verb

13 of 60

Bad / Dishonest

Url

deceive - To mislead or trick someone, especially for personal gain.

Don’t try to deceive me — I know what really happened.

verb

14 of 60

Good / Smart

Url

decipher - To figure out the meaning of something difficult to understand.

The archaeologists worked hard to decipher the ancient symbols on the wall.

noun

15 of 60

Good / Energy

Url

destiny - The events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future.

They felt as though it was their destiny to bring peace to the troubled region, and they never gave up and never stopped trying.

verb

16 of 60

Bad / Weak

deteriorate - To gradually get worse

The empty house deteriorated because there was no one to fix things that broke.

noun

See verb

17 of 60

Bad / Weak

Url

decay - The result of being destroyed by natural causes or by not being cared for.

The dentist tried to remove the decay in the teeth that had been caused by so much eating of cake and cookies.

adjective

18 of 60

Bad / Weak

decrepit - (of a person) elderly and infirm

Maryanne was viewed as decrepit due to her age-related physical ailments, but she was as feisty and sharp as people half her age.

verb

19 of 60

Other / Move

Url

depart - To leave a place, especially to start a journey.

Our flight departs at 8:30 a.m., so we need to get to the airport early in the morning.

adjective

20 of 60

Good / Smart-Adj

Url

decisive - Being able to make decisions quickly and confidently.

The final battle of the war was decisive in achieving victory because the enemy was taken by surprise and was totally unprepared.

verb

21 of 60

Good / Smart

demystify - To make something easier to understand

Louis Pasteur demystified why people would get sick, by describing little beings called bacteria that were the cause.

verb

22 of 60

Bad / Confused

Url

destablizing - To cause a government or person to be unable to continue in the usual or desired way

The massive debt that King Louis XVI faced was destablizing for France, and led to the revolution of 1789.

noun

23 of 60

Bad / Unhappy

despair - Having no hope that things will get better.

Alan sank into a despair that he could not overcome by himself, so he went to a therapist.

adjective

24 of 60

Bad / Weak

Url

defective - Having a fault or flaw, not working properly, not meeting the required standard or quality.

Since the car was still under warranty, they were able to replace the defective parts in the car at no cost.