The Words You Should Know to Sound Smart Read Online Free PDF Page B

want crops without plowing up the ground.” – Frederick Douglass, American abolitionist and orator
    de rigueur
(duh-rih-GUR), adjective
    Conforming to current standards of behavior, fashion, style, and etiquette.
    A two-carat diamond engagement ring that cost a young man a year’s salary was DE RIGUEUR for proposing to a girl in the 1950s.
    derivative
(deh-RIV-uh-tiv), adjective
    Copied or adapted from others.
    “Only at his maximum does an individual surpass all his DERIVATIVE elements, and become purely himself.” – D. H. Lawrence, British author
    descant
(des-KANT), verb
    To talk freely and without inhibition.
    Eloise is always more than willing to DESCANT concerning her past liaisons.
    descry
(dih-SCRY), verb
    To make a discovery through careful examination.
    With barely more than a casual glance, Amanda was able to DESCRY that the handbag was a knockoff.
    desideratum
(deh-sih-deh-RAH-tum), noun
    Something that one covets or desires.
    Ever since she was an adolescent, Evangeline’s DESIDERATUM has been a first edition of Virginia Woolf’s first novel,
The Voyage Out
.
    desultory
(dee-SULL-ter-ee), adjective
    Acting without plan or purpose; activity that seems random or haphazard.
    “Find time still to be learning somewhat good, and give up being DESULTORY.” –
Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor
    deus ex machina
(DAY-oos-eks-ma-KEEN-uh), noun
    An unexpected and fortunate event solving a problem or saving someone from disaster; a stroke of good luck.
    The author used a DEUS EX MACHINA to work his way out of the mess he got the characters in toward the end of the novel.
    diaphanous
(die-APH-uh-nuss), adjective
    Fine and sheer; or, insubstantial and vague.
    “To behold the day-break! / The little light fades the immense and DIAPHANOUS shadows, / The air tastes good to my palate.” – Walt Whitman, American poet and humanist
    diatribe
(DIE-uh-tribe), noun
    A speech railing against injustice; a vehement denunciation.
    The editorial was a mean-spirited DIATRIBE against school vouchers written to prevent children from other towns from being sent by bus to Centerville High School.
    dichotomy
(die-KOT-uh-me), noun
    Division into two parts, especially into two seemingly contradictory parts.
    A DICHOTOMY between good and evil is present in every human heart.
    didactic
(dye-DAK-tik), adjective
    Designed, made, or tailored for purposes of education, self-improvement, or ethical betterment.
    “The essential function of art is moral … but a passionate, implicit morality, not DIDACTIC.” – D. H. Lawrence, British author
    diffident
(DIFF-ih-dent), adjective
    To be uncertain or unsure about a making a decision or taking an action; to lack confidence and boldness.
    If you feel DIFFIDENT about driving a Rolls Royce, you can always buy a Bentley.
    dilettante
(DILL-ih-tont), noun
    A person who studies a subject in a casual fashion, learning the topic for the fun of it rather than to apply it to solve real problems.
    Joseph Priestly could be considered a DILETTANTE, and yet his work led to the discovery of oxygen.
    disabuse
(diss-uh-BYOOZ), verb
    To free oneself or someone else from an incorrect assumption or belief.
    We had to DISABUSE Lorraine from her belief that her family connections would immediately make her a member of our group.
    discomfit
(diss-KUM-fit), verb
    To embarrass someone to the point where they become uncomfortable.
    Maggie’s public mispronunciation of the designer’s name at the charity benefit DISCOMFITED her mother.
    discursive
(dis-KER-siv), adjective
    A manner or style of lecturing in which the speaker jumps back and forth between many topics.
    Paul’s DISCURSIVE lectures on American history jumped from century to century, yet it all came together in an understandable and fresh fashion.
    disenfranchise
(dis-en-FRAN-chyz), verb
    To deny someone a right or privilege; to make someone feel rejected and apart.
    “Some states specify felonies that condemn the citizen to