Childrens Illustrated Thesaurus

60

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

degrade

degrade

verb to humiliate someone

» Ava was sorry that her

mean remark had degraded

her friend.

demean, humiliate

delay^1

verb to put something off

until later » Lunch was

delayed by an hour as our

guests were late.

defer, postpone, put off,

shelve, suspend

delay^2

verb to slow or hinder

something » Fallen trees on

the road delayed her journey.

hinder, impede, obstruct,

set back, hold up, retard

delay^3

noun a time when something

is delayed » The fog grounded

planes, causing flight delays.

interruption, obstruction,

setback

delete

verb to remove something

written » She deleted the

final paragraph because it

repeated an earlier one.

cross out, erase, rub out,

blue-pencil, edit out,

strike out

deliberate^1

adjective done on purpose

» When I found the textbook

under Doug’s desk, I realized

it was part of a deliberate

attempt to cheat in the exam.

calculated, conscious,

intentional, premeditated,

studied

antonym: accidental

deliberate^2

adjective careful and not

hurried » The vet’s

movements were gentle and

deliberate as he felt the cat’s

leg for bruising.

careful, cautious,

measured, methodical

antonym: casual

deliberate^3

verb to think carefully

about a choice

» The girl deliberated

over what to eat.

debate, meditate, mull over,

ponder, reflect

delicious

adjective tasting very nice

▶▶ SEE RIGHT

delight^1

noun great pleasure or joy

» It gives me great delight to

welcome you to our new home.

glee, happiness, joy,

pleasure, rapture,

satisfaction

delight^2

verb to give someone great

pleasure » The squeaky toy

delighted the baby.

amuse, captivate, charm,

enchant, please, thrill

demand

verb to need or require

something » Running the

obstacle course demanded

strength and coordination.

involve, need, require,

take, want, call for, entail,

necessitate

deny^1

verb to say that something is

untrue » He denied he broke

the ornament on purpose.

contradict, refute, abjure,

disavow, disclaim, gainsay,

rebut, repudiate

antonym: admit

deny^2

verb to refuse to believe

something » She denied

the existence of ghosts.

reject, renounce

deny^3

verb to refuse to give

something » Pamela’s mum

denied her any more snacks

before dinner.

refuse, withhold

department

noun a section of an

organization » The shop’s

sock department was always

busier than swimwear in winter.

division, office, section,

unit

depend on^1

verb to rely on

» You can depend on me to

help you in an emergency.

bank on, count on,

rely on, trust

depend on^2

verb to be affected by

» The taste depends on the

quality of the ingredients.

be determined by, hinge on,

be subject to, hang on,

rest on

deposit

verb to put down or leave

somewhere » She deposited

the coin in the piggy bank.

drop, lay, leave, place,

put down

derelict

adjective abandoned and in

poor condition » No one knew

who owned the derelict building

with the broken window.

abandoned, dilapidated,

neglected, ruined

descend

verb to move downwards

» We descended the stairs.

dip, dive, fall, go down,

plummet, sink

antonym: ascend

describe

verb to give an account of

something » The teacher

asked Amy to describe what

she did in her spare time.

define, depict, portray,

characterize, detail

deserve

verb to have a right to

something » Mum works hard,

so she deserves a rest.

be entitled to, be worthy of,

earn, justify, merit, warrant

design^1

verb to make a plan of

something » She couldn’t

wait to design her new

bedroom herself.

draft, draw up, plan

design^2

noun a plan or drawing

» Brad showed us his design

for a vegetable patch.

model, plan, blueprint,

schema

design^3

noun the shape or style of

something » Mel had a funky

new design for a clock.

form, pattern, shape,

style

She deposited the coin in

the piggy bank.

The girl deliberated over

what to eat.

No one knew who owned the derelict

building with the broken window.

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