detrimental adj. (det ri MENT ul) damaging. Smoking is detrimental to your health.
devil's advocate n. one who represents an opposing side simply for the sake of argument or as an exercise. I don't really believe that everyone should own a gun, but in debate class I like to play the devil's advocate.
diabolical adj. (di yuh BOL uh kul) of the devil; fiendish. Beware of diabolical powers unleashed on Halloween.
diatribe n. (DYE uh tribe) a critical denunciation.
My editor wrote a long-winded diatribe criticizing not only my article but also my viewpoint.
dichotomy n. (di KOT uh mee) a division comprising two opposing viewpoints. There is a broad dichotomy of opinion between the sexes.
didactic adj. (dye DAK tik) educational, particularly concerning morals. The Sunday school teacher put on a didactic skit about stealing.
dilapidated adj. (di LAP i dayt ud) run-down; falling apart. The next stiff wind would probably knock down the old, dilapidated building.
dilettante adj. (DIL i TAHNT) one who dabbles in the arts or has an amateurish knowledge of a field. I love poetry, but when it comes to writing it, I'm strictly a dilettante.
diligent adj. (DIL uh junt) hard-working and persevering. She was a diligent worker who would not quit until the job was done right.
diplomacy n. (di PLOH muh see) the act and skill of cultivating and maintaining good relationships with others; tact, in international or personal relations. The highest form of diplomacy must be employed to prevent international hostilities from exploding into war.
disaffected adj. (dis uh FEK tid) full of resentment; alienated. Disaffected, the laid-off workers staged a demonstration against the company.
disarming adj. (dis ARM ing) hostility-reducing, often through charm. The beauty pageant winner's smile was disarming and tended to dampen any hostility felt toward her by the losers.
discerning adj. (di SUR ning) highly perceptive; sharp in judgment. The judge cast a discerning eye over the defendants.
disclaimer n. (dis KLAYM ur) a statement that releases one from legal liability. Manufacturers of dangerous products must issue public disclaimers in order to protect themselves from lawsuits.
disconcerted adj. (DIS kun SURT ed) disturbed; upset. Dogs are often disconcerted by the sounds of an approaching thunderstorm.
discord n. (DIS kord) conflict and disagreement. There was a great discord among the panelists as the debate began.
discreet adj. (dis KREET) unobtrusive, tactful, and low-key. If you must burp at the dinner table, please be discreet.
disdain n. (dis DAYN) contempt. I feel nothing but disdain toward those who abuse animals.
disillusioned adj. (DIS i LOO szhund) disturbed by a previously unseen reality. With so much dishonesty and scandal, it is easy to become disillusioned with politics.
disparage vb. (dis PAIR ij) to criticize and put down. If you plan to disparage someone in print, be careful not to slander or libel.
disparity n. (dis PAIR uh tee) a state of inequality.
There is too often a disparity between what one says and what one does.
disseminate vb. (di SEM uh nayt) to distribute or broadcast. We will disseminate the information as soon as it comes off the press.
dissension n. (di SEN shun) disagreement. There is often great dissension between Democrats and Republicans.
dissertation n. (DI sur TAY shun) a lengthy and involved academic report or treatise, based on original research; a thesis. Writing a dissertation is a requirement of one seeking a doctorate.
dissident n. (DIS uh dent) one who disagrees. The dictator threatened to throw all dissidents in prison.
dissipate vb. (DIS uh PAYT) to thin or peter out; to exhaust. The snow is finally beginning to dissipate.
dissuade vb. (dis WAYD) to talk out of; to discourage. Unless you're in top physical condition, I would try to dissuade you from climbing Mount Everest.
divest vb. (di VEST) to strip or remove; to sell off one's investment. With Wall Street turning decidedly bearish, it might be a good time to divest oneself of stocks.
docile adj. (DOS ul) gentle; tame and easy to handle or train. Thankfully, my horse was docile and never bucked.
dogged adj. (DOG id) tenacious and persistent; stubborn. To finish a marathon, you must be absolutely dogged.
dogma n. (DOG muh) a strong belief, principle, moral, or set of morals. The zealous are often blind to their own causes and dogmas.
dogmatic adj. (dog MAT ik) clinging tenaciously to one's own beliefs and refusing to consider other viewpoints. It's never wise to be dogmatic; always question your own beliefs and those of others.
dormant adj. (DOOR munt) not active; in a state of sleep. The dormant volcano hadn't erupted for more than two hundred years.
double-blind test n. a medical test in which neither the administrators nor the test subjects know who is receiving placebos (sham treatments) and who is receiving real medicine, the object of which is to measure efficacy without influence of bias. The university conducted a double-blind test on eighty- three subjects and discovered, to their horror, that placebos worked just as well as their experimental medicine.
double entendre n. (DUB ul on TON druh) an ambiguous statement that can be understood in either a perfectly innocent way or in a naughty way. The comedian was restricted from swearing and telling blatantly offensive jokes, so he used a lot of subtle double entendres to get laughs.
double standard n. (dub ul STAN derd) a social standard that is followed unequally between sexes, races, groups, etc. It's quite acceptable for a woman to wear a man's suit at work, but not for a man to wear a dress—a double standard.