You should memorize the meaning of the following words to do well in GMAT. Here is the list of GMAT Vocabulary (C to D).

cabal

(n.) a group of persons joined by a secret

The very idea that there could be a cabal cast suspicion on the whole operation. cache (n.) stockpile; store; heap; hiding
place for goods The town kept a cache of salt on hand to melt winter’s snow off the roads.

Extra food is kept in the cache under the pantry.

The cache for his jewelry was hidden under the bed.

cacophonous

(adj.) sounding jarring

The cacophonous sound from the bending metal sent shivers up our spines. cacophony (n.) a harsh, inharmonious
collection of sounds; dissonance The beautiful harmony of the symphony was well enjoyed after the cacophony coming
from the stage as the orchestra warmed up.  The amateur band created more cacophony than beautiful sound.

cajole

(v.) to coax with insincere talk

To cajole the disgruntled employee, the manager coaxed him with lies and sweet talk.

The salesman will cajole the couple into buying the stereo.

calamity

(n.) disaster

The fire in the apartment building was a great calamity.

caliber

(n.) quality

The caliber of talent at the show was excellent.

callow

(adj.) being young or immature

With the callow remark the young man demonstrated his age.  Although the girl could be considered an adult, the action
was very callow.

calumny

(n.) slander

I felt it necessary to speak against the calumny of the man’s good reputation.

canard

(n.) a false statement or rumor

The canard was reported in a scandalous tabloid.

candid

(adj.) honest; truthful; sincere

People trust her because she’s so candid.

cant

(n.) insincere or hypocritical statements of high ideals; the jargon of a particular group or occupations The theater majors
had difficulty understanding the cant of the computer scientists.

The remarks by the doctor were cant and meant only for his associates.  caprice (n.) a sudden, unpredictable or
whimsical change The caprice with which the couple approached the change of plans was evidence to their young age.

The king ruled by caprice as much as law.

capricious

(adj.) changeable; fickle

The capricious bride-to-be has a different church in mind for her wedding every few days.

captious

(adj.) disposed to find fault

A captious attitude often causes difficulties in a relationship.

carte blanche

(n.) unlimited authority

The designer was given carte blanche to create a new line for the fall.

cascade

(n; v.) waterfall; pour; rush; fall

The hikers stopped along the path to take in the beauty of the rushing cascade.

The water cascaded down the rocks into the pool.

He took a photograph of the lovely cascade.

The drapes formed a cascade down the window.

castigate

(v.) to punish through public criticism

The mayor castigated the police chief for the rash of robberies.

cataclysm

(n.) an extreme natural force

The earthquake has been the first cataclysm in five years.  catalyst (n.) anything which creates a situation in which change
can occur The low pressure system was the catalyst for the nor’easter.  catharsis (n.) a purging or relieving of the body or
soul He experienced a total catharsis after the priest absolved his sins.  Admitting his guilt served as a catharsis for the
man.

caustic

(adj.) eating away at; sarcastic words

The caustic chemicals are dangerous.

The girl harmed her mother with her caustic remarks.  His caustic sense of humor doesn’t go over so well when people
don’t know what they’re in for.

cavil

(v.) to bicker

The children are constantly caviling.

censor

(v.) to examine and delete objectionable material

The children were allowed to watch the adult movie only after it had been censored.  censure (n.; v.) a disapproval; an
expression of disapproval; to criticize or disapprove of His remarks drew the censure of his employers.  A censure of the
new show upset the directors.

Her parents censured her idea of dropping out of school.

ceremonious

(adj.) very formal or proper

The black-tie dinner was highly ceremonious.

cessation

(n.)ceasing; a stopping

The cessation of a bad habit is often difficult to sustain.  chafe (v.) to annoy, to irritate; to wear away or make sore by
rubbing His constant teasing chafed her.

He doesn’t wear pure wool sweaters because they usually chafe his skin.

chaffing

(n.) banter; teasing

The king was used to his jesters good-natured chaffing.  chagrin (n.) a feeling of embarrassment due to failure or
disappointment To the chagrin of the inventor, the machine did not work.  She turned red-faced with chagrin when she
learned that her son had been caught shoplifting.

charisma

(n.) appeal; magnetism; presence

She has such charisma that everyone likes her the first time they meet her. charlatan (n.) a person who pretends to have
knowledge; an impostor; fake The charlatan deceived the townspeople.

It was finally discovered that the charlatan sitting on the throne was not the real king.

chary

(adj.) cautious; being sparing in giving

Be chary when driving at night.

The chary man had few friends.

chaste

(adj.) virtuous; free of obscenity

Because the woman believed in being chaste, she would not let her date into the
house.

chastise

(v.) to punish; discipline; admonish

The dean chastised the first-year student for cheating on the exam.

cherish

(v.) to feel love for

The bride vowed to cherish the groom for life.

chicanery

(n.) trickery or deception

The swindler was trained in chicanery.

A news broadcast is no place for chicanery.

chimera

(n.) an impossible fancy

Perhaps he saw a flying saucer, but perhaps it was only a chimera.  choleric (adj.) cranky; cantankerous; easily moved to
feeling displeasure The choleric man was continually upset by his neighbors.  Rolly becomes choleric when his views are
challenged.

chortle

(v.) to make a gleeful, chuckling sound

The chortles emanating from the audience indicated it wouldn’t be as tough a crowd as the stand-up comic had
expected.  churlishness (n.) crude or surly behavior; behavior of a peasant The fraternity’s churlishness ran afoul of the
dean’ s office.  The churlishness of the teenager caused his employer to lose faith in him.  circumlocution (n.) a
roundabout or indirect way of speaking; not to the point The man’s speech contained so much circumlocution that I was
unsure of the point he was trying to make.

The child made a long speech using circumlocution to avoid stating that it was she who had knocked over the lamp.
circumlocutory (adj.) being too long, as in a description or expression; a roundabout, indirect, or ungainly way of
expressing something It was a circumlocutory documentary that could have been cut to half its running time to say twice
as much.

circumspect

(adj.) considering all circumstances

A circumspect decision must be made when so many people are involved.

citadel

(n.) a fortress set up high to defend a city

A citadel sat on the hill to protect the city below.

clandestine

(adj.) secret

The clandestine plan must be kept between the two of us!

clemency

(n.) mercy toward an offender; mildness

The governor granted the prisoner clemency.  The weather’s clemency made for a perfect picnic.  cloture (n.) a
parliamentary procedure to end debate and begin to vote Cloture was declared as the parliamentarians readied to
register their votes. cloying (adj.) too sugary; too sentimental or flattering After years of marriage the husband still gave
cloying gifts to his wife.  Complimenting her on her weight loss, clothing and hairstyle was a cloying way to begin asking
for a raise.  coagulate (v.) to become a semisolid, soft mass; to clot The liquid will coagulate and close the tube if left
standing.

coalesce

(v.) to grow together

The bride and groom coalesced their funds to increase their collateral.

At the end of the conference the five groups coalesced in one room.

coda

(n.) in music, a concluding passage

By the end of the coda, I was ready to burst with excitement over the thrilling performance.

The audience knew that the concerto was about to end when they heard the orchestra begin playing the coda.

coddle

(v.) to treat with tenderness

A baby needs to be coddled.

codify

(v.) to organize laws or rules into a systematic collection The laws were codified by those whom they affected.  The intern
codified all the city’s laws into a computerized filing system.  coffer (n.) a chest where money or valuables are kept
The coffer that contained the jewels was stolen.  cogent (adj.) to the point; clear; convincing in its clarity and presentation
The lawyer makes compelling and cogent presentations, which evidently help him win 96 percent of his cases.

He made a short, cogent speech which his audience easily understood.

cogitate

(v.) to think hard; ponder; meditate

It is necessary to cogitate on decisions which affect life goals.  The room was quiet while every student cogitated during
the calculus exam.  cognate (adj.; n.) having the same family; a person related through ancestry English and German are
cognate languages.  The woman was a cognate to the royal family.  cognitive (adj.) possessing the power to think or
meditate; meditative; capable of perception Cognitive thought makes humans adaptable to a quickly changing
environment.

Once the toddler was able to solve puzzles, it was obvious that her cognitive abilities were developing.

cognizant

(adj.) aware of; perceptive

She became alarmed when she was cognizant of the man following her.  It was critical to establish whether the defendant
was cognizant of his rights.  coherent (adj.) sticking together; connected; logical; consistent The course was a success
due to its coherent information.  If he couldn’t make a coherent speech, how could he run for office?

cohesion

(n.) the act of holding together

The cohesion of the group increased as friendships were formed.

The cohesion of different molecules forms different substances.

cohort

(n.) a group; band

The cohort of teens gathered at the athletic field.

collaborate

(v.) to work together; cooperate

The two builders collaborated to get the house finished.  colloquial (adj.) having to do with conversation; informal speech
The colloquial reference indicated the free spirit of the group.  When you listen to the difference between spoken colloquial
conversation and written work, you realize how good an ear a novelist must have to write authentic dialogue.

collusion

(n.) secret agreement for an illegal purpose

The authority discovered a collusion between the director and treasurer. comeliness (n.) beauty; attractiveness in
appearance or behavior The comeliness of the woman attracted everyone’s attention.

commiserate

(v.) to show sympathy for

The hurricane victims commiserated about the loss of their homes.

commodious

(adj.) spacious and convenient; roomy

The new home was so commodious that many new pieces of furniture needed to be purchased.

communal

(adj.) shared or common ownership

The communal nature of the project made everyone pitch in to help.

compatible

(adj.) in agreement with; harmonious

When repairing an automobile, it is necessary to use parts compatible with that make and model.

complacent

(adj.) content; self-satisfied; smug

The CEO worries regularly that his firm’s winning ways will make it complacent.

The candidate was so complacent with his poll numbers that he virtually stopped campaigning.  complaisance (n.) the
quality of being agreeable or eager to please The complaisance of the new assistant made it easy for the managers to
give him a lot of work without worrying that he may complain.

compliant

(adj.) complying; obeying; yielding

Compliant actions should be reinforced.

The slave was compliant with every order to avoid being whipped.

comport

(v.) fitting in

It was easy to comport to the new group of employees.

comprehensive

(adj.) all-inclusive; complete; thorough

It’s the only health facility around to offer comprehensive care.

compromise

(v.) to settle by mutual adjustment

Labor leaders and the automakers compromised by agreeing to a starting wage of $16 an hour in exchange for
concessions on health-care premiums.  concede (v.) to acknowledge; admit; to surrender; to abandon one’s position
After much wrangling, the conceded that the minister had a point.  Satisfied with the recount, the mayor conceded
graciously.

conceit

(n.) an exaggerated personal opinion

The man’s belief that he was the best player on the team was pure conceit.

conciliation

(n.) an attempt to make friendly or placate

The attempt at conciliation

conciliatory

(adj.) to reconcile

The diplomat sought to take a conciliatory approach to keep the talks going.

concise

(adj.) in few words; brief; condensed

The concise instructions were printed on two pages rather than the customary five.  conclave (n.) any private meeting or
closed assembly The conclave was to meet in the executive suite.  condescend (v.) to come down from one’s position or
dignity The arrogant, rich man was usually condescending towards his servants.

condone

(v.) to overlook; to forgive

The loving and forgiving mother condoned her son’s life of crime I will condone your actions of negligence.

confluence

(n.) a thing which is joined together

Great cities often lie at the confluence of great rivers.  confound (v.) to lump together, causing confusion; to damn The
problem confounded our ability to solve it.  Confound you, you scoundrel!

conglomeration

(n.) a collection or mixture of various things

The conglomeration is made up of four different interest groups.

The soup was a conglomeration of meats and vegetables.

conjoin

(v.) to combine

The classes will conjoin to do the play.

conjure

(v.) to call upon or appeal to; to cause to be, appear, come The smell of the dinner conjured images of childhood.  The
magician conjured a rabbit out of a hat.

connivance

(n.) secret cooperation in wrongdoing

With the guard’s connivance, the convict was able to make his escape. connoisseur (n.) expert; authority (usually refers to
a wine or food expert) They allowed her to choose the wine for dinner since she was the connoisseur.
connotative (adj.) containing associated meanings in addition to the primary one Along with the primary meaning of the
word, there were two connotative meanings.

The connotative meaning of their music was spelled out in the video.

consecrate

(v.) to declare sacred; to dedicate

We will consecrate the pact during the ceremony.

The park was consecrated to the memory of the missing soldier.

consequential

(adj.) following as an effect; important

His long illness and consequential absence set him behind in his homework.

The decision to move the company will be consequential to its success.

consort

(n.; v.) a companion, spouse; to associate

An elderly woman was seeking a consort.

They waited until dark to consort under the moonlight.

conspicuous

(adj.) easy to see; noticeable

The diligent and hardworking editor thought the obvious mistake was conspicuous.  consternation (n.) amazement or
terror that causes confusion The look of consternation on the child’s face caused her father to panic.

constrain

(v.) to force, compel; to restrain

It may be necessary to constrain the wild animal if it approaches the town.

The student was constrained to remain in her seat until the teacher gave her permission to leave.

consummation

(n.) the completion; finish

Following the consummation of final exams, most of the students graduated.  contemporary (adj.) living or happening at
the same time; modern Contemporary furniture will clash with your traditional sectional.

contempt

(n.) scorn; disrespect

The greedy, selfish banker was often discussed with great contempt.

contentious

(adj.) quarrelsome

The contentious student was asked to leave the classroom.  They hate his contentious behavior because every
suggestion they give ends in a fight.

contest

(v.) to attempt to disprove or invalidate

I will attempt to contest the criminal charges against me.  contiguous (adj.) touching; or adjoining and close, but not
touching There are many contiguous buildings in the city because there is no excess land to allow space between them.
contravene (v.) to act contrary to; to oppose or contradict The story of the accused contravened the story of the witness.
The United Nations held that the Eastern European nation had contravened the treaty.  contrite (adj.) regretful;
sorrowful; having repentance Regretting his decision not to attend college, the contrite man did not lead a very happy life.

A contrite heart has fixed its wrongs.

contumacious

(adj.) resisting authority

The man was put in jail for contumacious actions.  contusion (n.) a bruise; an injury where the skin is not broken The man
was fortunate to receive only contusions from the crash.

conundrum

(n.) a puzzle or riddle

I spent two hours trying to figure out the conundrum.  The legend says that to enter the secret passageway, one must
answer the ancient conundrum.

conventional

(adj.) traditional; common; routine

The bride wanted a conventional wedding ceremony, complete with white dresses, many flowers, and a grand reception
party.  Conventional telephones are giving way to videophones.  converge (v.) to move toward one point (opposite: diverge)
It was obvious that an accident was going to occur as the onlookers watched the two cars converge.

The two roads converge at the corner.

conviviality

(n.) a fondness for festiveness or joviality

His conviviality makes him a welcome guest at any social gathering.

convoke

(v.) a call to assemble

The teacher convoked her students in the auditorium to help prepare them for the play.

copious

(adj.) abundant; in great quantities

Her copious notes touched on every subject presented in the lecture.

corpulence

(n.) obesity

The corpulence of the man kept him from fitting into the seat.

correlate

(v.) to bring into mutual relation

The service man was asked to correlate the two computer demonstration pamphlets.

corroborate

(v.) to confirm the validity

The witness must corroborate the prisoner’s story if she is to be set free.  coterie (n.) a clique; a group who meet
frequently, usually socially A special aspect of campus life is joining a coterie.  Every day after school she joins her coterie
on the playground and they go out for a soda.

covenant

(n.) a binding and solemn agreement

With the exchange of vows, the covenant was complete.

covetous

(adj.) greedy; very desirous

Lonnie, covetous of education, went to almost every lecture at the university.

Covetous of her neighbor’s pool, she did everything she could to make things unpleasant..

cower

(v.) to huddle and tremble

The lost dog cowered near the tree.

The tellers cowered in the corner as the bandit ransacked the bank.  coy (adj.) modest; bashful; pretending shyness to
attract Her coy manners attracted the man.

He’s not really that shy, he’s just being coy.  crass (adj.) stupid or dull; insensitive; materialistic To make light of someone’
s weakness is crass.  They made their money the old-fashioned way, but still they were accused of being crass.

My respect for the man was lowered when he made the crass remark.

craven

(n.; adj.) coward; abject person; cowardly

While many fought for their rights, the craven sat shaking, off in a corner somewhere.

Craven men will not stand up for what they believe in.

culpable

(adj.) deserving blame; guilty

The convicted criminal still denies that he is culpable for the robbery.

curb

(n.) a restraint or framework

A curb was put up along the street to help drainage.

curmudgeon

(n.) an ill-tempered person

The curmudgeon asked the children not to play near the house.

cursory

(adj.) hasty; slight

The detective’s cursory examination of the crime scene caused him to overlook the lesser clues.

cynic


(n.) one who believes that others are motivated entirely by selfishness.

The cynic felt that the hero saved the man to become famous.

dais

(n.) a raised platform at one end of a room

The dais was lowered to make the speaker look taller.

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.

denounce

(v.) to speak out against; condemn

A student rally was called to denounce the use of drugs on campus.

depict

(v.) to portray; describe

The mural depicts the life of a typical urban dweller.

deplete

(v.) to reduce; to empty, exhaust

Having to pay the entire bill will deplete the family’s savings.  deposition (n.) a removal from office or power; a testimony
Failing to act lawfully could result in his deposition.  She met with her lawyer this morning to review her deposition.

depravity

(n.) moral corruption; badness

Drugs and money caused depravity throughout the once decorous community.

The depravity of the old man was bound to land him in jail one day.  deprecate (v.) to express disapproval of; to protest
against The environmentalists deprecated the paper companies for cutting down ancient forests.

The organization will deprecate the opening of the sewage plant.

depredation

(n.) a plundering or laying waste

The pharaoh’s once rich tomb was empty after centuries of depredation from grave
robbers.

deride

(v.) to laugh at with contempt; to mock

No matter what he said, he was derided.

It is impolite to deride someone even if you dislike him.

derision

(n.) the act of mocking; ridicule, mockery

A day of derision from the boss left the employee feeling depressed.

Constant derision from classmates made him quit school.

derisive

(adj.) showing disrespect or scorn for

The derisive comment was aimed at the man’s life long enemy.

derogatory

(adj.) belittling; uncomplimentary

He was upset because his annual review was full of derogatory comments.

descant

(v.) lengthy talking or writing

The man will descant on the subject if you give him too much speaking time.

desecrate

(v.) to profane; violate the sanctity of

The teenagers’ attempt to desecrate the church disturbed the community.

desist

(v.) to stop or cease

The judge ordered the man to desist from calling his ex-wife in the middle of the night.

desolate

(adj.) to be left alone or made lonely

Driving down the desolate road had Kelvin worried that he wouldn’t reach a gas station in time.

despoil

(v.) to take everything; plunder

The Huns despoiled village after village.

despotism

(n.) tyranny; absolute power or influence

The ruler’s despotism went uncontested for 30 years.

destitute

(adj.) poor; poverty-stricken

One Bangladeshi bank makes loans to destitute citizens so that they may overcome their poverty.

Many of the city’s sections are destitute.  desultory (adj.) moving in a random, directionless manner The thefts were
occurring in a desultory manner making them difficult to track.  detached (adj.) separated; not interested; standing alone
Detached from modern conveniences, the islanders live a simple, unhurried life.

deter

(v.) to prevent; to discourage; hinder

He deterred the rabbits by putting down garlic around the garden.

determinate

(adj.) distinct limits

The new laws were very determinate as far as what was allowed and what was not allowed.

devoid

(adj.) lacking; empty

The interplanetary probe indicated that the planet was devoid of any atmosphere.

dexterous

(adj.) skillful, quick mentally or physically

The dexterous gymnast was the epitome of grace on the balance beam.

diatribe

(n.) a bitter or abusive speech

During the divorce hearings she delivered a diatribe full of the emotion pushing her away from her husband.

The diatribe was directed towards a disrespectful supervisor.

dichotomy

(n.) a division into two parts or kinds

The dichotomy within the party threatens to split it.  The dichotomy between church
and state renders school prayer unconstitutional.  dictum (n.) a formal statement of
either fact or opinion Computer programmers have a dictum: garbage in, garbage
out.

didactic

(adj.) instructive; dogmatic; preachy

Our teacher’s didactic technique boosted our scores.

The didactic activist was not one to be swayed.

diffidence

(n.) a hesitation in asserting oneself

A shy person may have great diffidence when forced with a problem.

diffident

(adj.) timid; lacking self-confidence

The director is looking for a self-assured actor, not a diffident one.  Her diffident sister couldn’t work up the courage to ask
for the sale.  diffuse (adj.) spread out; verbose (wordy); not focused The toys were discovered in a diffuse manner after the
birthday party.  His monologue was so diffuse that all his points were lost.  digress (v.) stray from the subject; wander
from topic It is important to not digress from the plan of action.

dilettante

(n.) an admirer of the fine arts; a dabbler

Though she played the piano occasionally, she was more of a dilettante.

diligence

(n.) hard work

Anything can be accomplished with diligence and commitment.  diminutive (adj.; n.) smaller than average; a small
person; a word, expressing smallness, formed when a suffix is added They lived in a diminutive house.

The diminutive woman could not see over the counter.

din

(n.) a noise which is loud and continuous

The din of the jackhammers reverberated throughout the concrete canyon.

dint

(n.) strength

The dint of the bridge could hold trucks weighing many tons.  dirge (n.) a hymn for a
funeral; a song or poem expressing lament The mourners sang a traditional Irish
dirge .

disapprobation

(n.) disapproval

Her disapprobation of her daughter’s fiancZ’ divided the family.

disarray

(n.) (state of) disorder

The thief left the house in disarray.

disavow

(v.) to deny; to refuse to acknowledge

The actor has disavowed the rumor.

discerning

(adj.) distinguishing one thing from another; having good judgment He has a discerning eye for knowing the original from
the copy.  Being discerning about a customer’s character is a key qualification for a loan officer.

discomfit

(v.) to frustrate the expectations of

The close game discomfited the number one player.

discord

(n.) disagreement; lack of harmony

There was discord amidst the jury, and therefore a decision could not be made. discourse (v.) to converse; to
communicate in an orderly fashion The scientists discoursed on a conference call for just five minutes but were able to
solve three major problems.

The interviewee discoursed so fluently, she was hired on the spot.  discreet (adj.) showing good judgment in conduct;
prudent We confided our secret in Mary because we knew she’d be discreet.  discrete (adj.) separate; individually distinct;
composed of distinct parts There were four discrete aspects to the architecture of the home. The citizens committee
maintained that road widening and drainage were hardly discrete issues.

discriminate

(v.) distinguish; demonstrate bias

Being a chef, he discriminated carefully among ingredients.  Reeling from the fact that senior managers had been caught
on tape making offensive remarks, the CEO said he would not tolerate any of his firm’s employees discriminating against
anyone for any reason.  disdain (n.; v.) intense dislike; look down upon; scorn She showed great disdain toward anyone
who did not agree with her.  She disdains the very ground you walk upon.

disentangle

(v.) to free from confusion

We need to disentangle ourselves from the dizzying variety of choices.

disheartened

(adj.) discouraged; depressed

After failing the exam, the student became disheartened and wondered if he would ever graduate.  disingenuous (adj.) not
frank or candid; deceivingly simple (opposite: ingenious) The director used a disingenuous remark to make his point to
the student.

He always gives a quick, disingenuous response; you never get a straight answer. disinterested (adj.) neutral; unbiased
(alternate meaning; uninterested) A disinterested person was needed to serve as arbitrator of the argument.

He never takes sides; he’s always disinterested.

disparage

(v.) to belittle; undervalue; to discredit

After she fired him she realized that she had disparaged the value of his assistance.

The lawyer will attempt to disparage the testimony of the witness.

disparate

(adj.) unequal; dissimilar; different

They came from disparate backgrounds, one a real estate magnate, the other a custodian.

The disparate numbers of players made the game a sure blowout.

disparity

(n.) difference in form, character, or degree

There is a great disparity between a light snack and a great feast.

dispassionate

(adj.) lack of feeling; impartial

She was a very emotional person and could not work with such a dispassionate employer.

disperse

(v.) to scatter; separate

The pilots dispersed the food drops over a wide area of devastation.

Tear gas was used to disperse the crowd.

disputatious

(adj.) argumentative; inclined to disputes

His disputatious streak eventually wore down his fellow parliament members.

The child was so disputatious he needed to be removed from the room.  dissemble (v.) to pretend; to feign; to conceal by
pretense The man dissembled his assets shamelessly to avoid paying alimony.  Agent 007 has a marvelous ability to
dissemble his real intentions.

disseminate

(v.) to circulate; scatter

He was hired to disseminate newspapers to everyone in the town.

The preacher traveled across the country to disseminate his message.

dissent

(v.) to disagree; differ in opinion

They agreed that something had to be done, but dissented on how to do it. dissonance (n.) musical discord; a mingling
of inharmonious sounds; nonmusical; disagreement; lack of harmony Much twentieth-century music is not liked by
classical music lovers because of the dissonance it holds and the harmonies it lacks.  The dissonance of his
composition makes for some rough listening.

dissonant

(adj.) not in harmony; in disagreement

Despite several intense rehearsals, the voices of the choir members continued to be dissonant.

The dissonant nature of the man’s temperament made the woman fearful to approach him with the new idea.

distant

(adj.) having separations or being reserved

Rolonda’s friends have become more distant in recent years.

distention

(n.) inflation or extension

The bulge in the carpet was caused by the distention of the wood underneath.  dither (v.; n.) to act indecisively; a confused
condition She dithered every time she had to make a decision.  Having to take two tests in one day left the student in a
dither.

diverge

(v.) separate, split

The path diverges at the old barn, one fork leading to the house, and the other leading to the pond.

The wide, long river diverged into two distinct separate rivers, never again to join.

diverse

(adj.) different; varied

The course offerings were so diverse I had a tough time choosing.

divestiture

(n.) being stripped

When it was found the team cheated, there was a divestiture of their crown.

docile

(adj.) manageable; obedient; gentle

We needed to choose a docile pet because we hadn’t the patience for a lot of training.  document (n.; v.) official paper
containing information; to support; substantiate; verify They needed a written document to prove that the transaction
occurred.  Facing an audit, she had to document all her client contacts.  doggerel (n.) verse characterized by forced rhyme
and meter Contrary to its appearance, doggerel can contain some weighty messages.

dogma

(n.) a collection of beliefs

The dogma of the village was based on superstition.

dogmatic

(adj.) stubborn; biased; opinionated

Their dogmatic declaration clarified their position.

The dogmatic statement had not yet been proven by science.  The student’s dogmatic presentation annoyed his
classmates as well as his instructor.

dormant

(adj.) as if asleep

The animals lay dormant until the spring thaw.

doting

(adj.) excessively fond of

With great joy, the doting father held the toddler.

doughty

(adj.) brave and strong

The doughty fireman saved the woman’s life.

dowdy

(adj.) shabby in appearance

The dowdy girl had no buttons on her coat and the threads were falling apart.
dubious (adj.) doubtful; uncertain; skeptical; suspicious Many people are dubious about the possibility of intelligent life on
other planets.

The new information was dubious enough to re-open the case.

duplicity

(n.) deception

She forgave his duplicity but divorced him anyway.

duress

(n.) imprisonment; the use of threats

His duress was supposed to last 10-15 years.

The policewoman put the man under duress in order to get a confession.  The Labor Department inspector needed to
establish whether the plant workers had been held under duress.