132 VOCABULARY FOR TOEFL iBT
debut (day·'byoo) n. a first appearance in or presentation to the public. v. to
make a first appearance in public. Irina’s Carnegie Hall debut received rave
reviews.
decimate ('des· ̆·mayt) v. to destroy a large portion of. Neglect and time would
eventually decimate much of the housing in the inner cities.
decorum (di·'kohr·u ̆m) n. appropriateness of behavior, propriety; decency in
manners and conduct. When questions concerning decorum arise, I always refer to
Emily Post.
de facto (dee 'fak·toh) adj. & adv. in reality or fact; actual. The king is only the
nominal head of the country; the de facto leader is the prime minister.
deign (dayn) v. to condescend, to be kind or gracious enough to do something
thought to be beneath one’s dignity. Would you deign to spare a dime for a poor
old beggar like me?
delineate (di·'lin·ee·ayt) v. to draw or outline, sketch; to portray, depict,
describe. The survey will clearly delineate where their property ends.
delude (di·'lood) v. to deceive, make someone believe something that is wrong.
Nicole deluded Maria when she claimed to forgive her.
demagogue ('dem·a ̆·aw) n. a leader who obtains power by appealing to peo-
ple’s feelings and prejudices rather than by reasoning. The dictator was widely
regarded as an infamous demagogue.
demur (di·'mur) v. to raise objections, hesitate. Polly hated to demur, but she didn’t
think adding ten cloves of garlic to the recipe would taste good.
demure (di·'myoor) adj. modest and shy, or pretending to be so. When it was to
her advantage, Sharon could be very demure, but otherwise she was quite outgoing.
denigrate ('den·i·rayt) v. to blacken the reputation of, disparage, defame. The
movie script reportedly contained scenes that would denigrate the queen, so those scenes
were removed.
denouement (day·noo·'mahn) n. the resolution or clearing up of the plot at the
end of a narrative; the outcome or solution of an often complex series of
events. The students sat at the edge of their seats as they listened to the denouement of
the story.
deprecate ('dep·re ̆·kayt) v. to express disapproval of; to belittle, depreciate.
Grandpa’s tendency to deprecate the children’s friends was a frequent source of family
strife.