English dictionary — definitions & meanings

deniable

adj

Able to be denied or contradicted.

denial

noun

A refusal to admit that something is true.

denialism

noun

The practice of rejecting propositions which are strongly supported by scientific or historical evidence, and often of seeking to influence policy processes and outcomes accordingly.

denied

verb

Past tense and past participle of deny: to have refused to grant or allow something that was asked for.

denigrate

verb

To criticize so as to besmirch; traduce, disparage or defame.

denigration

noun

The act of making black; a blackening or defamation.

denim

noun

A sturdy cotton fabric woven with a diagonal pattern, commonly used for jeans.

Denis

name

A masculine given name, a French form of Dennis, ultimately from the Greek god Dionysus.

Denise

name

A feminine given name, the female form of Denis, ultimately derived from Dionysus.

denison

name

A male given name.

Deniz

name

A unisex Turkish given name meaning "sea."

denizen

noun

An inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in a certain place.

Denmark

noun

A country in Northern Europe, whose capital is Copenhagen.

Denning

name

An English surname, notably borne by the influential jurist Lord Denning.

Dennis

name

A male given name derived from the Greek god Dionysus.

Dennison

name

A surname meaning "son of Dennis."

Denny

name

A short, informal form of the names Denis or Dennis.

denominate

verb

To name; to designate.

denomination

noun

A specific religious group or branch within a broader faith.

denominational

adj

Of or pertaining to a denomination.

denominator

noun

The number below the line in a fraction, showing how many equal parts a whole is divided into.

denotation

noun

The act of denoting, or something (such as a symbol) that denotes

denote

verb

To be a sign or indication of something.

denouement

noun

The final part of a play, film or novel, after the climax, in which the remaining questions are answered and the plot is tied up.

denounce

verb

To publicly criticize or condemn someone or something as wrong.

denouncing

noun

The act of publicly condemning or accusing someone or something.

dens

noun

The plural of den, referring to more than one animal shelter or cozy room.

dense

adjective

Having parts packed closely together; thick or crowded.

densely

adverb

In a closely packed or crowded way.

densen

verb

To become dense or more dense.

denseness

noun

The quality of being dense, as:

density

noun

A measure of how much mass or matter is packed into a given amount of space.

dent

noun

A shallow dip or indentation in a surface, usually caused by a knock or impact.

dental

adj

Relating to teeth or to the care and treatment of teeth.

Dente

name

An Italian surname meaning "tooth," and part of the phrase "al dente" describing pasta cooked firm.

dented

adjective

Pushed in or damaged with a hollow left by an impact.

dentifrice

noun

Toothpaste or any other substance, such as a powder or liquid, for cleaning the teeth.

dentist

noun

A medical doctor who specializes in teeth.

dentistry

noun

The branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of problems affecting teeth and gums.

dentition

noun

The set of natural teeth of an individual

Denton

name

An English place name and surname meaning "valley settlement," also a city in Texas.

denture

noun

A set of teeth, the teeth viewed as a unit.

dentures

noun

A removable set of artificial teeth, fitted to a plate that rests on the gums, worn to replace teeth that have been lost.

denudation

noun

The act of stripping off covering, or removing the surface; a making bare.

denude

verb

To divest of all covering; to make bare or naked; to strip.

denunciation

noun

Proclamation; announcement; a publishing.

denunciator

noun

Someone who denounces, threatens or accuses.

Denver

name

The capital city of the U.S. state of Colorado, also used as a given name and surname.

deny

verb

To state that something is not true.

denying

noun

The act of saying something is not true, or refusing to admit to it.

denys

name

A male given name from Ancient Greek, an alternative spelling of Denis

Denzel

name

A masculine given name of Cornish origin, popularized by the actor Denzel Washington.

deo

noun

Informal short form of deodorant.

deobstruct

verb

To clear (something) of obstructions.

deodorant

noun

A product applied to the body, especially the underarms, to prevent or mask unpleasant odours.

deodorize

verb

To mask or eliminate the odor of, or an odor in, (something).

deodourant

adj

Rare spelling of deodorant.

Deon

name

A masculine given name, a variant of Dion, derived from the Greek god Dionysus.

deontology

noun

Synonym of ethics (“the study of principles relating to right and wrong conduct”).

deorbit

verb

To cause to leave orbit.

depart

verb

To leave a place, especially to begin a journey.

departed

adjective

Having left a place; gone.

departing

adjective

In the process of leaving.

departition

verb

to remove the partitions from; to merge back into a single unit

department

noun

A distinct section of an organisation, business, or government responsible for a particular area of work.

departmental

adj

Relating to a department within an organisation.

departure

noun

The act of leaving a place, especially at the start of a journey.

depauperate

adj

Having stunted growth

depend

verb

To rely on someone or something for support, help, or a particular outcome.

dependability

noun

The characteristic of being dependable; the ability to be depended upon.

dependable

adj

Reliable; able to be trusted to do what is expected.

dependance

noun

Archaic spelling of dependence.

dependant

noun

A person, such as a child or relative, who relies on someone else financially.

dependee

noun

An agent that is depended on by a depender, the target of a dependency (used in agent-oriented programming)

dependence

noun

The state of relying on someone or something else.

dependency

noun

A strong reliance on someone or something, especially a habit-forming substance.

dependent

adj

Relying on someone or something for support, existence, or success.

depender

noun

An agent that depends on another agent, the dependee; the subject of a dependency, a dependent (used in agent-oriented programming)

depending

adjective

Varying according to circumstances; contingent on something else.

depends

interjection

Used on its own as a short answer meaning the outcome is uncertain or conditional — a clipped form of "it depends."

deperdition

noun

Synonym of loss or destruction.

depict

verb

To show or represent something through a picture, description, or performance.

depiction

noun

A representation of something in art, words, or another medium.

depilate

verb

To remove all hair from skin so as to make it smooth.

depilation

noun

The process of stripping hair from the skin so as to make it smooth; unhairing; hair removal.

depilator

noun

One who or that which depilates; a remover of hair.

depilatory

noun

A preparation that removes hair from the body.

deplete

verb

To reduce the amount of; to remove (a substance from something)

depleted

adj

Greatly reduced in amount; used up, often to a worryingly low level.

depletion

noun

The gradual reduction or using up of a resource or supply.

deplorable

adj

Shockingly bad or unacceptable; deserving strong disapproval.

deploration

noun

The act of deploring or lamenting; lamentation.

deplorative

adj

Expressing negative emotion.

deplore

verb

To express strong disapproval of something.

deploy

verb

To move troops or equipment into position for military action.

deployment

noun

An arrangement or classification of things.

deplume

verb

To strip of feathers or plumage.

depone

verb

To testify, especially in the form of a deposition.

deponent

noun

A person who gives sworn evidence in writing, especially in an affidavit or a deposition used in court proceedings.

depopulate

verb

To reduce the population of a region by disease, war, forced relocation etc.

deport

verb

To formally expel a foreign national from a country, usually for breaking immigration or other laws.

deportation

noun

The official act of expelling a foreign national from a country.

deportment

noun

Bearing; manner of presenting oneself.

depose

verb

To remove someone, especially a ruler or leader, from power.

deposit

noun

A sum of money paid into a bank account, or an initial partial payment made to secure a purchase.

depositary

adj

Acting as the trusted recipient of a deposit.

depositing

noun

The act of placing money, an object, or a substance somewhere for safekeeping or as a layer.

deposition

noun

The formal removal of someone from a position of power or office.

depository

noun

A place where things are stored for safekeeping, such as a warehouse or vault.

depot

noun

A building used to store goods, vehicles, or equipment.

Depp

name

A surname of German origin, notably borne by the actor Johnny Depp.

depravation

noun

Detraction; depreciation.

deprave

verb

To speak ill of; to depreciate; to malign; to revile

depraved

adj

Morally corrupt or twisted; showing a serious lack of decent values.

depravedness

noun

The state of being depraved; depravity

depravity

noun

A state of moral corruption or wickedness.

deprecate

verb

To express disapproval of, protest or plead against.

depreciate

verb

To lessen in price or estimated value; to lower the worth of.

depreciation

noun

In accounting, the spreading of the cost of an asset over the years it is used, recorded as an expense to reflect the value it loses through wear and age.

depredation

noun

An act of consuming agricultural resources (crops, livestock), especially as plunder.

depress

verb

To make someone feel sad, low, or hopeless.

depressant

noun

A pharmacological substance which decreases neuronal or physiological activity.

depressed

adj

Feeling persistently sad, hopeless, or without energy; also used for the clinical mental health condition.

depressing

adj

Making someone feel sad or discouraged.

depression

noun

A mental health condition marked by persistent sadness, low energy, and loss of interest in life.

depressive

adj

Relating to or causing depression.

depressogenic

adj

Causing or tending to cause depression.

depressurize

verb

To reduce the air pressure within a chamber.

deprivation

noun

The state of lacking something necessary, such as food, sleep, or basic comfort.

deprive

verb

To take something away from someone, or prevent them from having it.

deprived

adj

Lacking the basic necessities or comforts most people have; disadvantaged.

depth

noun

How far down something goes, from top to bottom or surface to floor.

depthen

verb

To increase the depth of; make deep or deeper

depthless

adj

Having no depth, or having a depth that is impossible to determine; immeasurably deep.

depths

noun

The deepest, most remote, or most extreme part of something.

deputation

noun

The act of deputing, or of appointing or commissioning a deputy or representative; office of a deputy or delegate; vicegerency.

deputy

noun

A person who is second-in-command and acts on behalf of a senior officeholder.

der

interjection

Used sarcastically to point out that something just said is obvious or was already known.

deracinate

verb

To pull up by the roots; to uproot; to extirpate.

derail

verb

To come off, or cause something to come off, its railway tracks.

deranged

adj

Mentally disturbed or behaving in a wild, irrational way.

derangement

noun

The property of being deranged.

derby

noun

A sports match between two rival local teams.

Derbyshire

name

A county in the East Midlands of England, known for the Peak District.

dere

noun

(archaic) Harm, injury, or hurt.

deregister

verb

To unregister.

Derek

name

A masculine given name derived from the Germanic name Theodoric, meaning "ruler of the people."

derelict

adj

Abandoned and left to fall into disrepair.

dereliction

noun

A failure to do what duty requires; neglect of responsibility.

derick

name

A male given name from the Germanic languages, variant of Derek.