Decorum
appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety The countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the decorum appropriate for a visit to the palace.
Similar: correctness,decency,etiquette,propiety,seemliness,manners
Deference
respect, courtesy The respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justuce with the utmost deference.
Similar: courtesy,honor,homage,reverence,veneration
Deride
to speak of or treat with contempt, to mock The awkward child was often derided by his cooler peers.
Similar: gibe,jeer,mock,sneer,scoff,taunt
Desiccate
to dry out thoroughly After a few weeks lying on the desert's baking sands the cow;s carcase became completely desiccated.
Similar: dry,parch,dehydrate
Desultory
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected Diane had a desultory academic redord; she had changed majors 12 times in 3 years.
Similar: aimless, haphazard,indiscriminate,erratic, objectless,random,unplanned
Diatribe
an abusive, condemnetory speech The trucker bellowed a diatribe at the driver who had cut him off.
Similar: fulmination,jeremiad,harangue,invective,obloquy, tirade
Diffident
lacking self-confidence Steve's diffidence during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience in the feild.
Similar: Self-effacing, shy,coy,timid,retiring
Dilate
to make larger, expand When you enter a darkened room your eyes will dialate.
Similar: amplify,enlarge,develop,expand,elaborate,expatiate
Dilatory
intended to delay The congeressman used dilatory measures to delay the passage of the bill.
Similar: draggin,laggard,slow-footed,tardy,slow,laggin
Dilettante
Someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic Jerry's freinds were such dilettantes they seemed to have new jobs and hobbies every week.
Similar: amateur,dabbler,tyro,superficial
Dirge
a funeral hymn or mournful speech The dirge for the presidents funeral was very sad.
Similar: elegy,lament
Disabuse
set right, free from error Galileo's obervations disabuse scholars of the notion the Sun revolved around the Earth. Similar : correct ,undeceive
Discern
to percieve or recognize It is easy to discern the difference between butter and butter-flavored topping.
Similar: catch,descry,detect,dsitinguish,know,spy,tell,glimpse,seperate
Disparate
fundamentally different; entirely unlike Although the twins are physically identical, their personalities are disparate.
Similar: different,dissimilar,variant,various,divergent
Dissemble
to present a false appearance, to disguise one's real intentions or character The villian could dissemble to the police no longer- he admitted the deed and tore up the floor to reveal the body of the old man.
Similar: act, affect,assume,counterfeit,dissimulate,mask,pretend
Dissonnace
a harsh and disagreeable combination, especially of sounds Cognitive dissonance is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beleifs are contadicted by new evidence.
Similar: clash,dissension,dissent,strife,discord,dissidence,variance
Dogma
a firmly held opinion, esecially a religious belief "Linus' central dogma was that children who believed in The Great Pumpkin would be rewarded.
Similar: creed,teaching,doctrines,tenet
Dogmatic
dictorial in one's opinions The dictator was dogmatic; claiming he and only he, was right.
Similar: authoritarian,bossy,dictatorial,imperious,overbearing,masterful
Dupe
to deceive or a person whos is easily deceived Bugs Bunny was able to dupe Elmer Fudd by dressing up as a lady rabbit.
Similar: betray,bluff,delude,humbug,hoodwink,mislead
Eclectic
selecting from or made up from a variety of sources Budapest's architecture is an electric mix of easter and wester styles.
Similar: selective,catholic,broad
Efficacy
effectiveness The efficacy of penicillin was unsurpassed when it was first introduced, eliminating almost all bacterial infections.
Similar: dynamism,effectiveness,vigor,productiveness.strenght, proficiency
Elegy
a sorrowful poem or speech Though Thomas Gray's Eegy is about death and lossit urges its readers to endure life, and to trust in spirituality.
Similar: dirge lament
Eloquent
persuasive and moving, especially in speech The Gettysburg Address is moving not only becuase of its lofty sentiments but becuase of its eloquent words.
Similar:articulate,meaningful,expressive,fluent,smooth-spooken
Embellish
to add ornamental or fictitious details Britt embellished her resume, hoping to make the lowly posotions she had held seem more important.
Similar: adorn,bedeck,elaborate,exaggerate,embroider
Emulate
to copy; to try to equal or excel The graduate student sought to emulate his professor in ever way, copying not only how she taught, but also how she conducted herself outside of class.
Similar: ape,imitate,simulate
Enervate
to reduce in strength The querrilas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would enervate the regular army.
Similar: debilitate, enfeeble,sap,weaken
Endender
to produce, cause or bring about His fear and hatred of clowns was engendered when he witnessed the death of his father at the hands of a clown.
Similar:beget,proliferate,generate,prcreate,spawn
Enigma
a puzzle, a mystery Speaking in riddles and dressed in old robes, the artist gained a reputation as something of an enigma.
Similar: conundrum, perplexity
Enumerate
to count, list, itemize Moses returned from the mountain with tablets on which the commendments were enumerated.
Similar: catalog,index,tabulate
Ephemeral
lasting a short time The lives of mayflies seem ephemeral to us since the flies' average life span is a matter of hours.
Similar: evanescent,fleeting,momentary,transient
Equivocate
to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead When faced with criticism of his policies, the politician equivocated and left all parties thinking he agreed with them.
Similar:evasice,waffling,ambiguous
Erratic
wandering and unpredictable The plot seemed predictable until it suddenly took a series of erratic turns that surpised the audience.
Similar: capricious,irresolute,whimsical,inconstant
Erudite
learned,scholarly, bookish The annual meeting of philosophy professors was a gathering of the most erudite, well-published individuals in the field.
Similar: scholastic,learned,wise
Esoteric
known or understand only by a few Only a handful of experts are knowledgeable about tthe esoteric world of particle physics.
Similar: abstruse, arcane,obscure
Estimable
admirable Most people consider it estimable that Mother Teresa spent her life helping the poor of India.
Similar: admirable,commendable,creditable,laudable,meritorious,venerable
Eulogy
speech in praise of someone His best friend gave the eulogy, outlining his many achievments and talents.
Similar: commend,extol, laud
Euphemism
use of an inoffensive word or phrase on place of more distastefull one. The funeral director preferred to use the euphemism 'sleeping' instead of the word 'dead.'
Exacerbate
to make worse It is unwise to take asprin to try to relieve heartburn, since instead of providing relief, it will only exacerbated the problem.
Similar: annoy,irritate,aggravate,intensify,provoke
Exculpate
to clear from blame, prove innocent The legal system is intended to convict thosewho are guilty and exculpate those who are innocent.
Similar: absolve,exonerate,acquit,clear,vindicate
Exigent
urgent, requiring immediate action The patient was losing blood so rapidly that it was exigent to stop the source of bleeding.
Similar: critical,needed,imperative,urgent
Exonerate
to clear of blame The fugitive was exonerate when another criminal confessed to committing the crime.
Similar: absolve, acquit,clear,vindicate,exculpate
Explicit
clearly sated or shown; forthright in expression In Reading Comprehension, questions that ask directly about a detail in the passage are sometimes called Explcit Text questions.
Similar: candid,frank,unequivocal,straightforward
