw on. a employ, use, make use of, exploit, have resort or
recourse to, resort to, fall back on, rely or depend on: She
drew on her years of experience as a doctor. b come close or
near, near, draw nigh, approach, advance: With the cold season
drawing on, we had to get in the crops. 14 draw out. a extend,
drag out, prolong, protract, lengthen, stretch, spin out: Her
visit has been drawn out to a week. b elicit, evoke, induce to
talk: I drew him out on his feelings about social security. c
See 8, above. 15 draw up. a halt, stop, pull up or over: A
taxi drew up and I got in. b draft, compose, prepare, put down
(in writing), frame, compile, put together, formulate: We drew
up the agreement only yesterday. c arrange, deploy, position,
order, rank, marshal: The troops were drawn up in full battle
array.

--n. 16 magnetism, attraction, lure, enticement, Colloq pull,
drawing power: The draw of the rock concert was extraordinary.
17 tie, stalemate, dead heat, deadlock: The race ended in a
draw for second place.

drawback n. disadvantage, hindrance, stumbling-block, obstacle,
impediment, hurdle, obstruction, snag, problem, difficulty,
hitch, catch, handicap, liability, flaw, defect, detriment,
Colloq fly in the ointment; Taboo nigger in the woodpile: Lack
of education is a serious drawback to getting a good job.

drawing n. picture, depiction, representation, sketch, plan, outline,
design, composition, black-and-white, monochrome: The book is
illustrated by some delightful pen-and-ink drawings.

drawn adj. haggard, worn out, tired, fatigued, strained, pinched,
tense, exhausted: Sidonia looks a bit drawn after her ordeal.


dread v. 1 fear, be afraid of, apprehend, anticipate, flinch, shrink
or recoil from, cringe or quail or blench or wince at, view with
horror or alarm: She dreads any kind of surgery.


--n. 2 fear, fright, fearfulness, trepidation, apprehension,
apprehensiveness, uneasiness, anticipation, alarm, nervousness,
qualm, queasiness, misgiving, dismay, worry, anxiety,
consternation, concern, distress, perturbation, disquiet,
aversion, horror, terror, panic, Colloq cold feet, butterflies
(in the stomach), the jitters; Slang the heebie-jeebies, the
willies, the collywobbles: I regarded the history exam with
dread.


--adj. 3 feared, dreaded, dreadful, terrifying, terrible:
Before us, breathing fire, was the dread dragon of the Druids.

dreadful adj. 1 bad, awful, terrible, Colloq rotten, Slang lousy: That
TV soap opera is simply dreadful. 2 grievous, dire, horrible,
horrendous, horrifying, horrid, monstrous, fearful, feared,
frightful, dread, frightening, shocking, alarming, appalling,
fearsome, hideous, ghastly, atrocious, heinous, wicked, evil,
iniquitous, villainous, flagitious, fiendish, diabolical,
devilish, demonic, malevolent, maleficent, malefic, Colloq
scary: They did the most dreadful things to political
prisoners.

dream n. 1 reverie, day-dream, delusion, fantasy, hallucination,
illusion, vision, mirage, pipedream, (flight of) fancy,
speculation: When I awoke I realized that my winning the
lottery had just been a dream.

--v. 2 imagine, fancy, conjure up, hallucinate: I dreamt I
dwelt in marble halls.


dreamer n. fantasizer, visionary, idealist, romantic, romanticist,
idealizer, Utopian; day-dreamer, escapist, fantasizer,
star-gazer: If you think people change, you're a dreamer.


dreamlike adj. unreal, fantastic, unbelievable, phantasmagoric(al),
hallucinatory or hallucinative or hallucinational, surreal,
delusionary or delusional, illusionary or illusional, delusive
or delusory, illusory or illusive, insubstantial or

unsubstantial, imaginary, chimeric(al), fanciful, fancied,
visionary: His plans have a dreamlike quality about them that
make them impractical.


dreamy adj. 1 dreamlike, vague, indefinite, indistinct, undefined,
intangible, misty, shadowy, faint: He has a dreamy recollection
of being awakened in the middle of the night. 2 absent-minded,
absent, far-away, abstracted, pensive, thoughtful; day-dreaming,
musing, occupied, in a reverie, in a brown study, in the clouds;
Colloq off somewhere: I was in a dreamy mood, my mind wandering
through old memories. 3 relaxing, soothing, calming, lulling,
gentle, tranquil, peaceful, peaceable, quiet; lazy, sleepy,
drowsy: It was one of those dreamy, hot midsummer days.


dreary adj. 1 dismal, joyless, cheerless, gloomy, bleak, drear,
sombre, doleful, depressing, wretched; sad, melancholy,
downcast, depressed, funereal, glum, unhappy, forlorn, mournful,
morose, blue, miserable: One more day on these dreary moors and
I shall go mad. Caroline was again in a dreary mood. 2 boring,
lifeless, colourless, ennuyant, drab, dull, arid, dry,
uninteresting, dead, monotonous, prosaic, tedious, tiresome,
tiring, wearisome, wearying, humdrum, ordinary, vapid,
run-of-the-mill, unstimulating, unexciting: Do you mean to tell
me that that dreary book is a best seller!


dregs n.pl. 1 sediment, grounds, lees, deposit, residue, solids,
remains; precipitate: Filter the coffee to remove the dregs. 2
outcasts, pariahs, rabble, riff-raff, scum, tramps,
down-and-outs, losers: That park is frequented by the dregs of
society.

drench v. soak, saturate, wet, flood, inundate, immerse, drown: She
had no coat or umbrella and got completely drenched in the
storm.


dress v. 1 clothe, put on (clothing or clothes), attire, apparel,
outfit, fit out, garb, accoutre or US also accouter; array,
bedeck, deck out, rig out, smarten up: They dressed him to look
like a prince. 2 array, equip, adorn, decorate, deck out,
arrange: He has a job dressing shop windows. 3 bandage, treat,
medicate, doctor: After dressing my wound they gave me a
sedative. 4 dress down. reprimand, scold, berate, castigate,
rebuke, reprove, upbraid, Colloq tell off, haul (someone) over

the coals, Brit tear (someone) off a strip, US and Canadian chew
out, US rake (someone) over the coals, tee off on (someone):
The colonel dressed us down and cancelled all leave. 5 dress
up. a put on dinner or formal clothes, put on one's (Sunday)
best (clothes), Colloq put on one's best bib and tucker or one's
glad rags: On the cruise, we dressed up in our dinner-jackets
every night. b (put on a) costume, disguise, masquerade,
camouflage, put on fancy dress: The children dressed up as
goblins for Hallowe'en.


--n. 6 frock, gown, outfit, costume, Colloq get-up: Why not
wear your new dress to the dance tonight?

dressmaker
n. seamstress, tailor, couturier or couturiŠre, modiste: She's
at the dressmaker's having a ball gown fitted.

dressy adj. 1 formal, dressed-up, elegant, fancy, chic: A black suit
is too dressy to wear tonight - it's not a dressy party. 2
elegant, smart, stylish, Colloq classy, ritzy, Brit swish:
That's a very dressy outfit, I must say!

drift v. 1 coast, float, waft: A log drifted by on the tide. 2
wander, roam, meander, stray, rove, ramble, Colloq mosey: He
seems just to drift through life, without a purpose.

--n. 3 trend, tendency, direction, course, current, bias,
inclination, flow, sweep, bent: The drift of the conversation
seemed to be towards politics. 4 intention, meaning, purport,
purpose, aim, object, tenor, tone, spirit, colour, essence,
gist, significance, import: Offended by the drift of her
remarks, I excused myself. 5 accumulation, pile, heap, mass,
bank, mound, dune: After the snowstorm, a huge drift blocked
the door.


drifter n. vagrant, tramp, vagabond, beachcomber, rambler, wanderer,
Colloq knight of the road, US bum, hobo: A drifter, he had no
place to call home.


drill v. 1 bore, penetrate, pierce, cut a hole: The thieves drilled
into the safe. 2 rehearse, train, practise, exercise, teach,
instruct, school, tutor, coach, indoctrinate; discipline: We
were thoroughly drilled in the Latin conjugations and

declensions.

--n. 3 auger, (brace and) bit, gimlet: The bit for this drill
is no longer sharp. 4 practice, training, repetition, exercise,
rehearsal; discipline: Tomorrow there will be a complete drill
of the parts of speech.

drink v. 1 quaff, imbibe, sip, gulp, swallow, swill, guzzle, toss
off, lap (up), Colloq wet one's whistle, swig, knock back, US
belt: She prefers not to drink beer. 2 tipple, nip, indulge,
tope, chug-a-lug, carouse, Colloq booze, bend the elbow, hit the
bottle, go on a binge or bender, drown one's sorrows, US and
Canadian go on a toot, Chiefly Brit pub-crawl: He threatened to
leave her if she continued to drink. 3 drink to. toast, salute,
celebrate, pledge: Let's drink to friendship!

--n. 4 beverage, potation, liquid refreshment, liquid, potable,
draught: After the match I was dying for a drink. 5 alcohol,
spirits, liquor, the cup that cheers; stirrup-cup; Colloq booze,
the bottle, hard stuff, mother's ruin, eye-opener, nightcap, US
hooch; Slang rot-gut, US the sauce, red-eye: After the
accident, he took to drink. 6 tot, nip, draught or US also
draft, schooner, pint, bumper, jigger, snifter, sip, taste,
glass, gulp, swallow, Scots (wee) deoch an doris or doch an
dorris, (wee) dram, Brit sundowner; Colloq snort, slug, swig:
Granny likes a drink before retiring. 7 the drink. the sea, the
ocean, the main, the deep, Nautical Davy Jones's locker, Colloq
the briny: The canoe tipped and our picnic went right into the
drink!


drip v. 1 dribble, trickle, drop; drizzle, sprinkle: The tap began
to drip and kept me awake all night.

--n. 2 dribble, trickle, drop, dripping: Yes, it was the drip
from the tap that kept me awake. 3 milksop, bore, wet blanket,
killjoy, damper, Colloq Brit wet, weed, Colloq wimp, Slang pill,
drag, US and Canadian milquetoast: Must you invite that drip
George?


drive v. 1 push, propel, impel, urge, press, thrust, move, motivate,
actuate, prod, spur, goad, urge, force, make, compel, coerce,
constrain, oblige, pressure or Brit pressurize, high-pressure,
induce, require; demand: What drove you to become a traitor? 2

operate, conduct, manoeuvre, manipulate, handle, steer, control;
pilot: Have you a valid licence to drive this car? 3 ride,
travel, motor, go, move, proceed, journey, tour, Colloq tool
along: Luckily, when the tyre blew out, we were driving at only
20 m.p.h. 4 stab, plunge, thrust, sink, push, send, dig, ram:
He has driven the dagger deep into the monster's heart. 5 herd,
drove, shepherd, ride herd (on): We used to drive the cattle up
the old Chisholm Trail to market in Abilene. 6 drive at. hint
(at), suggest, imply, intimate, allude or refer to, intend,
mean, have in mind, indicate, Colloq get at: He was so na‹ve he
had no idea what she was driving at.

--n. 7 ride, trip, outing, journey, run, tour, excursion,
Colloq spin, whirl: On Sundays we would go for a drive in the
country. 8 energy, effort, impetus, vigour, vim, spunk,
enterprise, industry, initiative, ambition, ambitiousness,
determination, persistence, urgency, zeal, enthusiasm, keenness,
aggressiveness, Colloq get-up-and-go, pep, zip, push, hustle:
She owes her success to her drive as well as her talent. 9
driveway, approach, (private) road or street, lane, byway,
(scenic) route: The drive up to the house is lined with trees.
10 campaign, effort, appeal, crusade: The club has had a
successful membership drive this year.


drivel v. 1 dribble, drool, slobber, slaver: You're drivelling all
over the front of your shirt! 2 babble, prate, prattle, gibber,
jabber, burble, gabble, chatter, blether or US blather, Colloq
jibber-jabber, gab, Brit rabbit or witter or natter on, US run
off at the mouth: She keeps drivelling on about her family.


--n. 3 gibberish, rubbish, (stuff and) nonsense, twaddle,
balderdash, hogwash, Colloq eyewash, tripe, garbage, malarkey,
hooey, hot air, bosh, boloney or baloney, Slang crap, bull,
bilge (water), codswallop, US horse feathers, Taboo bullshit,
balls, Brit (load of old) cobblers: I've never heard so much
drivel from a candidate in my entire life!

droop v. 1 sag, hang (down), wilt, dangle: Flags drooped in the
windless heat. 2 languish, weaken, flag, wilt, wither, be limp,
slump, sag: Halfway through the marathon she began to droop a
bit.

drop n. 1 globule, bead, drip, droplet, tear: A drop of sweat hung

from his nose. 2 bit, spot, particle, taste, dram, sip, nip,
pinch, dash, dab, Colloq smidgen or smidgin: Add a drop of milk
before kneading the dough. 3 descent, fall: There was a sheer
drop of a thousand feet from the ledge into the chasm below. 4
decline, slope, fall-off, drop-off, declivity, incline: The
drop is about 15 feet in 100.

--v. 5 drip, trickle, dribble: As the water drops, filling the
tube, the float rises. 6 fall, descend, sink, drop away or down
or off, dive, plunge, plummet, decline, collapse: The barometer
dropped 10 millibars in 10 minutes. Near that rock, the road
drops to the beach. At the first shot, we dropped to the ground.
7 desert, forsake, give up, abandon, leave, quit, throw over,
jilt, discard, reject, repudiate, renounce, Colloq chuck, ditch,
dump; relinquish, let go, discontinue, stop, cease, end: After
what he said, she dropped him like a hot potato. I wish you'd
drop the subject of my disability. 8 release, let go of, shed,
cast off, discard, doff: Deciduous trees drop their leaves in
winter. 9 omit, leave out, exclude, eliminate: To avoid
confusion with his father, he dropped his middle initial. 10
dismiss, let go, fire, discharge, oust, Colloq chiefly Brit
sack, give (someone) the sack: They dropped her after a week's
trial. 11 decline, decrease, drop or fall off, diminish,
slacken, slack or taper off, subside, lessen: Demand for
swimsuits drops during the winter. 12 drop in (on). visit, call
(on), pop in (on), come by, stop in: Viola dropped in for tea
yesterday. 13 drop out. withdraw (from), leave; rusticate,
depart, decamp, go away or off, take off, turn off: She dropped
out of school. After winning the award, Crater dropped out and
hasn't been seen since.

drown v. 1 flood, inundate, swamp, deluge, drench, immerse, submerge,
engulf: The village was completely drowned in the tidal wave.
2 overwhelm, overcome, overpower, engulf, swamp, deluge,
inundate: We were almost drowned by the responses to our
advertisement.

drowsy adj. sleepy, heavy-lidded, groggy, somnolent, dozy, oscitant;
nodding, yawning; torpid, sluggish, tired, weary, listless,
lethargic, lazy: We all felt a bit drowsy after that big
dinner.

drudgery n. toil, labour, moil, travail, (hack) work, donkey-work,

chore, slog, slogging, slavery, Colloq grind, sweat, Brit
skivvying, fag: She wanted some relief from the sheer drudgery
of housework.


drug n. 1 medication, medicine, medicament, pharmaceutical, remedy,
cure, treatment; cure-all, panacea: My doctor prescribes too
many drugs. 2 opiate, narcotic, stimulant, tranquillizer,
antidepressant, hallucinogen(ic), psychedelic, hypnotic,
soporific, sedative, analgesic, painkiller, Slang dope, downer,
upper: Can they control the traffic in drugs?

--v. 3 dose, medicate, treat: I was drugged with
antihistamines and unable to drive. 4 anaesthetize, dope,
deaden, knock out, sedate, stupefy, numb, benumb, dull,
narcotize; poison, Slang slip (someone) a Mickey (Finn): The
victim had been drugged and kidnapped.

druggist n. pharmacist, apothecary, Brit chemist: Only a druggist is
qualified to dispense this medication.


drunk adj. 1 drunken, intoxicated, inebriated, besotted, tipsy,
groggy, sotted, crapulent or crapulous, in one's cups, under the
weather, under the influence, maudlin, ebriate, ebriose,
ebrious, Colloq soused, pickled, high (as a kite), tight,
boozed, boozy, lit (up), half-seas-over, three or four sheets to
the wind, out (cold), under the table, Brit squiffy; Slang
pie-eyed, loaded, stoned, stewed (to the gills), (well-)oiled,
bombed (out of one's mind), crocked, plastered, tanked, sloshed,
polluted, stinko, smashed, blotto, pissed: He was so drunk he
tried to fly. 2 exhilarated, excited, exuberant, invigorated,
inspirited, animated, ecstatic; flushed, feverish, inflamed,
aflame, fervent, fervid, delirious: Since he became a director,
he's been drunk with power.


--n. 3 drunkard, drinker, toper, tippler, sot, soak, bibber,
winebibber; dipsomaniac, alcoholic, problem drinker; Colloq
guzzler, swiller, sponge, Slang wino, boozer, dipso, lush,
souse, alky, US juicer, juice-head, rummy: The drunks who
volunteered were registered for treatment. 4 carouse,
bacchanal, carousal, bacchanalia, revel, Slang bender, tear,
jag, bat, US and Canadian toot, Chiefly Brit pub-crawl: I went
off on a wild drunk the night before my wedding.

drunkenness
n. intoxication, insobriety, intemperance, sottishness,
bibulousness, inebriety, crapulence, crapulousness, tipsiness,
ebriety; dipsomania, alcoholism, ebriosity; Colloq boozing,
Slang hitting the bottle or US the sauce: Only a psychiatrist
could help cure his drunkenness.

dry adj. 1 dehydrated, desiccated, arid, sear, parched, waterless,
moistureless; barren, bare, fruitless: With no rain for a
month, the dry earth yielded no crops. 2 dreary, boring,
tedious, tiresome, wearisome, wearying, tiring, dull,
uninteresting, monotonous, prosaic, commonplace, stale,
uninspired; plain, unadorned, unembellished: The minister's
speech was as dry as could be, a litany of dry statistics. 3
witty, droll, wry, cynical, biting, sarcastic, cutting, keen,
sly, ironic: Oscar Wilde was known for his dry witticisms.

--v. 4 dehydrate, desiccate, parch: As the rainfall subsided,
the land dried and changed into a desert. 5 dry up or out,
wither, shrivel, shrink, wilt: The plants dried because they
weren't watered.

4.6 duck...
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duck v. 1 bob, dodge, dip, dive, stoop, bow, bend, crouch: I ducked
to avoid hitting my head on the beam. 2 plunge, submerge,
immerse, dunk: In the pool, she ducked me when I least expected
it. 3 avoid, sidestep, evade, dodge, elude, shun, steer clear
of, shy away from; shirk: He is known for ducking his
responsibilities.

dud n. 1 failure, Colloq flop, lead balloon, lemon, washout, Colloq
US and Canadian dog, clinker: Her second novel certainly proved
a dud - it sold only ten copies.

--adj. 2 worthless, valueless, broken, unusable, useless,
inoperative, non-functioning, inoperative, malfunctioning,
Colloq kaput, bust(ed), Brit duff: They deliberately supplied
us with dud ammunition.

dude n. 1 dandy, fop, fancy dresser, Beau Brummell, popinjay,

boulevardier, man about town, Archaic coxcomb, macaroni; Slang
swell, Brit toff: He dressed like a real dude - zoot suit and
all. 2 man, fellow, chap, Colloq guy: Hey, man, who's that
dude in the tartan suit?


due adj. 1 payable, owed, owing, unpaid, outstanding, in arrears:
The rent is due tomorrow. 2 fitting, right, rightful, correct,
proper, appropriate, apropos, apposite, suitable, apt, meet;
deserved, (well-)earned, merited, just, justified: Was she
treated with due respect? 3 necessary, needed, adequate,
sufficient, enough, satisfactory; ample, plenty of: I do not
think my case was given due consideration. 4 expected,
scheduled, anticipated: He was due on the two o'clock plane.


--adv. 5 directly, exactly, precisely, straight: Go due east
to the river, then turn north.

dues n.pl. (membership) fee, charge(s): If you have not paid your
dues, you may not use the club's facilities.


duff adj. bad, useless, worthless, unworkable, inoperable,
inoperative, broken; fake, false, counterfeit, Colloq dud,
phoney or US also phony: We couldn't get that duff radio to
work. We were provided with duff papers for crossing the border.


duffer n. incompetent, blunderer, bungler, oaf, Colloq ox, lummox: He
may be an expert at computers but he's a duffer at golf.

dull adj. 1 stupid, slow-witted, dense, stolid, bovine, cloddish,
clod-like, backward, obtuse, doltish, crass, dumb, Colloq thick,
dim, dim-witted, Brit dim as a Toc H lamp: He might be a dull
student but he's a brilliant artist. 2 insensitive, numb,
insensible, imperceptive or impercipient, unresponsive,
indifferent, unfeeling, unsympathetic, callous, hardened, hard,
inured, obtundent: He knew that he could expect only a dull
response to his pleading. 3 lifeless, indifferent,
unresponsive, sluggish, slow, listless, inactive, torpid: The
market for luxury cars is a little dull now. 4 boring,
tiresome, tedious, monotonous, uninspired, uninspiring,
unoriginal, uninteresting, humdrum: All work and no play make
Jack a dull boy. 5 dismal, dreary, depressing, sombre, grey,
dark, murky, gloomy, cloudy, clouded, overcast, sunless: If the
day is dull, the photographs will show it. 6 blunted, blunt;

obtuse: I nicked myself with that dull razor. 7 hazy, blurry,
opaque, drab: Rub the dull film off that silver goblet. 8
muffled, numbing, deadened, muted, indistinct: I've had a dull
pain in my arm all day.


--v. 9 allay, assuage, relieve, mitigate, lessen, reduce:
Weeping dulls the inner pain. 10 dim, tarnish, obscure, bedim,
blur, cloud, becloud: A mist dulled the rich colours of the
glen. 11 stupefy, narcotize, numb, benumb, desensitize, deaden,
blunt, obtund: His war experiences had dulled his feelings
towards others.

duly adv. 1 properly, fittingly, deservedly, appropriately,
suitably, befittingly, rightly, correctly, accordingly: Those
elected were duly installed in office. 2 punctually, on time:
The train duly arrived.

dumb adj. 1 mute, speechless, voiceless; silent, quiet, taciturn,
mum, wordless; inarticulate: She was struck dumb with
astonishment. 2 dull, stupid, Colloq thick: He's too dumb to
understand what you are saying.

dumbfound v. dumfound, amaze, shock, surprise, startle, astonish,
astound, bewilder, stagger, stun, floor, nonplus, confuse,
confound, Colloq flabbergast, bowl over: Their offer for the
house dumbfounded us.

dumbfounded
adj. dumfounded, amazed, shocked, surprised, startled,
astonished, astounded, bewildered, staggered, floored,
nonplussed, overwhelmed, speechless, stunned, thunderstruck,
dazzled, dazed, dumbstruck, taken aback, confused, confounded,
bemused, perplexed, baffled, disconcerted, Colloq bowled over,
flabbergasted, knocked out, thrown (off), US thrown for a loss,
Brit knocked for six, knocked sideways: She is dumbfounded that
he proposed marriage.

dummy n. 1 mannequin, manikin or mannikin, model, figure: I saw the
coat on a dummy in the shop window. 2 sample, copy, reprint,
reproduction, likeness, substitution, imitation, sham, mock-up,
simulation, Colloq phoney or US also phony: Those aren't the
real crown jewels, they're just dummies. 3 fool, idiot, dunce,
blockhead, ninny, ass, dolt, numskull or numbskull, simpleton,

Colloq dim-wit, US thimble-wit: They're such dummies they don't
know that you're joking. 4 US pacifier: Give the baby the
dummy to suck.


dump v. 1 unload, offload, empty, drop, deposit, throw or fling
down, tip: They dumped the topsoil all over the path. 2 get
rid of, throw away, scrap, discard, ditch, jettison, dispose of,
reject, tip, toss out or away, Colloq junk, chuck out or away:
We dumped all the food when the fridge broke down.


--n. 3 junk-yard, rubbish heap or Brit tip, US garbage dump:
You'll have to take this garden refuse to the dump.

dumpy adj. stocky, pudgy, squat, chunky, chubby, tubby, stout, plump,
portly, fat: No one with a dumpy figure looks good in shorts.

dun v. press, importune, solicit, plague, nag, pester, Slang US
bug: The gas company has been dunning me to pay the bill.


dung n. manure, muck, droppings, cow-pats, fertilizer, guano,
excrement, faeces or US feces, US cow or buffalo-chips,
horse-apples, Taboo shit: The dung is spread on the fields.

dungeon n. donjon, keep, cell, prison, lock-up, oubliette, black hole,
stronghold: Throw the infidels into the dungeon and give them
twenty lashes!

dupe n. 1 fool, gull, victim, fair game, Colloq chump, Chiefly US
and Canadian fall guy; Slang sucker, sap, boob, pushover,
pigeon, mark, Brit mug, Chiefly US and Canadian patsy:
Swindlers often choose tourists as likely dupes. 2 cat's-paw,
pawn, tool, puppet, Slang stooge: I'm not going to be the dupe
in your little game!


--v. 3 deceive, fool, outwit, cheat, trick, take in, defraud,
humbug, hoax, swindle, hoodwink, bilk, gull, cozen, delude,
mislead, snooker, victimize, Colloq bamboozle, flimflam, put one
over on, pull a fast one on; Slang con, rip off, rook, take, US
and Canadian snow, do a snow job on: She was duped into
believing she had won the lottery.

duplicate adj. 1 identical; twin, matching: They sent me duplicate
tickets by mistake.


--n. 2 (exact or carbon) copy, photocopy, machine copy, double,
clone, (perfect) match, facsimile, twin, reproduction, replica,
replication, look-alike, Trade Mark Xerox (copy), Slang (dead)
ringer: This painting looks like a duplicate of the one you
bought.

--v. 3 copy, photocopy, clone, match, replicate, imitate,
reproduce, double, Trade Mark Xerox; repeat, equal: Would you
please duplicate this letter for me? Can he duplicate his
performance in the Commonwealth Games?

durable adj. enduring, long-lasting, stable, wear-resistant,
heavy-duty, hard-wearing, long-wearing, lasting, persistent,
indestructible, substantial, sturdy, tough, stout, strong, firm,
sound, fixed, fast, permanent, dependable, reliable: The
product is durable, guaranteed to last a lifetime.

duress n. 1 coercion, threat, pressure, constraint, compulsion; force,
power: The boys wash the dishes only under duress. 2
confinement, imprisonment, incarceration, captivity, restraint,
Literary durance: There were workhouses, prisons, and other
forms of duress.


dusk n. twilight, sundown, nightfall, evening, sunset, dark,
eventide: The workers came in from the fields at dusk.

dusky adj. 1 dark, black, ebony, sable, jet-black; swarthy, swart,
dark-complected, dark-complexioned: 'Dusky diamonds' is another
name for coal. A dusky gentleman offered to see her home safely.
2 shadowy, shady, dim, dark, unilluminated, unlit, murky,
subfusc, subfuscous, gloomy, obscure: An ominous figure was
lurking in the dusky area under the stairs.


dutiful adj. obedient, compliant, willing, obliging, filial, faithful,
conscientious, reliable, responsible, diligent, attentive,
punctilious, respectful, polite, considerate, deferential,
submissive, yielding, acquiescent, malleable, flexible, pliant,
accommodating, Formal or archaic duteous: A dutiful son, he
visits his parents weekly.

duty n. 1 responsibility, obligation, burden, onus, devoir, office,
work, task, assignment, job, stint, chore, occupation, calling,

function, role, part, bit, charge: Every man is expected to do
his duty. 2 respect, deference, loyalty, fealty, fidelity,
faithfulness, allegiance: I think she did it out of a sense of
duty to her family. 3 tax, excise, tariff, impost, levy,
customs: You will have to pay duty on that whisky.

4.7 dwarf...
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dwarf v. overshadow, dominate, diminish, minimize: The new tower
dwarfs the older buildings.

dwell v. 1 reside, abide, live, lodge, stay, remain, rest, Formal
domicile: After the father's death, the mother dwelt with her
daughter. 2 dwell on or upon. harp on, persist in, emphasize,
stress, focus on, linger or tarry over, elaborate (on); labour:
Why must you always dwell on a person's shortcomings?


dwelling n. abode, habitation, dwelling-place, house, domicile, lodging,
quarters, home, residence, homestead: His dwelling is a shanty
in old shanty town.

dwindle v. diminish, decrease, shrink, lessen, wane, fade, contract,
condense, reduce, peter out, waste away, die out or down or
away, ebb, decline, subside, taper off, shrivel (up or away):
The last days of summer dwindled away. His funds have dwindled
until today he has nothing.


4.8 dying...
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dying adj. expiring; sinking, slipping away, going, failing, fading
(fast), at death's door, on one's deathbed, with one foot in the
grave, in extremis; moribund: The doctor said the dying man was
in no pain.

dynamic adj. dynamical, vigorous, active, forceful, energetic, potent,
powerful, high-powered, lively, spry, vital, electric, spirited,
zealous, eager, emphatic: We are seeking a dynamic salesman for
our Reading office.

dynamism n. energy, vigour, pep, vitality, liveliness, spirit,
spiritedness, forcefulness, power, drive, initiative,
enterprise, Colloq get-up-and-go, zip, push: That woman has the
dynamism needed to get ahead in this organization.


dynasty n. line, family, heritage, house: The Ming dynasty ruled China
for more than 300 years.