TEFL

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.