SAT vocab words: d & e

dearth

a scarcity or lack

debacle

a sudden or ignominious failure

debilitating

making someone very weak

debunk

expose the falseness of something

decadence

moral or cultural decline

decorum

behavior in keeping with good taste

deference

humble submission and respect

deleterious

causing harm or damage

delineate

describe or portray something precisely

demagogue

a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires

denigrate

criticize unfairly

deplete

use up the supply of something

deplore

feel or express strong disapproval

depravity

moral corruption

deprecate

express disapproval of

deride

express contempt for

derogatory

showing a critical or disrespectful attitude

desecrate

treat a sacred place or thing with violent disrespect

despondent

in low spirits from loss of hope or courage

despot

a ruler who holds absolute power

destitute

without basic necessities for life

desultory

lacking a plan or purpose

deterrent

something that discourages an action

devious

showing a skillful use of underhanded tactics

diatribe

a forceful and bitter verbal attack

dichotomy

a division between two things

dictum

a formal pronouncement from an authoritative source

didactic

intended to teach

diffident

modest or shy because of lack of self-confidence

diminutive

extremely small

discern

perceive or recognize something

discreet

careful and circumspect in one’s speech or actions

discrepancy

a lack of compatibility between two facts

disdain

the feeling that someone or something is unworthy of consideration

disparage

regard or represent as being of little worth

disparate

essentially different in kind

dispassionate

not influenced by strong emotion

dispel

make a doubt, feeling, or belief disappear

disperse

distribute or spread over a wide area

dissipate

disperse or scatter

dissonance

lack of harmony among musical notes

dissuade

persuade someone not to take a particular course of action

distend

swell or cause to swell by pressure from inside

docile

ready to accept control or instuction

dogmatic

inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true

dubious

hesitating or doubting

duplicity

deceitfulness, double-dealing

ebullient

cheerful and full of energy

eclectic

deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad range of sources

edify

instruct or improve someone morally or intellectually

efface

erase a mark from a surface

efficacious

successful in producing a desired result

effrontery

insolent or impertinent behavior

egregious

outstanding bad, shocking

elucidate

make something clear, explain

elusive

difficult to find, catch, or achieve

embellish

make something more attractive by adding details

embody

be an expression of or give a tangible form to an idea

empathic

showing or giving emphasis

empirical

based on observation or experience

enervate

cause someone to feel drained of energy

engender

cause or give rise to a feeling, situation, or condition

enigmatic

difficult to interpret or understand

ennui

a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction

enormity

the great or extreme scale of something perceived as bad or morally wrong

ephemeral

lasting for a very short time

equanimity

mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper

equitable

fair and impartial

erroneous

wrong or incorrect

erudite

having or showing great knowledge or learning

esoteric

intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people

eulogy

a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly

euphemism

a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt

evanescent

soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence

exacerbate

make a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling worse

exemplary

serving as a desirable model

exorbitant

unreasonably high

expedient

convenient and practical, although possibly improper or immoral

expunge

erase or remove completely something unwanted or unpleasant

extol

praise enthusiastically

extraneous

irrelevant or unrelated to the subject being dealt with

extricate

free someone or something from a constraint or difficulty

exuberant

full of energy, excitement, and cheerfulness