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dally
(v.) to loiter; to waste time
Please do not dally or we will miss our appointment.
dank
(adj.) damp and chilly
The cellar became very dank during the winter time.
dauntless
(adj.) fearless; not discouraged
The dauntless ranger scaled the mountain to complete the rescue.
dearth
(n.) scarcity; shortage
A series of coincidental resignations left the firm with a dearth of talent.
The dearth of the coverage forced him to look for a new insurance agent.
debacle
(n.) disaster; collapse; a rout
The Securities and Exchange Commission and the stock exchanges implemented
numerous safeguards to head off another debacle on Wall Street.
debase
(v.) to make lower in quality
The French are concerned that "Franglais," a blending of English
and French, will debase their language.
debauchery
(n.) indulgence in one's appetites
The preacher decried debauchery and urged charity.
debilitate
(v.) to enfeeble; to wear out
The phlebitis debilitated him to the point where he was unable even to
walk.
The illness will debilitate the muscles in his legs.
debonair
(adj.) having an affable manner; carefree; genial
Opening the door for another is a debonair action.
decadence
(n.) a decline in morals or art
Some believe the decadence of Nero's rule led to the fall of the empire.
deciduous
(adj.) shedding; temporary
When the leaves began to fall from the tree we learned that it was deciduous.
decisiveness
(n.) an act of being firm or determined
Decisiveness is one of the key qualities of a successful executive.
decorous
(adj.) showing decorum; propriety, good taste
This movie provides decorous refuge from the violence and mayhem that
permeates the latest crop of Hollywood films.
The decorous suit was made of fine material.
decry
(v.) to denounce or condemn openly
The pastor decried all forms of discrimination against any minority group.
defamation
(n.) to harm a name or reputation; to slander
The carpenter felt that the notoriousness of his former partner brought
defamation to his construction business.
deference
(n.) a yielding of opinion; courteous respect for
To avoid a confrontation, the man showed deference to his friend.
The deference shown to the elderly woman's opinion was heartwarming.
deferential
(adj.) yielding to the opinion of another
After debating students living in the Sixth Ward for months, the mayor's
deferential statements indicated that he had come to some understanding
with them.
defunct
(adj.) no longer living or existing
The man lost a large sum of money when the company went defunct.
deign
(v.) condescend; stoop
He said he wouldn't deign to dignify her statement with a response.
Fired from his job as a programmer analyst, Joe vowed he would never deign
to mop floors-even if he were down to his last penny.
deleterious
(adj.) harmful; hurtful; noxious
Deleterious fumes escaped from the overturned truck.
deliberate
(v.; adj.) to consider carefully; weigh in the mind; intentional
The jury deliberated for three days before reaching a verdict.
The brother's deliberate attempt to get his sibling blamed for his mistake
was obvious to all.
delineate
(v.) to outline; to describe
She delineated her plan so that everyone would have a basic understanding
of it.
deliquesce
(v.) to dissolve
The snow deliquesced when the temperature rose.
delusion
(n.) a false belief or opinion
The historian suffered from the delusion that he was Napoleon.
demise
(n.) ceasing to exist as in death
The demise of Gimbels followed years of decline.
demur
(v.; n.) to object; objection; misgiving
She hated animals, so when the subject of buying a cat came up, she demurred.
She said yes, but he detected a demur in her voice.
She was nominated to sit on the committee, but she demurred.
The council president called for a vote, and hearing no demur, asked for
a count by the clerk.
denigrate
(v.) to defame, to blacken or sully; to belittle
After finding out her evil secret, he announced it to the council and
denigrated her in public.
Her attempt to denigrate the man's name was not successful.
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