that said his company was poorly managed.To defame is to take away fame, to take away a good name. To suffer such a loss of
reputation is to suffer defamation.
- The businessman who believed he had been defamed by the newspaper sued the
paper’s publisher for defamation.
DEFILE (di FYLE) v to make filthy or foul; to desecrate
- The snowy field was so beautiful that I hated to defile it by driving across it.
- In the night, vandals defiled the painting behind the altar, covering it with spray paint.
DEFUNCT (di FUNKT) adj no longer in effect; no longer in existence
- Most of the businesses in the oldest section of downtown were now defunct; the new
specialty stores on the other side of the river had put them out of business. - My already limited interest in cutting the grass was just about defunct by the time the
grass was actually ready to cut, so I never got around to doing it. - The long spell of extremely hot weather left my entire garden defunct.
Defunct is related to the word function.
DEGENERATE (di JEN uh rayt) v to break down; to deteriorate
- The discussion quickly degenerated into an argument.
- Over the years, the nice old neighborhood had degenerated into a terrible slum.
- The fans’ behavior degenerated as the game went on.
A person whose behavior has degenerated can be referred to as a degenerate (di JEN ur it):
- The mood of the party was spoiled when a drunken degenerate wandered in from the
street.
DEGRADE (di GRAYD) v to lower in dignity or status; to corrupt; to deteriorate
- Being made to perform menial duties at the behest of overbearing male senior partners
clearly degrades the law firm’s female associates. - The former bank president felt degraded working as a teller, but he was unable to find
any other job. The former bank president felt that working as a teller was degrading. - The secret potion had degraded over the years to the point at which it was no longer
capable of turning a person into a frog.
Degradation (deg ruh DAY shun) is the act of degrading or the state of being degraded.
DEJECTED (di JEK tid) adj depressed; disheartened
- Barney was dejected when he heard that Fred had gone to the lodge without him, but he
cheered up later when Betty made him some brownies.