Vocabulary Words Starting With D

A scarcity or lack of something needed.

A sudden, complete failure or disastrous collapse of something.

To make someone or something significantly weaker, often over time.

To work out the meaning of something written unclearly, in code, or hard to read.

Able to make decisions quickly and confidently, or having a strong, clear effect on an outcome.

Behavior that is socially proper and in good taste.

To reach a conclusion through logical reasoning, based on facts or evidence already known.

To put off an action until a later time, or to yield to someone else's judgment.

Respectful yielding to the judgment, wishes, or authority of another person.

Lacking a necessary quality, amount, or ingredient to be considered complete or adequate.

Final and not able to be changed or disputed; the most authoritative version.

Skillful and quick in a way that shows practiced ease.

Causing harm or damage.

To describe or outline something with precision and clarity.

A leader who gains power by appealing to people's emotions and prejudices rather than reason.

A specific section of a population, often grouped by shared traits such as age, income, or location.

To unfairly criticize or belittle someone's character or reputation.

To be a sign of, or to indicate the meaning of, something specific.

To publicly criticize or condemn something or someone as wrong.

To represent or show something through a picture, description, or performance.

To reduce the amount of a resource, usually through continued or careless use.

To feel or express strong disapproval of something considered wrong or regrettable.

To stop someone from having or enjoying something they need or want.

To mock or ridicule someone or something with contempt.

Imitative of the work of others rather than original.

To obtain or trace something, especially a word, idea, or feeling, from a particular source.

To officially choose or name someone or something for a specific role or purpose.

Feeling deeply discouraged and without hope.

A ruler who holds total power and uses it cruelly or unfairly.

Lacking a plan or purpose, moving randomly from one thing to another.

To discourage someone from doing something, usually by making it seem risky or unpleasant.

Causing harm or damage, especially to something's health, development, or condition over time.

To depart or move away from an established course, standard, or expected pattern of behavior.

Willing to lie, trick, or scheme in order to get what one wants.

To plan or invent a new method, system, or object through careful thought.

Light, delicate, and so thin that it is nearly see-through.

A forceful, bitter verbal attack against someone or something.

A division between two things that are presented as completely opposite or contradictory.

Intended to teach or instruct, often in an overly moralizing way.

To recognize or show the difference between two or more things, or to make something distinct from others.

Lacking confidence in oneself; shy and hesitant to assert an opinion.

Showing careful and persistent effort.

To become or make something smaller, weaker, or less important than before.

To notice, recognize, or understand something that is not immediately obvious, usually by looking closely.

Able to judge or perceive things clearly and accurately, especially subtle differences.

To make previously secret or private information known to others.

Disagreement or a lack of harmony between people or ideas.

A noticeable difference or lack of agreement between two things that should otherwise match.

Individually separate and distinct, not blended together with anything else.

The careful judgment to say or do the right thing, especially about sensitive matters.

A strong feeling that someone or something is beneath one's respect or unworthy of consideration.

To speak of someone or something in a dismissive, belittling way.

A significant and often unfair difference or inequality between two things being compared.

To scatter or spread out over a wide area.

Too large or too small in comparison to what is normal, fair, or expected.

To interrupt something and prevent it from continuing in its normal way.

To hide one's true feelings or intentions by pretending or being misleading.

To spread information, ideas, or knowledge widely so that many people receive it.

To twist something out of its normal shape or true meaning.

To develop in a different direction, or to separate from an original path or shared point.

Easily taught, led, or managed; naturally obedient and calm in temperament.

Stating opinions as if they were unquestionably true, without allowing for debate.

A specific field of knowledge, activity, or authority.

Temporarily inactive but capable of becoming active again later.

Extreme and sudden, especially in a way that produces a strong effect.

Doubtful or uncertain, often because something seems suspicious or unreliable.

The length of time during which something continues or lasts.

To become gradually smaller or weaker over a period of time.