66 words starting with D

• dally verb

  to waste time or act slowly

  Don’t dally on the way home; dinner will be ready at six.

  Like dawdle, linger, loiter

• debase verb

  to lower the quality, value or character of something

  Mixing cheap metal into the coins debased their value.

  Like degrade, devalue, cheapen

• debonair adjective

  stylish, charming and confident (usually of a man)

  The debonair host greeted every guest with a smile and a bow.

  Like suave, dapper, urbane

• decorous adjective

  polite and proper in behavior

  The students were decorous during the visit to the old palace.

  Like proper, seemly, dignified

• deign verb

  to agree to do something that you think is beneath your dignity

  The proud cat did not deign to look at the toy we bought it.

  Like condescend, stoop, lower oneself

• delectable adjective

  delicious, or very pleasant and attractive

  The aroma of delectable sel roti filled the house during Tihar.

  Like delicious, tasty, delightful

• deliquesce verb

  to become liquid by absorbing moisture from the air

  Some salts deliquesce if they are left open in the humid monsoon air.

  Like liquefy, dissolve

• demagogue noun

  a leader who wins support by stirring up people’s fears and emotions rather than using reason

  In our history lesson, we read about a demagogue who won crowds with false promises.

  Like rabble-rouser, agitator, firebrand

• demarcate verb

  to mark the limits or boundary of something

  White lines demarcate the playing area of the football field.

  Like delimit, define, separate

• demotic adjective

  relating to the everyday language of ordinary people

  The poet wrote in a demotic style that anyone could understand.

  Like colloquial, vernacular, popular

• demur verb

  to show reluctance or politely object

  When asked to sing, she demurred, saying she had a sore throat.

  Like object, hesitate, protest

• demure adjective

  quiet, modest and reserved

  The demure girl smiled shyly when she won the prize.

  Like modest, shy, reserved

• denigrate verb

  to criticize unfairly and make something seem less important

  Don’t denigrate your sister’s painting just because it is different from yours.

  Like belittle, disparage, decry

• denizen noun

  an inhabitant or regular occupant of a place

  Snow leopards are rare denizens of the high Himalaya.

  Like inhabitant, dweller, resident

• denouement noun

  the final part of a story, where everything is explained

  In the denouement, the detective revealed who had taken the missing painting.

  Like resolution, conclusion, outcome

• deprecate verb

  to express disapproval of something; to play down

  The teacher deprecated the habit of copying answers from the internet.

  Like disapprove, criticize, belittle

• depredation noun

  an act of attacking, raiding or damaging

  The farmers built fences to protect their maize from the depredations of monkeys.

  Like plundering, ravaging, raid

• derelict adjective

  abandoned and in very poor condition

  The derelict house at the end of the lane had no roof and broken windows.

  Like abandoned, dilapidated, ruined

• derisive adjective

  showing scorn or mockery

  The magician ignored the derisive laughter and calmly finished his trick.

  Like mocking, scornful, contemptuous

• descry verb

  to catch sight of something, especially far away

  From the ridge we could just descry the white peak of Machhapuchhre.

  Like spot, glimpse, discern

• desecrate verb

  to treat a holy place or thing with disrespect

  Visitors were warned not to desecrate the shrine by walking on it in shoes.

  Like profane, violate, defile

• desiccate verb

  to remove all the moisture from something; to dry out

  Farmers desiccate chilies in the sun so they keep through the winter.

  Like dry, dehydrate, parch

• desuetude noun

  a state of no longer being used

  The old water mill fell into desuetude after the village got electric grinders.

  Like disuse

• desultory adjective

  lacking plan or purpose, jumping from one thing to another

  We had a desultory chat about nothing in particular while we waited for the bus.

  Like aimless, random, haphazard

• detritus noun

  loose bits and pieces left after something is broken or used

  After the festival, the square was covered in paper, petals and other detritus.

  Like debris, remains, waste

• diaphanous adjective

  so light and thin that you can see through it

  The dancer wore a diaphanous scarf that floated as she spun.

  Like sheer, translucent, gauzy

• diatribe noun

  a long, angry and bitter speech or piece of writing attacking something

  The writer’s diatribe against plastic bags filled two whole pages of the newspaper.

  Like tirade, harangue, rant

• dictum noun

  a formal statement of opinion or a well-known saying

  My father follows the dictum that one should always arrive early.

  Like maxim, pronouncement, axiom

• diffident adjective

  lacking confidence; shy about speaking up

  The diffident student knew the answer but was too shy to raise her hand.

  Like shy, timid, hesitant

• dilate verb

  to become wider or larger; to make wider

  Your pupils dilate in the dark to let in more light.

  Like widen, expand, enlarge

• dilatory adjective

  slow and tending to delay

  The dilatory builder took two years to finish a simple wall.

  Like slow, tardy, sluggish

• dilettante noun

  a person who takes up a subject or art only casually, without real skill

  He is a dilettante who has tried painting, guitar and chess but mastered none.

  Like amateur, dabbler, trifler

• dint noun

  power or effort (used in the phrase “by dint of“)

  By dint of daily practice, she learned to play the sarangi in a year.

  Like means, force

• dirge noun

  a slow, mournful song or piece of music

  My brother’s trumpet practice sounded more like a dirge than a march.

  Like lament, elegy, requiem

• disabuse verb

  to free someone from a mistaken belief

  The teacher disabused us of the idea that bats are blind.

  Like correct, enlighten, undeceive

• disaffected adjective

  no longer satisfied or loyal, especially to a group or leader

  Some disaffected club members stopped coming to meetings after the rules changed.

  Like dissatisfied, alienated, discontented

• disavow verb

  to deny any responsibility for or connection with something

  The company disavowed the fake advertisement that used its name.

  Like deny, repudiate, disclaim

• discomfit verb

  to make someone uneasy or embarrassed

  The unexpected question discomfited the speaker for a moment.

  Like unsettle, embarrass, fluster

• disconcert verb

  to make someone feel unsettled or confused

  The sudden silence in the room disconcerted the new student.

  Like unsettle, disturb, perturb

• discursive adjective

  moving from one subject to another without clear order

  His discursive story about the trek covered food, weather, yaks and his old school.

  Like rambling, digressive, meandering

• disingenuous adjective

  pretending to know less or be more honest than you really are

  It was disingenuous of him to say he forgot, since we all saw him read the note.

  Like insincere, dishonest, deceitful

• disputatious adjective

  fond of arguing about things

  The disputatious student questioned every rule in the school handbook.

  Like argumentative, contentious, quarrelsome

• disquiet noun

  a feeling of worry or unease

  There was some disquiet among the parents about the long bus journey.

  Like unease, anxiety, concern

• disquisition noun

  a long, detailed speech or essay on a subject

  The professor gave a disquisition on the history of Nepali coins.

  Like treatise, discourse, essay

• dissemble verb

  to hide your real feelings or intentions by pretending

  She dissembled her excitement so her brother would not guess the surprise.

  Like disguise, feign, conceal

• dissimulate verb

  to hide your true feelings or thoughts under a false appearance

  He dissimulated his boredom by nodding politely during the long speech.

  Like pretend, dissemble, feign

• dissolute adjective

  living a wasteful life of pleasure without any self-control

  The story’s dissolute prince spent his fortune on parties and never did any work.

  Like debauched, profligate, dissipated

• distend verb

  to swell outward because of pressure from inside

  The balloon distended as more and more air was pumped into it.

  Like swell, bloat, expand

• dither verb

  to be unable to decide what to do

  Stop dithering and choose a flavor; the ice cream is melting!

  Like hesitate, waver, vacillate

• diurnal adjective

  active during the daytime; happening every day

  Most birds are diurnal, but owls hunt at night.

  Like daytime, daily

• divest verb

  to take something away from someone; to get rid of something

  The club divested itself of its old equipment before buying new gear.

  Like strip, deprive, shed

• doctrinaire adjective

  holding firmly to a theory without considering practical facts

  The doctrinaire coach refused to change his plan even when it clearly did not work.

  Like dogmatic, rigid, inflexible

• dogged adjective

  stubbornly determined and refusing to give up

  By dogged effort, the old porter carried the heavy load all the way up.

  Like tenacious, persistent, determined

• doggerel noun

  badly written, silly poetry

  The birthday card had a bit of funny doggerel about cake and candles.

  Like bad verse, jingle

• doldrums noun

  a state of low spirits or no progress; a calm area of ocean near the equator

  The project was stuck in the doldrums until a new member brought fresh ideas.

  Like slump, stagnation, inactivity

• doleful adjective

  sad and gloomy in look or sound

  The dog gave us a doleful look when we left for school without it.

  Like mournful, sorrowful, woeful

• dolorous adjective

  showing or causing great sorrow

  The cow’s dolorous mooing went on until the calf came back.

  Like sorrowful, mournful, plaintive

• dolt noun

  a stupid or slow-witted person

  I felt like a dolt when I walked into the glass door at the mall.

  Like fool, dunce, blockhead

• dotage noun

  the period of old age when the mind is getting weak

  In his dotage, my great-grandfather still told the same funny stories every evening.

  Like old age, senility

• doughty adjective

  brave and determined

  The doughty climbers kept going through the snowstorm toward the camp.

  Like brave, valiant, intrepid

• dour adjective

  stern, serious and unfriendly in manner

  The dour guard rarely smiled, but he always helped lost visitors.

  Like stern, severe, gloomy

• dowdy adjective

  dull and old-fashioned in appearance, not stylish

  She swapped her dowdy brown coat for a bright red jacket.

  Like frumpy, drab, unfashionable

• draconian adjective

  extremely harsh and severe, of laws or rules

  The new rule banning even whispering in the library seemed draconian.

  Like harsh, severe, strict

• droll adjective

  amusing in an odd or dry way

  My uncle has a droll way of describing his adventures on local buses.

  Like witty, comical, wry

• dross noun

  worthless rubbish; waste that rises to the top of melted metal

  The blacksmith skimmed the dross off the molten iron.

  Like waste, rubbish, slag

• dyspeptic adjective

  irritable and bad-tempered; having indigestion

  The dyspeptic critic found something to complain about in every film.

  Like grumpy, irritable, testy