English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

discord

noun

Disagreement or lack of harmony between people.

discordance

noun

A lack of agreement between two or more things.

discordant

adj

Not in agreement or harmony; clashing.

discordianism

name

A small new religious movement that uses absurdist elements and is often regarded as a parody; it centres on worship of Eris, who is the Greek goddess linked to discord and confusion.

discotheque

noun

A nightclub where people dance to recorded pop or dance music.

discount

noun

A reduction in the usual price of something.

discounted

adj

Sold at a reduced price.

discourage

verb

To make someone feel less confident, hopeful, or motivated.

discouraged

adj

Having lost confidence, hope, or motivation.

discouragement

noun

A loss of confidence or eagerness.

discouraging

adj

Making someone feel less confident or hopeful.

discourse

noun

Serious conversation or communication, spoken or written, on a particular subject.

discourteous

adj

Rude, and not thinking about other people's feelings.

discourteously

adv

In a rude or impolite way.

discourtesy

noun

Rude behaviour towards someone.

discover

verb

To find or learn something for the first time.

discovered

verb

Past tense and past participle of discover: to have found or come to know something that was previously unknown to you.

discoverer

noun

A person who finds or identifies something for the first time.

discovering

noun

The act or process of finding something out for the first time.

discovery

noun

The act of finding something previously unknown, or the thing found.

discredit

verb

To damage someone's reputation or make people doubt their honesty.

discreditably

adv

In a way that brings shame or a bad reputation.

discredited

adj

No longer believed to be true, honest, or reliable.

discreet

adj

Careful and tactful in what one says or does, especially to avoid causing embarrassment.

discreetly

adv

In a careful, tactful way that avoids drawing attention.

discreetness

noun

The quality of being careful and quiet about private or sensitive matters.

discrepancy

noun

A difference between things that are supposed to match.

discrepant

adj

Not matching or agreeing with something else.

discrete

adj

Separate and distinct from other things, rather than continuous or connected.

discretely

adv

As a single, separate item, not joined to others.

discretion

noun

The freedom or authority to make your own judgement or decision.

discretionary

adj

Left to someone's own judgement rather than fixed by rules.

discriminate

verb

To treat a person or group unfairly because of a characteristic such as race, age, or gender.

discriminating

adj

Having good judgement and a fine sense of quality; able to spot subtle differences.

discrimination

noun

Unfair treatment of a person or group based on characteristics like race, gender, or age.

discriminatory

adj

Relating to discrimination in any of its meanings.

disculpate

verb

To show that someone is not to blame for something.

discus

noun

A heavy round disc thrown in athletics competitions.

discuss

verb

To talk over a topic with someone, weighing different views.

discussant

noun

A person taking part in a discussion, often with a set role or topic.

discussed

adj

Talked over or examined in conversation.

discussion

noun

A conversation or exchange of views about a particular subject.

disdain

noun

A feeling of contempt or scorn toward someone or something seen as beneath you.

disdainful

adj

Looking down on someone or something with scorn.

disease

noun

An illness affecting the body or mind, caused by infection, malfunction, or other harmful factors.

diseased

adj

Affected by illness or infection.

diseaseless

adj

Not affected by any disease.

disembark

verb

To get off a ship, plane, or other vehicle after a journey.

disembodied

adj

Existing without a physical body; ghostlike or detached from any form.

disembroil

verb

To sort out and free something from a confused or tangled situation.

disemployment

noun

The condition of having lost one's job, that is, being deprived of employment, which some distinguish from unemployment.

disenable

verb

To make someone or something unable to do something.

disenchant

verb

To release someone from illusion, mistaken belief or a spell; to undeceive or disillusion them.

disenchantment

noun

The action of disenchanting someone, or the condition of being disenchanted.

disencumber

verb

To take away a burden or problem from someone or something.

disenfranchised

adj

Denied rights or power that others normally have, especially the right to vote.

disengage

verb

To detach or release something from what is holding or connecting it.

disengaged

adj

Not involved or connected; detached, whether physically or emotionally.

disengagement

noun

Moving away from, or ending involvement in, a situation.

disenroll

verb

To take someone's name off a list they had joined.

disentangle

verb

To undo something that has become tangled or knotted.

disequilibrate

verb

To upset the balance of something.

disesteem

noun

A lack of respect for someone or something.

disfavour

noun

A feeling of disapproval towards someone or something.

disfiguration

noun

Damage that spoils how someone or something looks, or the process of causing it.

disfigure

verb

to irreversibly damage the shape or structure of something, negatively affecting its appearance or functionality without completely destroying it.

disfigured

adj

Having a damaged or deformed appearance, especially after injury.

disfigurement

noun

Damage that spoils someone's appearance, or the condition of having it.

disfunction

noun

A nonstandard spelling of dysfunction.

disgorge

verb

To throw up, or to pour something out suddenly.

disgorgement

noun

The act of being forced to give something up.

disgrace

noun

A loss of reputation or respect caused by shameful behavior.

disgraced

adj

Having lost respect or standing because of shameful conduct.

disgraceful

adj

Shameful; deserving strong criticism.

disgregate

verb

To spread out or break up in different directions.

disgregation

noun

The process of coming apart or spreading out.

disgruntle

verb

To make someone annoyed or unhappy about something.

disgruntled

adj

Annoyed, dissatisfied, or in a sour mood, often because of unfair treatment.

disguise

noun

Clothing, makeup, or other means used to hide one's identity or look like someone else.

disguised

adj

Wearing a disguise, or made to look like something other than what it really is.

disguising

noun

An old term for a costumed entertainment or masquerade.

disgust

verb

To make someone feel strong dislike or revulsion.

disgusted

adj

Feeling strong dislike or revulsion.

disgusting

adj

Causing a strong feeling of revulsion; repulsive.

disgustingly

adv

In a way that causes disgust.

dish

noun

A shallow container used for serving or holding food.

disharmonious

adj

Not harmonious; clashing or out of tune with something else.

disharmony

noun

A lack of harmony or agreement between things.

dishcloth

noun

A cloth used for washing dishes.

dishearten

verb

To make someone lose hope, confidence or enthusiasm.

disheartened

adj

Feeling discouraged or having lost hope or confidence.

disheartening

adj

Making someone feel discouraged or gloomy.

disheartenment

noun

The act of making someone lose heart or confidence.

disher

noun

A scoop with a spring-loaded lever, used to portion out hard foods such as ice cream.

dishes

noun

Plates, bowls, and other tableware used for a meal, especially when referring to washing them.

dishing

noun

The act of serving food onto plates.

dishonest

adj

Not truthful; inclined to lie, cheat, or deceive.

dishonesty

noun

The quality or practice of lying, cheating, or deceiving.

dishonor

noun

American spelling of "dishonour": loss of honor or respect.

dishonorable

adj

Lacking honor; shameful or unethical (American spelling).

dishonorably

adv

In a way that lacks honor; shamefully (American spelling).

dishonored

adj

Disgraced or treated with a lack of respect (American spelling).

dishonour

noun

Shame or a loss of honor and respect (British spelling).

dishonourable

adj

British spelling of "dishonorable": lacking honor; shameful.

dishonoured

adj

British spelling of "dishonored": disgraced or shamed.

dishoom

noun

onomatopoeic representation of the sound of a punch or blow.

dishware

noun

Crockery used to serve or prepare meals.

dishwasher

noun

A machine that washes plates, cutlery, and other tableware.

disilane

noun

In chemistry, a gas made of two silicon atoms joined by hydrogen atoms, similar in structure to ethane.

disillusion

verb

To make someone realize that a belief they held was false, often leaving them disappointed.

disillusioned

adjective

No longer believing something was as good, true, or admirable as you once thought; disappointed after losing faith in someone or something.

disillusionment

noun

A feeling of sadness and disappointment that comes from discovering that something is not as good or as true as you believed.

disilyne

noun

In chemistry, a molecule in which one silicon atom is joined to another by a triple bond.

disimprovement

noun

A change from a better condition to a worse one.

disincarnate

verb

To take away someone's physical body, leaving only a spirit or immaterial form.

disincentive

noun

Something that puts people off doing a particular thing.

disinclination

noun

A mild unwillingness or lack of desire to do something.

disincline

verb

To make someone less willing or eager to do something.

disinclined

adj

Not willing or keen to do something.

disinfect

verb

To clean something thoroughly enough to kill the germs on it.

disinfectant

noun

A chemical product used to kill germs on surfaces or objects.

disinfection

noun

Treatment with disinfectant substances to destroy harmful microorganisms.

disinform

verb

To deliberately give someone false or misleading information.

disinformation

noun

False information spread on purpose to mislead people.

disingenuous

adj

Not honourable; unworthy of honour.

disinherit

verb

To deny someone their right to inherit; to cast off as an heir.

disintegrate

verb

To break apart into pieces, or to fall apart completely.

disintegrated

adjective

Broken apart or fallen to pieces.

disintegrating

adjective

Currently falling apart or breaking into pieces.

disintegration

noun

The process of breaking apart or falling to pieces.

disintegrator

noun

A person or thing that breaks something apart.

disinter

verb

To dig up a body that has been buried.

disinterest

noun

A lack of interest or curiosity in something.

disinterested

adjective

Having no personal stake in an outcome, and therefore able to judge it fairly.

disinvest

verb

To pull money out of something, or stop putting money into it.

disjoin

verb

To split apart, or pull two things away from each other.

disjoint

adj

Jerky and lacking a smooth flow.

disjointed

adj

Lacking a clear connection between its parts, so it feels muddled.

disjointedness

noun

The quality of being disjointed.

disjunct

adj

Not joined together; separate and broken off from each other.

disjunction

noun

The act of splitting something apart.

disk

noun

A flat, round, thin object.

diskette

noun

A small, flexible magnetic disk used to store and read back computer data.

dislike

verb

To not like something or someone; to feel aversion toward.

dislocated

adjective

Forced out of its normal position, especially a joint in the body.

dislocation

noun

An injury in which a bone is forced out of its normal joint position.

dislodge

verb

To force something out of a position it had been fixed or settled in.

disloyal

adjective

Not faithful or loyal, especially to a person, group, or country one is expected to support.

disloyalty

noun

The quality of being disloyal, or a specific act of betrayal.

dismal

adjective

Gloomy, dreary, and depressing.