gre vocabulary d2

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disclaim: disown; renounce claim to. If I grant you this priviledge, will you disclaim all other rights?
discerning: mentall quick and observant; having insight. Though no genius, the star was sufficiently discerning to distinguish her true friends from the countless phonies who flattered her discern v. discernment N
discernible: distinguishab;e' perceivable. The ships in the harbor were not discernible in the fog
disburse: pay out. When you disburse money on the company's behalf, be sure to get a receipt
disband: dissolve; disperse. The chess club disbanded after its diastrous initial season
disavowal: denial; disclaiming. The novelist James was controversial both for his earlysupport of commuism and for his subsequent disavowa; of it after a visit to the Soviet Union. disavow. v
disarray: disorderly or untidy state. After the New Year's party. the once orderly house was in total disarray
disapprobation: disapproval; condemnation. The conservative father viewed his daughter's radical boyfriend with disapprobation
disaffected: disloyal. ONce the most loyal of BRadley's supporters, Senator Moynihan found himself becoming increasingly disaffected
disabuse: correct a false impression; undeceive. I will attempt to disabuse you of your impression of my client's guilt; i know he is innocent
dirge: lament with music. THe funeral dirge stirred us to tears
dire: disastrous. American Red Cross have to work in the mid of dire
diorama: life-size, three dimentsional scene from nature or history. Because they dramatically pose actual stuffed animals against realistic painted landscapes, the dioramas at the Museum of Natural History particularly impress high school biology students
dingy: dull; not fresh, cheerless. Refusing to be depressed by her dingy studio apartment, Bea spent the weekend polishing the floors and window and hanign bright posters on the walls
din: continued loud noise. The din of the jack hammers outside the classroom window drowned out the lecturer's voice
diminution: lessening; reduction in size. Old Jack was as sharp at eighty as he had been at fifty; increasing age led to no diminution of his mental acuity
dilute: make less concentrated; reduce in strength
diligence: steadiness of effot; persistnet hard work. her employers were greatly impressed by her diliggence and offered her a partnership in the firm
dilettante: aimless follower of the arts, amateur; dabbler. According to Turgenev, without painstaking work, any writer or artist remains a dilettante. In an age of increasing professionalism, the terms amateur and dilettante have taken on negative contions they did not originally possess.
dilemma: problem; choice of two unsatisfactory alternatives. In this dilemma, he knew no one to whom he could turn for advice.
dilatory: tending to delay; intentionally delayiing. If you are dilatory in paying your bills, your credit rating may suffer.
dilate: expand. In the dark, the pupils of your eyes
dilapidated: ruined because of neglect. The dilapidated old building needed far more work than just a new coat of paint. Dilapidation
digression: wandering away from the subject. Nobody minded when Professor Renoir's lectures wandered away from their official theme; his digressions were always more fasinating than the topic of the day. digress v
diffuse: wordy; rambling spread out (like a gas). If you pay authors by the word, you tempt them to produce diffuse manuscripts rather than brief ones.
diffidence: shyness. You must overcome your idfidence if you intend to become a salesperson
die: device for stamping or impressing; mld. In coining pennies, workers at the old mint squeezed sheets of softened copper between two dies.
didactic: teaching; instructional. Pope's lengthy poem An Essay on Man is too didactic for my taste; i dislike it when poets turn preachy and moralize. didacticism
dictum: authoritative and weighty statement; saying maxim. University adminstrations still follow the old dictum 'publish or perish'. they don't care how good a teacher you are; if you don't publish enough papers, you're out of a job
dichotomy: split; branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones). Willie didn't know how to resolve and the dichotomy between his ambition to go to college and his childhood longing to run away and join the circus. Then he heard about Ringling Brothers Circus college, and he knew he'd found his school
diatribe: bitter scolding; invective. During the lengthy diatribe delievered by his opponent he reamined calm and self-controlled
diaphanous: sheer; transparent. Through the diaphanous curtains, the burglar could clearly see the large jewelry box on the dressing table. SExy nightgowns are diaphanous; woolen long joins, fortunately are not.
dialectical: relating to the art of debate; mutual of reciprocal. The debate coach's students grew to develop great forensic and dialectical skill. Teaching, however is inherentlya dialectical situation; the coach learned at least as much from her students as they learned form her. dialectics N
diadem: crown. The king's diadem was on display at the museum
diabolical: devilish. 'What a fiend I am, to devise such a diabolical scheme to destroy Gotham City. ' chortled the Joker.
dexterous: skillful. The magician was so dexterous that we could not follow his movements as he performed his tricks
devout: pious. The devout man prayed daily.
devotee: enthusiastic follower. A devotee of the opera, she bought season tickets every year.
devolve: be transferred to another; delegate to another; gradually worsen. Because HUmpty Dumpty was too shattered by his fall to clean up his own mess, al the work of picking up the pieces devolved upon poor Alice.
devoid: lacking. you may thing cher's mind is a total void, but she's actually not devoid of intelligence. She just sounds like an airhead
devise: think up; invent; plan. HOw clever he must be to have devised such a devious plan! What ingenious inventions might he have devised if he had turned his mind to science rather than to crime.
devious: roundabout; erratic; not straightforward. The Joker's plan was so devious that it was only with great difficulty we could follow its shifts and dodges
deviate: turn away from (a principle, norm); depart; diverge. Richard never deviated fro his daily orutine; every day he set off for work at 8 , had his sak lunch at noon, and headed home at the stroke of five.
detrimental: harmful, damaging
detraction: slandering; aspersion.Because Jo and Mary dared to fight for women's rights, their motives, manners, dress, personal appearance, and character were held up to ridicule and detraction
detonation: explosion. The detonation of the bomb could be heard miles away
deterrent: something that discourages; hindrance. Does the threat of capital punishment serve as a deterrent to potential killers?
determination: resolve; measurement or calculation; deicsion.
determinate: having a fixed order of procedure; invariable. At the royal wedding, the procession of the nobles followed a determinate order of precedence
detached: emotionally removed; calm and objective; physically separate. A psychoanalyst must maintain a detahced point of view and stay uninolved with her patients' personal lives.
desultory: aimless; haphazard; digressing at random. In prison Malcolm X set himself the task of reading straight through the dictionary; to him, reading was purposeful, not desultory
desuetude: state of disuse. Overshadowed by the newly popular waltzes adnd cotilions, the English country dances of Jane Austen's time fell into desuetude until they were rediscovered during the folk dance revivfval of the early 20th C
destitute: extremely poor. Because they had no health insurance, the father's costlyillness left the family destitute. Destitution N
despot: tyrant; harsh, authoritatirian ruler. How could a benevolent king turn overnight into a despot? Despotism n
despondent: depressed; glommy. To the disterss of his parents, william became seriously despondent after he broke up with Jan. despondency n
despoil: strip of valuable; rob. Seeking plunder, the raiders despoiled the village, carrying off any valuables they found
despise: look on with scorn; regard as worth;ess or distasteful Mr. Bond, I despise spies; i look down on them as mean, despicable, honorless men, whom I would wipe from the face of the earth with as little concern as I would scrape dog droppings from the bottom of my shoe
desparado: reckless outlaw. Butch Cassidy was a bold desperado with a price on his head
desolate: unpopulated; joyless. After six months in the crowded, bustling metropolis, David was so sick of peoplethat he was ready to head for the most desolate patch of wilderness he could find
desiccate: dry up. A tour of this smokehouse will give you an idea of how the pioneers used to desiccate food in order to preserve it.
desecrate: profane; violate the sanctity of. Shatteringthe altar and trampling the holy objects underfoot, the invaders desecrated the sanctuary
descry: catch sight of. In the distance, we could barely descry the enmy vessels
derogatory: expressing a low opinoi. Because the word Eskimo has come under strong attack in recent years for its supposedly derogatoryc onnotations; many Americans today either avoid the term or feel uneasy using it
dermatologist: one who studies skin or its disease
derivative: unoriginal; obtained from another source. Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature, the critics thought she had promise and eventually would find her own voice
deride: ridicule; make fun of. The critics derided his pretentious dialogue and refused to consider his play seriously. Despite the critics' derision, however, audiences were moved by the play, cheering its unabsehedly sentimental conclusion derisive. adj
derelict: abandoned; negligent. The mother derelict his child and put him into the froster home.
derange: make insane; disarrange. Hamlet's cruel rejection deranged poor Ophelia; in her madness, she drowned herself
depredation: plundering. After the depredations of the invaders, the people were penniless
depreciate: lessen in value
deprecate: express disapproval of ; protest against; belittle. A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names. deprecatory
depravity: extreme corruption; wickedness. The depravity of Caligula's behavior eventually sickened even those who had willingly participated in his earlier, comparatively innocent orgies. deprave v
deposition: testimony under oath. She made her deposition in the judge's chamber
depose: dethrone; remove from office. The army attempted to depose the king and set up a military government
deploy: spread out (troops) in an extended though shallow battle line.
deplore: regret. Although I deplore the vulgarity of yur language, I defedn your right ot express yourself freely
deplete: reduce; exhaust. We must wait until we deplete our present inventory before we order replacements
depict: portray. In this sensational expose, the author depicts Beatle John Lennon as a drug-crazed neurotic. Do you question the accuracy of this depiction of Lennon?
denounce: condemn; criticize. The reform candidate denounced the corrupt city officers for having betrayed the public's trust. decnunciation n
denouement: outcome; final development of the plot of a play or other literary work. The play was childishly written; the denouement was obviosu to sophisticated theatergoers as early as the middle of the first act
denotation: meaning; distinguishing by name. A dictionary will always give us the denotation of a word; frequently, it will also give us its connotation
denizen: inhabitant or resident; regular visitor. In the untouchables, Eliot Ness fiths Al Capone and the other denizens of Chicago's underworld. Ness's fight against corruption was the talk of all the denizens of the local bars
denigrate: blacken. ALl attemptsto denigrate the character of our late president have failed, the peopel stilll love him and cherish his memory
demure: grave; serious; coy. She was demure and reserved, a nice modest girl whom any young man would be proud to take home to his mother.
demur: n. objection; protest. Michelangelo regularly denied that leonardo da vinci had incluenced him, and critics have usually accepted his statements without demur
demotic: pertaining to the people. HE lamented the passing of aristocratic society and maintained that a demotic society owuld lower the nation's standards
demoniac: fiendish. The Spanish INquisiton devised many demoniac means of torture. demon n
demolition: destruction. One of the major aims of the air force was the complete demolition of all means of transportation by the bombing of rail lines and terminals. demolish v
demographic: related to population balance
demise: death. Upon the demise of the dictator, a bitter dispute about succession to power developed
demented: insane. Doctor Demento was a radio personality who liked to act as if he were truly demented. If you're demented; your mental state is out of whack; in other words, u're wacky
demeanor: behavior; bearing. His sober demeanor quieted the noisy revelers
demean: degrade; humiliate. Standing on his dignity, he refused to demena himself by replying to the offensive letter. If you truly believed in the dignity of labor, you would not think it would emean you to work as a janitor
demagogue: person who appeals to people's prejudice; false leader. He was accused of being a demagogue because he made promises that aroused futile hopes in his listeners
delve: dig; investigate. Delving into old books and manuscripts is part of a researcher's ob
delusive: deceptive; raising vain hopes. DO not raise your hopes on the basis of his delusive promises
delusion: false belief; hallucination. Don suffers from delusions of grandeur; he thinks the's a world famous author when he's published just one paperback book
deluge: flood; rush. When we advertised the position we received a deluge of application
delude: deceive. THe mistress deludes herself into believing that her lover will leave his wife and marry her
delta: flat plain of mud or sand between braches of a river. His dissertation discussed the effect of intermitten flooding on the fertility of the Nile delta
delirium: mental disorder marked by confusion. In his delirium, the drunkard saw pink panthers and talking pigs. Perhaps, he wasn't delirious; he might jsut have wandered into a movie house.
delineate: portray; ponder. Abel asked Christina to deliberate before buying a new house.
deleterious: harmful. If you believe that smoking is deleterious to your health (and the Surgeon General surely does), then quit
delete: erase; strike out.
deign: condescend; stoop. The celebrated fashion designer would not deign to speak to a mere seamsterss; his overburdened assistant had to convey the masters' wishes to the lowly workers assembling his great designs
deify: turn into a god; idolize. Admire the rock star all you want; just don't deify him
dehydrate: remove from water; dry out
degradation: humiliation; debasement; dgeneration. Some secretaries object to fetching the boss a cup of coffee because they resent the degradation of being made to perform such lowly tasks. degrade v
degenerate: become worse; deteriorate. As the fight dragged on, the champion's style degenerated until he could barely keep on his feet
defunct: dead; no longer in use or existence The lawyers sought to examine the books of the defunct corporation
deft: neat; skillful. The deft waiter uncorked the champagne without spilling a drop
defrock: to strip a priest or minister of church authority. We knew the minister had violated church regulations but we had not realized his offense was serious enough to cause him to bed efrocked
defray: provide for the payment of. Her employer offered to defray the costs of her postgrad education
defoliate: destroy leaves. In Vietnam the army made extensive use of chemical agents to defoliate the woodlands
deflect: turn aside. HIs life was saved when his cigarette case deflected the bullet
definitive: most reliable or complete. Carol Sandburg's Abraham Lincoin may be regarded as the definitive work on the life of the Great Emancipator
defile: pollute; profane. The hoodlums defiled the churhc with their scurrious writing
defiance: refusal to yield; resistance. When John reached the 'terrible two's he responsde to every parental request with howwls of definance defy v defiant adj
deference: courteous regard for another's wish. Ind eference to the minister's request, pleaes do not take photographs during the wedding service.
defer: give in respectfully; submit. When it comes to making decisions about purchasing software, we must defer to Michae;, our computer guru; he has the final word. Michael however, can defer these quesetions to no one; only he can decide
defection: desertion. The children, who had made him an idol, were hurt most by his defection from our cause
defeatist: resigned to defeat; accepting defeat as a natural outcome. If you maintain your defeatist attitude, you will never succeed
default: failure to act. When the visiting team failed to show up for the big game, they lost the game y default.
defame: harm someone's reputation; malign; slander. If you try to defame my good name, my lawyers will see you in court
deface: mar; disfugre. If you deface a library book you will have to pay a hefty fine
deducible: derived by reasoning. If we accept your premise, your conclusions are easily deducible
decry: express strong disapproval of; disparage. The founder of the chidren's defese fund, marian wright , strongly decries the lack of financial and moral support for children in america today
decrepitude: state of collapse caused by illness or old age. I was unprepared for the state of decrepitude in which I had found my old friend; he seemed to have aged twenty years in six months
decoy: lure or bait. The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy
decorum: propriety; orderliness and good taste in anners. Even the best-mannered students have trouble behaving with decorum on the last day of school. decorous adj
decomposition: decay.
decollete: having a low cut neckline. Fashion decrees that evning gowns be decollete this season; bare shoulders are again the vogue
decipher: decode. I could not decipher the doctor's handwriting
declivity: downward slope. The chhildren loved to ski down the declivity
decimate: kill, usually one out of ten. We do mor to decimate our population in automobile accidents than we do in war.
deciduous: falling off, as of leaves. The oak is a deciduous tree
debonair: urbane and suave; amiable; cheerful and carefree. Reporters frequently describe polished and charming leading men- cary grant is an example as debonair
debiliate: weaken;enfeeble. Michael's sever bout of the flu debiliated him so much that he was too tired to go to work for a week
debauch: corrupt; seduce from virtue. Did socrates ' teachings lead the young men of athens to be virtuous citizens, or did they debauch the young men, causing them to question the customs of their fathers?
debase: reduce the quality or value; lower in esteem; insult degrade.Anna refused to kneel down and prostate herself befoer the king; she feels that to do so would debase her position, and she will not submit to such debasement.
debacle: sudden downfall; complete diaster. In the Airplane movies, every flight turns into a debacle, with passengers and crew members collapsing, engines falling apart, and carry on baggae popping out of the overhead bins
dearth: scarcity. The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools
deadpan: wooden; impassive. We wanted to see how long he could maintain his deadpan expression
deadlock: standstill; stalemate. Because negotiations had reached a deadlock, some of the delegates had begun to mutter about breaking off the talks
dawdle: loiter; waste time. Christina is dawdling her time, not studying GRE
dauntless: bold. Despite the dangerous nature of the undertaking, the dauntless soldier volunteered for the assignment
daunt: intimidate; frigten
daub: smear (as with pating). from the way he daubed his paint on the canvvavs, i could tell he knew nothing of oils
dappled: spotted. The sunlight filtering through the screens created a dappled effect on the wall.
dapper: neat and trim. Mum's hair is dapper, very neat and nicely trimmed.
dank: damp. The walls of the dungeon were dank and slim
damp: lessen in intesity; diminish; mute. Not even the taunts of his brother, wo considered ballet no proper pursuit for a lad, could damp BIlly Elliot's enthusiasm for dancing
dally: trifle with; procrastinate. Laertes told Ophelia that Hamlet would only daily with her affection
dais: raised platform for guests of honor. When she approached the dais, she was greeted by cheers from the people who had come to honor her.
dabble: work at in a nonserious fashion; splash around. The amateur painter dabbled at art, but seldom produced a finihed piece

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Number of cards 155