Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

grave, distinguished, honourable, distingu‚, elegant, august, sedate, reserved; regal, courtly, lordly, lofty, exalted, grand: Despite the abuse, he maintained a dignified demeanour.

dignify v. distinguish, ennoble, elevate, raise, exalt, glorify, upraise, lift, uplift, enhance, improve, better, upgrade: The critic wrote that he wouldn't deign to dignify the book by calling it a novel.

dignitary n. personage, official, notable, worthy, magnate, power, higher-up; celebrity, lion, luminary, star, superstar, Colloq VIP, bigwig, big shot, big wheel, big name, big gun, hotshot, hot stuff, big noise, big White Chief, big Chief, big Daddy, Brit Lord or Lady Muck, high-muck-a-muck, Slang big cheese,

Chiefly US Mr Big, biggie, fat cat: Anyone with a lot of money is treated today as a dignitary.

dignity n. 1 nobility, majesty, gravity, gravitas, solemnity, courtliness, distinction, stateliness, formality, grandeur, eminence; hauteur, loftiness: She entered and walked with dignity to the throne. 2 worth, worthiness, nobility, nobleness, excellence, honour, honourableness, respectability, respectableness, standing, importance, greatness, glory, station, status, rank, level, position: The real dignity of a man lies not in what he has but in what he is. 3 self-respect, self-regard, amour propre, self-confidence, self-esteem, pride, self-importance: It was beneath her dignity to speak directly to a footman.

digression

n. 1 aside, departure, deviation, detour, obiter dictum, parenthesis, apostrophe, excursus: His numerous digressions made it difficult to focus on the main points of the speech. 2 digressing, deviating, divergence, going off at a tangent, rambling, meandering, straying, wandering, deviation: Digression from the main theme of his speech only diluted his argument.

dilapidated

adj. ruined, broken-down, in ruins, gone to rack and ruin, wrecked, destroyed, falling apart, decrepit, derelict, battered,

tumbledown, run-down, ramshackle, crumbling, decayed, decaying, rickety, shaky, shabby, Brit raddled: We shall have to fix up

that dilapidated barn if we expect to use it.

dilemma n. predicament, quandary, double bind, catch-22, impasse, deadlock, stalemate; plight, difficulty, trouble; stymie, snooker; Colloq bind, box, fix, jam, spot, pickle, squeeze: He was faced with the dilemma of killing the injured animal or allowing it to die in agony.

dilettante

n. dabbler, trifler, aesthete, amateur: You know art like a curator; I am a mere dilettante.

diligent adj. persevering, persistent, industrious, assiduous, sedulous, intent, steady, steadfast, focused, concentrated, earnest, attentive, conscientious, hard-working, indefatigable, tireless, constant, painstaking, careful, thorough, scrupulous, meticulous, punctilious: Only through diligent application was she able to get through law school.

diminish v. 1 decrease, decline, abate, lessen, reduce, lower, shrink, curtail, contract, lop, crop, dock, clip, prune, cut, truncate,

cut down, abbreviate, shorten, abridge, compress, condense, pare (down), scale down, boil down: As the height increases, the

pressure diminishes. The need for police patrols was diminished when we hired security guards. 2 belittle, disparage, degrade, downgrade, discredit, detract (from), vitiate, debase,

deprecate, demean, derogate, depreciate, vilipend, devalue, cheapen, put down, dismiss, humiliate, demean, reject: His abuse by the authorities did not diminish him in her eyes. 3 wane, fade, dwindle, ebb, die out or away, peter out, recede, subside; slacken, let up, wind down, slow (down), ease (off), Colloq run out of steam: Soaking in the hot water, I felt the tensions of mind and body gradually diminishing. The campaign finally diminished to a negligible effort.

diminutive

adj. small, tiny, little, miniature, petite, minute, minuscule, mini, compact, undersized, pocket, pocket-sized, pygmy, elfin, Lilliputian, midget, wee, microscopic; micro, infinitesimal; US vest-pocket, vest-pocket-sized, Colloq teeny, teeny-weeny or teensy-weensy: The bride and groom appeared with their diminutive page-boys and bridesmaids behind them.

or into. dabble in, play at; skim, scan: I haven't had time to read it, but I dipped into it here and there.

--n. 4 swim, plunge; immersion; Brit bathe: We are going for a dip in the pool before dinner. 5 lowering, sinking, depression, drop, slump, decline: This dip in the price of oil means nothing.

diplomacy n. 1 tact, tactfulness, adroitness, discretion: She was able to get rid of that rude boor with her customary diplomacy. 2 statecraft, statesmanship, negotiation; intrigue, Machiavellianism, machination, manoeuvring or maneuvering: Cardinal Richelieu is considered the founder of modern diplomacy.

diplomatic

adj. tactful, discreet, prudent, wise, sensitive, politic, courteous, polite, discerning, perceptive, perspicacious, thoughtful: How diplomatic it was of you to have invited Frances's husband!

direct v. 1 manage, handle, run, administer, govern, regulate, control, operate, superintend, supervise, command, head up, rule; Colloq call the shots: She directs the company with an iron hand. 2 guide, lead, conduct, pilot, steer, show or point (the way), be at the helm; advise, counsel, instruct, mastermind; usher, escort: He has directed the company for 40

years, through good times and bad. Can you direct me to the post office? 3 rule, command, order, require, bid, tell, instruct, charge, dictate, enjoin; appoint, ordain: He directed that the attack be launched at dawn. 4 aim, focus, level, point, train; turn: That bullet was directed at my heart. Direct your

attention to the front of the room. 5 send, address, post, mail: Please direct the letter to my home.

--adj. 6 straight, unswerving, shortest, undeviating, through: We turned off the direct road to take in the view. 7 uninterrupted, unreflected, unrefracted, without interference, unobstructed: She cannot remain in direct sunlight for very long. 8 unbroken, lineal: He claims to be a direct descendant of Oliver Cromwell's. 9 straightforward, unmitigated, outright, matter-of-fact, categorical, plain, clear, unambiguous, unmistakable, to the point, without or with no beating about the

bush, unqualified, unequivocal, point-blank, explicit, express: I expect a direct answer to my direct question. Have you direct evidence of his guilt? That was a gross insult and a direct lie!

10 straightforward, frank, candid, outspoken, plain-spoken, honest, blunt, open, uninhibited, unreserved, forthright, honest, sincere, unequivocal; undiplomatic, tactless: She is very direct in commenting about people she dislikes.

direction n. 1 directing, aiming, pointing, guiding, guidance, conducting, conduct, instructing, instruction, managing, management, administering, administration, governing, government, supervising, supervision, operating, operation, running, leadership, directorship, directorate, control, captaincy, handling, manipulation, regulation, rule, charge: The Freedom Party's direction of the country has led to many reforms. 2 Often, directions. instruction(s), information; bearing, road, way, route, avenue, course: To assemble the appliance, follow the directions printed in the leaflet. Can you give me directions to the nearest filling-station?

directly adv. 1 straight, in a beeline, unswervingly, undeviatingly, as the crow flies: This road should take me directly to the beach. 2 immediately, at once, straight away, right away, quickly, promptly, without delay, speedily, instantly, Colloq US and Canadian momentarily: She called and I went directly. 3 soon, later (on), anon, presently, in a (little) while, shortly: The doctor will be here directly. 4 exactly, precisely, just; completely, entirely: My garage is directly opposite. The cricket pitch is directly at the centre of the park.

--conj. 5 as soon as, when: The police arrested him directly he entered the building.

director n. 1 executive, administrator, official, principal; chairman, president, vice-president; governor; head, chief, boss, manager, superintendent, supervisor, overseer, foreman, headman, Colloq kingpin, number one, numero uno, Mr Big, the man; Slang top dog, top banana, Brit gaffer, US big cheese, head or chief honcho:

The sale of the company was announced at the meeting of the board of directors. 2 guide, leader; steersman, helmsman, pilot, skipper, commander, commandant, captain; cicerone; maestro, concert-master, conductor; impresario: We were lucky to have a director who really knew what he was doing.

disability

n. 1 handicap, impairment, defect, infirmity, disablement:

James is unable to play tennis owing to his disability. 2 inability, incapacity, unfitness, impotence, powerlessness, helplessness: The teacher helped her to overcome her disability.

disabled adj. incapacitated, crippled, lame; damaged, ruined, impaired, harmed, non-functioning, inoperative, Slang Brit scuppered: Disabled ex-servicemen ought to receive compensation. No parts could be found for the disabled machines.

disadvantage

n. 1 deprivation, set-back, drawback, liability, handicap, defect, flaw, shortcoming, weakness, weak spot, fault: Being colour-blind has not been a disadvantage in his kind of work. 2 detriment, harm, loss, injury, damage; prejudice, disservice: Failure to send in a tax return will be to your distinct disadvantage.

disagree v. 1 differ, dissent, diverge: She disagrees with most of my ideas. I said the painting was by Hockney, but he disagreed. 2 conflict, dispute, quarrel, argue, contend, contest, bicker,

fight, fall out, squabble, wrangle, debate: Those who agree on major principles often disagree about trifles, and vice versa.

disagreeable

adj. 1 unpleasant, unpleasing, offensive, distasteful, repugnant, obnoxious, repellent, repulsive, objectionable, revolting, odious: He found the heat and humidity in the tropics most disagreeable. 2 offensive, noxious, unsavoury, unpalatable, nauseating, nauseous, nasty, sickening, disgusting, revolting, repellent, abominable, objectionable: A disagreeable odour arose from the beggar on the doorstep. 3 bad-tempered, ill-tempered, disobliging, uncooperative, unfriendly, uncivil, abrupt, blunt, curt, brusque, short, uncourtly, impolite, bad-mannered, ill-mannered, discourteous, rude, ill-tempered, bad-tempered, testy, grouchy, splenetic, cross, ill-humoured, peevish, morose, sulky, sullen: Brian became quite disagreeable, and I did not see him again.

disagreement

n. 1 difference, discrepancy, discord, discordance, discordancy, dissimilarity, disaccord, diversity, incongruity, nonconformity, incompatibility: Can you resolve the

disagreement between the results of these experiments? 2 dissent, opposition, conflict, contradiction, difference, disparity: The problem arises from a basic disagreement in their principles. 3 quarrel, strife, argument, dispute, velitation, altercation, controversy, contention, dissension, debate, clash, Colloq US rhubarb: Their mother had to settle the disagreement between the brothers.

disappear v. 1 vanish, evaporate, vaporize, fade (away or out), evanesce, Poetic evanish: After granting my wish, the genie disappeared, laughing diabolically. 2 die (out or off), become extinct,

cease (to exist), perish (without a trace): The dinosaurs,

though enormously successful as a species, suddenly disappeared from the earth.

disappoint

v. 1 let down, fail, dissatisfy: Miss Sheila disappointed her public by refusing to sing. 2 mislead, deceive, disenchant, Colloq stand up: She disappointed me by saying she would be there and then not arriving. 3 undo, frustrate, foil, thwart, balk, defeat: How can I answer you truthfully without disappointing your expectations?

disappointed

adj. 1 frustrated, unsatisfied, dissatisfied, disillusioned, disenchanted, discouraged, downhearted, disheartened, downcast, saddened, unhappy, dejected, discontented, let down: There will be a lot of disappointed children at Christmas this year. 2

foiled, thwarted, balked, defeated, undone, failed, let down: Though she campaigned energetically, Theodora was among the disappointed candidates.

disappointing

adj. discouraging, dissatisfying, unsatisfactory, unsatisfying, disconcerting; poor, second-rate, sorry, inadequate, insufficient, inferior, pathetic, sad: The former champion turned in a disappointing performance yesterday evening.

disappointment

n. 1 frustration, non-fulfilment,unfulfilment, unsatisfaction, dissatisfaction, set-back, failure, let-down, defeat, blow, fiasco, calamity, disaster, fizzle, Brit damp squib, Colloq

wash-out: Recently he has had one disappointment after another.

2 dejection, depression, discouragement, disenchantment, distress, regret, mortification, chagrin: I cannot tell you the disappointment your father and I felt when you failed to get into university.

disapproval

n. disapprobation, condemnation, censure, criticism, reproof, reproach, objection, exception, disfavour, displeasure, dissatisfaction: The council voiced their disapproval of holding a carnival in the village square.

disapprove

v. condemn, criticize, censure, object to, decry, denounce, put or run down, deplore, deprecate, belittle, look down on, frown on or upon, Colloq knock, look down one's nose at, tut-tut: I don't care if you disapprove of my marrying Eustace. The monopolies commission has disapproved the merger.

disarm v. 1 unarm; demilitarize, demobilize, disband, deactivate: After the war, most - but not all - European countries disarmed. 2 win over, put or set at ease, mollify, appease, placate,

pacify, reconcile, conciliate, propitiate, charm: I was completely disarmed by her friendly disposition. Many people found his na‹vety disarming.

disaster n. catastrophe, calamity, cataclysm, tragedy, misfortune, d‚bƒcle, accident, mishap, blow, act of God, adversity, trouble, reverse: The flooding of the river was as much of a disaster as the earlier drought.

disastrous

adj. 1 calamitous, catastrophic, cataclysmic, tragic, destructive, ruinous, devastating, appalling, harrowing, awful, terrible, dire, horrendous, horrible, horrifying, dreadful,

fatal: There has been a disastrous earthquake which killed thousands. 2 awful, terrible, unlucky, unfortunate, detrimental, grievous, harmful: The postal strike has had disastrous effects on the mail-order business.

disband v. disperse, disorganize, scatter, break up, dissolve, demobilize, deactivate, retire: After the war, the special spy force was disbanded.