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cynical adj. (SIN ik ul) prone to questioning the true motives of others; distrustful and skeptical. The ex-convict claimed to have a purely altruistic reason for raising money for charity, but his parole officer was cynical.

dark horse n. one who is little-known and not expected to win but may take people by surprise; an underdog. The candidate is a dark horse, hardly known outside of his home state and is not expected to win many votes.

dauntless adj. (DAWNT less) bold and unafraid.

In times of war, the dauntless and aggressive general would be difficult to stop.

debacle n. (di BAH kul) a terrible failure, disaster or collapse. Expecting a debacle on Wall Street, Mary cashed in all of her stocks and invested the money in bonds.

debilitate vb. (di BIL i TAYT) to cripple or handi­cap. Some sports injuries debilitate more than others, but broken bones tend to take the longest to heal.

debonair adj. (deb uh NARE) graciously friendly and smooth; suave. A lifetime of social polishing had made the prince particularly debonair.

decadent adj. (DEK uh dunt) designating unre­strained indulgence leading to deterioration or decay. Her decadent lifestyle will eventually prove her undoing.

decorum n. (di KOR um) proper manners and con­duct, as expected during a formal occasion. A certain decorum is expected at funerals, so please restrain your children.

defame vb. (di FAYM) to undermine the reputation of another through slander or libel. If this newspaper defames me one more time, I will sue for libel.

deference n. (DEF ur uns) the yielding of one to another, out of respect or obligation; submission. In deference to the company, I stated only positive things about the CEO.

definitive adj. (di FIN uh tiv) authoritative, conclu­sive. The famous English professor wrote the defini­tive guide to good grammar.

deft adj. (DEFT) highly skilled. The nurse reassured me that the surgeon was particularly deft in removing tonsils.

defunct adj. (di FUNGT) no longer operating or existing; out of business. The shoe repair business that once operated on Main Street is now, sadly, defunct.

deja vu n. (day zhah VOO) the haunting feeling that one has seen or experienced the same thing before. The conviction that I had visited the old house before was only deja vu; in fact, I'd never been to the place in my life.

deleterious adj. (del uh TEER ee us) harmful; dam­aging. Overwatering may have a deleterious effect on your houseplants.

delude vb. (du LOOD) to deceive; to fool. I like to delude myself into thinking that I'm in perfect shape, when I know I'm really twenty pounds overweight.