calamitous, grievous, distressing, melancholy.
ANT. _Acceptable, felicitous, happy, welcome, glad, joyous, beneficent,
pleasing._
=Deportment.= Conduct, carriage, behavior, demeanor, character.
ANT. _Misbehavior, misconduct._
=Depose.= Dethrone, debase, degrade, dismiss, oust, displace.
ANT. _Enthrone, install, initiate, elevate, exalt, invest with power._
=Deprecate.= Regret, disapprove, lament; intercede, expostulate.
ANT. _Rejoice in, approve; invoke, imprecate, curse._
=Depreciate.= Disparage, decry, undervalue, detract, underestimate.
ANT. _Appreciate, value, esteem._
=Depredation.= Robbery, pillage, plunder, spoliation, theft, invasion,
trespass, havoc, encroachment.
ANT. _Restitution, compensation, restoration, amends, reparation._
=Depression.= Lowering, degradation, abasement, perversion,
depreciation, dejection, discouragement; hollow, valley, decline.
ANT. _Elevation, raising, exaltation, promotion, amelioration,
preferment, prominence, eminence._
=Deprive.= Bereave, rob, divest, strip, despoil, dispossess, depose;
prevent, hinder.
ANT. _Endow, enrich, invest, compensate, present, indemnify._
=Deputy.= Lieutenant, agent, representative, envoy, legate, substitute,
vicegerent, proxy, delegate.
ANT. _Master, principal, governor, chief, sovereign, ruler._
=Derangement.= Disorder, confusion, disarrangement; disturbance,
discomposure; madness, lunacy, insanity, mania, delirium, alienation,
aberration.
ANT. _Order, arrangement, regulation; calmness; sanity, poise,
rationality._
=Derision.= Scorn, contempt, ridicule, mockery, contumely, scoffing.
ANT. _Admiration, respect, reverence, regard, esteem, veneration._
=Derivation.= Source, origin, genesis, fountain, descent, root,
etymology.
ANT. _Result, issue, termination, effect, application, use._
=Derogate.= Detract, depreciate, disparage, compromise, lessen.
ANT. _Esteem, value, overestimate, enhance, extol._
=Descendant.= Offspring, posterity, progeny, stock, family, lineage,
scion, branch, issue.
ANT. _Ancestry, progenitor, origin, root, source, founder, parent._
=Describe.= Trace, draw, portray, mark out, represent, depict, recount,
narrate, illustrate, define, explain, characterize.
ANT. _Caricature, misrepresent, distort; mystify, perplex, confuse._
=Descry.= Perceive, discern, recognize, discover, espy, see, behold,
detect, find out.
ANT. _Overlook, miss, neglect._
=Desecrate.= Profane, pollute, pervert, abuse, secularize, prostitute.
ANT. _Hallow, sanctify, respect, esteem, dedicate, devote._
=Desert.= Solitude, wild, wilderness, waste.
ANT. _Oasis, pasture, meadow._
=Deserter.= Renegade, turncoat, recanter, backslider, abjurer, traitor,
apostate.
ANT. _Adherent, devotee, supporter, bigot, disciple, ally._
=Deserve.= Merit, earn, win, be entitled to.
ANT. _Forfeit, lose, miss, fail of._
=Desideratum.= Very desirable thing, requisite, want, essential.
ANT. _Superfluity, surplus, perquisite._
=Design=, _n._ Intention, purpose, aim, end, scheme, proposal, project,
object, plan, device, purport, meaning, drift, scope, mark; delineation,
sketch, artifice, drawing, draft; invention, contrivance; cunning,
guile.
ANT. _Execution, performance, structure, construction, issue, result;
candor, openness, sincerity; chance, accident._
=Design=, _v._ Intend, plan, prepare, project, contrive, scheme,
purpose, mean, propose; draw, delineate, sketch; contemplate, outline,
plot.
ANT. _Risk, guess, conjecture, chance; misconceive, misinterpret,
misrepresent._
=Designate.= Specify, particularize; describe, define, denominate, name,
call, style, christen, dub; appoint, allot.
ANT. _Misname, miscall; generalize; misrepresent._
=Desirable.= Eligible, expedient, advantageous, beneficial, advisable,
valuable, profitable, enviable, proper, judicious.
ANT. _Inexpedient, disadvantageous, harmful, inadvisable, evil._
=Desire.= Appetite, inclination, longing, proclivity, craving, impulse,
hankering, coveting, propensity, wish; aspiration, will.
ANT. _Loathing, disgust, aversion, hate, repugnance, horror._
=Desolate=, _a._ Bereaved, comfortless, forlorn, cheerless, lonely,
solitary; uninhabited, forsaken, unfrequented, waste, dreary, wild.
ANT. _Peopled, colonized, developed, cultivated; populous, crowded,
frequented._
=Despair.= Desperation, discouragement, hopelessness, despondency.
ANT. _Courage, hope, expectation, anticipation, assurance, confidence,
elation, cheer, trust, hopefulness, encouragement._
=Despatch=, _v._ Expedite, speed, accelerate, quicken, hasten; kill,
slay.
ANT. _Delay, retard, impede, obstruct; preserve, save, spare._
=Desperate.= Wild, reckless, despondent, hopeless, wretched, forlorn,
lost; heroic, extreme, defiant; precipitate, headlong, frantic.
ANT. _Cautious, timid, shy; hopeful, promising, propitious._
=Despise.= Contemn, scorn, slight, disdain, spurn.
ANT. _Respect, esteem, venerate, regard, revere._
=Despoil.= Strip, denude, ravage; rob, plunder, pillage, devastate.
ANT. _Adorn, enrich, rehabilitate._
=Despotic.= Tyrannical, absolute, imperious, autocratic, arrogant.
ANT. _Conciliatory, humane, merciful; constitutional, democratic,
representative._
=Destination.= Aim, end, object, purpose, design; goal, harbor.
ANT. _Action, movement; initiation, project, effort._
=Destiny.= Fate, lot, doom, star, fortune, necessity, end,
predestination.
ANT. _Choice, will, freedom, volition, free will._
=Destructive.= Ruinous, injurious, pernicious, deleterious, baneful,
detrimental, hurtful, noxious.
ANT. _Constructive, restorative, beneficial, wholesome, preservative._
=Desuetude.= Disuse, non-observance, obsolescence.
ANT. _Use, custom, practice, exercise, operation._
=Desultory.= Rambling, irregular, capricious, wandering, roving,
discursive, cursory, erratic, spasmodic, unsystematic.
ANT. _Methodical, continuous, periodical, diligent, exact, untiring,
persevering, earnest, serious, settled, consecutive._
=Detail.= Account, narrative, recital; detachment; individual,
particular, item, specialty, element, point, component.
ANT. _Totality, whole, generality, aggregation, mass, bulk._
=Detention.= Hindrance, retaining, restraint, stopping.
ANT. _Relinquishment, abandonment, letting go, release, liberation._
=Deter.= Hinder, discourage, prevent, restrain, withhold, terrify,
scare, dishearten, dissuade.
ANT. _Incite, provoke, allure, tempt, seduce, prompt, persuade._
=Deteriorate.= Impair, degrade, debase; decline, degenerate.
ANT. _Ameliorate, promote, advance, rectify._
=Determine.= Settle, adjust, decide; ascertain, verify; influence, lead,
incline; resolve.
ANT. _Vacillate, waver, unsettle, doubt._
=Detest.= Abominate, abhor, execrate, loathe, shrink from.
ANT. _Like, approve, appreciate, praise, love._
=Dethrone.= Depose, uncrown, drive out of power, cause to abdicate.
ANT. _Crown, enthrone, exalt._
=Detract.= Depreciate, disparage, lessen, derogate, calumniate, slander,
defame, decry, vilify.
ANT. _Enhance, augment, increase, flatter, compliment._
=Detriment.= Loss, damage, injury, harm, evil, prejudice, disadvantage,
impairment, inconvenience.
ANT. _Enhancement, remedy, augmentation, improvement, repair,
reinstatement._
=Develop.= Evolve, unfold, educe, disclose, unravel, exhibit, expand,
enlarge; open, grow, mature.
ANT. _Envelop, wrap, conceal, contract, compress; stunt, dwarf, hinder,
prevent._
=Deviate.= Digress, wander, deflect, veer, diverge; depart, err, stray,
swerve; differ, vary.
ANT. _Cohere, coincide; accompany, continue, remain; advance; converge;
agree, assimilate._
=Device.= Contrivance, invention, design, project, plan, scheme,
expedient, resource; wile, artifice, stratagem, evasion, fraud; emblem,
symbol, type.
ANT. _Fortune, luck, hazard, hit; openness, frankness, candor._
=Devious.= Erratic, wandering, deviating, crooked, circuitous,
misleading, treacherous, roundabout.
ANT. _Direct, plain, straightforward, frequented._
=Devise.= Plan, design, contrive, imagine, scheme, project, concoct;
bequeath, leave.
ANT. _Mismanage, miscontrive; inherit._
=Devoid.= Void, wanting, empty, destitute, vacant, unprovided for.
ANT. _Full, supplied, provided, replete, furnished, abundant, plentiful,
sufficient._
=Devolve.= Transfer, consign, convey, demise, devise, deliver; impose,
place, attach, commission, charge, depute; fall, pass, be transferred.
ANT. _Deprive, withhold, recall, cancel, alienate, skip, pass, miss._
=Devotion.= Dedication, consecration, piety, religion, sanctity,
holiness, worship, adoration; attachment, affection, love; ardor,
earnestness, zeal, eagerness, self-sacrifice.
ANT. _Impiety, profanity, sacrilege, irreverence; aversion, alienation,
antipathy, indifference, apathy._
=Devour.= Consume, gorge, eat ravenously, swallow; destroy, annihilate,
waste, swallow up, expend.
ANT. _Disgorge, vomit; save, conserve._
=Dexterity.= Aptitude, skill, expertness, readiness, adroitness.
ANT. _Ineptitude, inability, weakness, awkwardness, clumsiness._
=Diadem.= Crown, chaplet, fillet, wreath, tiara, circlet.
=Diagnosis.= Investigation, determination, analysis.
ANT. _Misjudgment, error._
=Diagnostic.= Symptom, feature, sign, cue, indication, mark, index.
ANT. _Development, consummation, crisis, head, formation._
=Dialect.= Language, phraseology, tongue, speech, provincialism, idiom,
accent.
=Dialogue.= Conversation between two people, colloquy, discourse,
tête-à-tête.
ANT. _Monologue, soliloquy, apostrophe, oration._
=Dictate.= Direct, ordain, command, prescribe, order, bid, require,
decree; utter; prompt, suggest, enjoin, instruct.
ANT. _Follow, repeat, obey, answer; accept._
=Dictation.= Injunction, precept, command, rule, maxim, direction,
utterance.
ANT. _Consultation, conference, council; advice, recommendation._
=Dictatorial.= Imperious, imperative, domineering, arbitrary, absolute,
unlimited, authoritative, unrestricted, overbearing.
ANT. _Condescending, supplicatory, affable, suppliant, unassuming,
persuasive._
=Diction.= Expression, language, phrase, phraseology, style, verbiage,
vocabulary, wording.
ANT. _Provincialism, barbarism, solecism._
=Dictionary.= Lexicon, word-book, glossary, vocabulary.
=Didactic.= Instructive, perceptive, moral, directive, educative.
ANT. _Unsound, misleading, erroneous, uninstructive, pernicious._
=Die.= Expire, decease, depart; wither, perish, decay, decline, fade;
cease, vanish, disappear; sink, faint, fall; subside.
ANT. _Live, recover, be born; survive, exist; originate, develop, grow,
strengthen, flourish, luxuriate, vegetate._
=Diet.= Food, victuals, nourishment, aliment, nutriment, provision,
viands, rations, fare, subsistence; assembly, parliament, congress.
ANT. _Starvation, fasting, abstinence, fast; gluttony, omnivorousness._
=Difference.= Contrast, diversity, variation, variety, discrepancy,
disagreement, disparity, distinction, divergence, unlikeness.
ANT. _Agreement, uniformity, unity, consonance, identity, likeness,
resemblance, harmony, sameness, similarity._
=Differentiate.= Discriminate, individualize, distinguish,
particularize, specify, segregate, identify.
ANT. _Generalize, classify, confuse, amalgamate._
=Difficult.= Arduous, exhausting, severe, onerous, trying, toilsome,
hard, laborious; intricate, involved, obscure, enigmatical;
unmanageable, reserved, opposed, unamenable.
ANT. _Easy, facile, trifling, slight, trivial, pleasant, light; simple,
plain, clear, manifest; approachable, amenable, pliant._
=Diffident.= Modest, doubtful, reluctant, hesitating; bashful, timid,
shy, self-distrustful.
ANT. _Bold, aggressive, forward, arrogant, self-conceited._
=Diffuse=, _a._ Prolix, loose, copious, rambling, verbose, longwinded,
diluted.
ANT. _Epigrammatic, laconic, terse, condensed._
=Digest.= Methodize, systematize, arrange, classify, codify; study,
ponder, consider, contemplate, meditate, con; master, assimilate.
ANT. _Confound, complicate, disorder, derange, disturb; reject, refuse._
=Dignified.= Stately, noble, grand, majestic, self-respecting, imposing,
decorous, august, lofty, exalted, pompous.
ANT. _Stunted, low, mean, unimposing, depressed, ordinary,
self-accusing._
=Dignify.= Advance, promote, exalt, ennoble, prefer; grace, honor,
adorn; elevate, aggrandize.
ANT. _Humiliate, debase, degrade._
=Digress.= Deviate, ramble, wander; differ.
ANT. _Proceed, advance; harmonize, agree._
=Dilapidation.= Ruin, decay, disintegration, downfall, demolition.
ANT. _Construction, reparation; soundness, solidity; fabrication,
building._
=Dilate.= Stretch wide, expand, enlarge, widen, distend.
ANT. _Compress, compact, restrict, narrow, condense, concentrate._
=Dilatory.= Slow, loitering, tardy, procrastinating, dawdling, lagging,
lingering, sluggish.
ANT. _Prompt, vigilant, alert, eager, earnest._
=Diligence.= Industry, assiduity, activity, perseverance, application,
attention, care, heed.
ANT. _Neglect, carelessness, idleness, inertness, inattention,
desultoriness._
=Dim.= Obscure, dark, covered, hidden, dusky, indistinct, uncertain.
ANT. _Bright, clear, manifest, light._
=Dimension.= Measurement, bulk, mass, extent; (pl.) size, capacity,
amplitude, massiveness, greatness.
ANT. _Segment, section, portion, part._
=Diminish.= Lessen, reduce, decrease, abate, subside, shorten, dwarf,
retrench.
ANT. _Augment, amplify, increase, magnify, expand._
=Din.= Racket, clamor, noise, uproar.
ANT. _Crash, explosion; silence._
=Dingy.= Dirty, dull, soiled, tarnished, dim, obscure, somber.
ANT. _Bright, burnished, radiant, glittering, gleaming, luminous._
=Dip.= Immerse, plunge, inundate, soak, steep, drown, submerge.
ANT. _Dry, drain, parch; air, ventilate, evaporate, vaporize._
=Diplomacy.= Negotiation, indirection, tact, artful management,
contrivance, circumvention; embassage, ministry, ambassadorship.
ANT. _Dismissal, congé, recall; candor, naïveté, ingenuousness;
mismanagement, maladministration; self-defeat._
=Diplomatic.= Prudent, wise, tactful, astute, politic, sagacious,
judicious, discreet.
ANT. _Blundering, tactless, injudicious._
=Direct=, _a._ Unswerving, straight, rectilinear, undeviating.
ANT. _Meandering, crooked, roundabout, circuitous._
=Direction.= Course, tendency, aim, bearing; oversight, management,
control, superintendence, conduct; order, command; address,
superscription.
ANT. _Deviation, aberration; miscontrol._
=Directly.= Straightly, immediately, forthwith, soon, speedily,
instantly, promptly, presently, quickly, straightway, at once.
ANT. _Secondarily, by-and-by; remotely, obliquely, circuitously._
=Dirge.= Requiem, elegy, lament, wake, threnody, coronach.
ANT. _Anthem, Te Deum, jubilate, pæan, jubilee, halleluiah._
=Dirt.= Filth, uncleanness, dung, foulness, meanness, filthiness,
defilement.
ANT. _Cleanness, purity, ablution; innocence, spotlessness._
=Dis-.= The prefix _dis-_ has usually a negative, sometimes an
intensive, force. Therefore, for words beginning with it look under the
antonyms of the root words. When its force is intensive, however, they
will be found under the synonyms of the root words. Only a few of
derived significance are here given.
=Disability.= Unfitness, inability, incompetence, incapacity,
disqualification.
ANT. _Merit, fitness, recommendation, qualification, capability._
=Disabuse.= Undeceive, set right, correct, enlighten, inform, rectify.
ANT. _Deceive, delude, hoodwink._
=Disappoint.= Frustrate, foil, defeat, baffle, disconcert, mortify, vex,
betray, tantalize.
ANT. _Fulfil, realize, satisfy, gratify, encourage, verify, support._
=Disaster.= Misfortune, mishap, reverse, calamity, catastrophe.
ANT. _Blessing, benefit, good fortune, profit, gain, boon._
=Disburse.= Spend, expend, consume, waste, use, lay out, pay.
ANT. _Save, economize, hoard, husband._
=Discern.= Observe, discriminate, distinguish, perceive, see, descry,
behold, espy, discover, penetrate, differentiate.
ANT. _Overlook, neglect, miss._
=Discernible.= Discoverable, perceptible, visible, apparent,
conspicuous, palpable, plain, manifest, evident.
ANT. _Obscure, minute, invisible, microscopic, impalpable._
=Discernment.= Sagacity, perception, discrimination, brightness,
astuteness, insight, intelligence, perspicacity, penetration, acuteness,
judgment, ingenuity.
ANT. _Blindness, inattention, dulness, density._
=Discharge=, _v._ Unburden, unload; expel, eject; shoot, fire; release,
exonerate, acquit, liberate, free; dismiss, discard, cashier; remove,
destroy; perform, execute, observe.
ANT. _Confine, charge, load, burden, contain; detain, check, delay,
stop; preserve; ignore._
=Disciple.= Follower, student, believer, pupil, learner, scholar,
supporter, adherent, votary.
ANT. _Master, teacher, professor, leader, rabbi._
=Discipline.= Training, teaching, drill, exercise; control, regulation,
subjection, government; punishment, correction, coercion, chastisement.
ANT. _Laxity, latitude, negligence; reward, encouragement;
disorganization, mutiny, rebellion, confusion, disorder._
=Discomfit.= Defeat, overpower, conquer; foil, disconcert.
ANT. _Encourage, rally, aid, assist._
=Disconcert.= Frustrate, balk, defeat, thwart, baffle; discompose,
embarrass, disturb, upset, perplex, abash, confuse, bewilder.
ANT. _Assist, countenance, encourage, compose, calm, appease, pacify,
tranquilize._
=Disconsolate.= Inconsolable, sorrowful, heart-broken, comfortless,
melancholy, desolate, forlorn, sad.
ANT. _Joyous, cheerful, glad, merry, jovial, happy, blithe._
=Discordance.= Disagreement, discord, dissonance, conflict, opposition.
ANT. _Accordance, harmony, concord._
=Discover.= Find, detect, discern, ferret out, invent, expose,
ascertain, descry, disclose, betray, indicate, manifest.
ANT. _Hide, conceal, cover, secrete, bury, suppress, withhold._
=Discreet.= Discerning, wise, sagacious, prudent, cautious, judicious,
considerate, circumspect.
ANT. _Foolish, heedless, reckless, silly, imprudent, undiscerning,
unrestrained._
=Discrepancy.= Dissonance, discord, discordance, difference, variation,
disagreement.
ANT. _Agreement, harmony, correspondence._
=Discrimination.= Acuteness, penetration, sagacity, discernment,
shrewdness, insight.
ANT. _Dulness, shortsightedness._
=Discursive.= Reasoning, argumentative; roving, wandering, rambling,
desultory, inconsequent.
ANT. _Orderly, coherent, continuous; condensed, succinct, concise;
strategic._
=Discuss.= Debate, argue, reason, agitate, deliberate upon, consider.
ANT. _Confound, obscure; assert, dogmatize._
=Disdain=, _n._ Contempt, scorn, disregard, haughtiness, arrogance.
ANT. _Reverence, respect, esteem, considerateness, humility._
=Disease.= Infirmity, ailment, distemper, complaint, illness, sickness,
malady, indisposition, unsoundness, affection.
ANT. _Health, strength, robustness, soundness, sturdiness, vigor;
convalescence; sanity, salubrity._
=Disgust=, _n._ Distaste, loathing, dislike, repugnance, aversion,
abhorrence.
ANT. _Partiality, desire, liking, relish, fondness._
=Dismal.= Dark, gloomy, cheerless, dull, dreary, melancholy, lonesome,
somber, sad, doleful, funereal; horrible, terrible, frightful.
ANT. _Cheerful, bright, inviting, cordial, gay, propitious, promising._
=Dismay.= Affright, terrify, appal, alarm, intimidate, daunt.
ANT. _Rally, inspirit, assure, encourage, hearten._
=Dismember.= Disintegrate, mutilate, separate, rend asunder, sever.
ANT. _Integrate, incorporate; constitute, construct._
=Dismiss.= Banish, discard, discharge, remove.
ANT. _Recall, welcome._
=Disparage.= Depreciate, decry, undervalue, underrate; defame, reproach.
ANT. _Appreciate, overestimate, extol, praise, exaggerate._
=Dispel.= Drive away, disperse, dissipate, banish, scatter.
ANT. _Collect, summon, accumulate._
=Dispensation.= Apportionment, allotment, distribution; administration;
exemption; system, scheme, plan, régime.
ANT. _Retention, restriction, reservation, injunction, prohibition;
enforcement._
=Disperse.= Dispel, scatter, separate; diffuse, spread, disseminate.
ANT. _Gather, collect, concentrate; recall, summon._
=Display.= Expand, unfold, extend, uncover, open, spread; exhibit, show,
parade.
ANT. _Conceal, hide, wrap, dissemble, suppress._
=Disposition.= Arrangement, location, placing, grouping; management,
control, regulation, direction; tendency, inclination, propensity;
temper, character, nature, humor; willingness; distribution.
ANT. _Confusion, inversion, disorder; mismanagement, laxity; antipathy,
repulsion; obstinacy; mood; agglomeration, collection._
=Disputant.= Litigant, debater, arguer, controversialist, competitor,
claimant.
ANT. _Advocate, auxiliary, partner._
=Dispute=, _v._ Quarrel, wrangle; debate, argue, discuss, agitate,
ventilate; impugn, deny, contradict, oppose, contest.
ANT. _Allow, concede, grant, forego, relinquish._
=Disquisition.= Treatise, dissertation, discourse, essay, discussion.
ANT. _Effusion, tirade, diatribe, rhodomontade._
=Dissect.= Anatomize, scrutinize, analyze, explore, investigate,
examine, sift.
ANT. _Integrate, organize, compound, grasp; comprehend, discern,
diagnose._
=Dissemble.= Conceal, disguise, cloak, hide, restrain, smother.
ANT. _Reveal, confess, manifest, expose, vaunt, profess._
=Dissent.= Differ, disagree, decline.
ANT. _Assent, consent, agree._
=Dissertation.= Disquisition, discussion, treatise.
=Dissipate.= Scatter, vanish, disperse, disappear, waste, squander.
ANT. _Hoard, save, gather, conserve._
=Dissociate.= Separate, sever, disjoin, divide, part, sunder,
disconnect.
ANT. _Associate, join, affiliate._
=Dissolute.= Abandoned, corrupt, loose, profligate, reprobate,
dissipated.
ANT. _Upright, honest, conscientious, self-controlled._
=Distance.= Remoteness, space, interval; absence, separation; reserve,
coldness, stiffness.
ANT. _Proximity, contiguity, nearness, presence, neighborhood, contact._
=Distend.= Dilate, extend, spread, stretch.
ANT. _Contract, narrow, constrict, condense._
=Distil.= Drop, extract, separate; percolate, emanate, drip.
ANT. _Condense, retain; suck; hold._
=Distinct.= Separate, definite, different, clear, plain, unmistakable.
ANT. _Blurred, dim, indefinite, confused, conjoined, obscure._
=Distinguish.= Discern, perceive, tell, discriminate; differentiate;
characterize, mark; separate, divide; signalize, make famous or
celebrated.
ANT. _Confound, miss, confuse._
=Distinguished.= Illustrious, famous, celebrated, noted, eminent,
marked, conspicuous, supreme, extraordinary, consummate.
ANT. _Obscure, inconspicuous, hidden; infamous, notorious._