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delusion n. (di LOO szhun) a false belief. Thinking he was the greatest human who ever lived, my boss was suffering from delusions of grandeur.

demagogue n. (DEM uh GAWG) a politician who panders to the whims and emotions of the voters in order to win them over. He was a demagogue who told the voters only what they wanted to hear, not what they needed to hear.

democracy n. (de MOK ru see) a government by and for the people. In a democracy, the people get to vote on who will lead them.

democratic adj. (dem uh KRAT ik) by and for the

people The democratic way to choose a leader is to vote.

demoralize vb. (di MOR uh lize) to strip of con­fidence; to dishearten. The loss of their star player served to demoralize the team.

demure adj. (di MYOOR) shy or quiet; also, affect­ing shyness. I was attracted to the demure girl who stood in the corner by herself.

deplorable adj. (di PLOR uh bul) terrible; griev­ous. After the party, our house was in deplorable condition.

depose vb. (di POZ) to remove from power. The cit­izens called for the authorities to depose the prince.

deride vb. (di RIDE) to ridicule. The wiseguys liked to stand at the edge of the dance floor and deride everyone's dance style.

de rigueur adj. (de ree GUHR) necessary to fulfill the rules of etiquette or fashion. Thankfully, nose rings are no longer considered de rigueur.

derision n. (duh RI szhun) hostile ridicule. His bid

to raise taxes in order to purchase an ice-skating rink was met with derision.

derivative adj. (duh RIV uh tiv) taken or borrowed from something else. His play was highly derivative and borrowed liberally from Woody Allen.

dernier cri n. (DAIR nee ay CREE) the latest thing; hip. The dernier cri of fashion is now little, boxlike hats.

derogatory adj. (di ROG uh TOHR ee) disparag­ing; insulting. Any more derogatory remarks about my cooking and you'll be making your own dinner.

desecrate vb. (DES uh krayt) to disrespect that which is sacred or holy; to profane. The thugs planned to desecrate the holy shrine by spraypainting it with grafitti.

despondent adj. (di SPON dunt) filled with sadness and despair. After the home team lost the game, we gave the despondent players a pat on the back for a good try.

despot n. (DES put) a dictator; an autocrat. The despot rules with an iron fist.

destitute adj. (DES ti TOOT) extremely impover­ished. The destitute couple begged for dimes on the street corner.

detente n. (day TAHNT) a relief or easing of ten­sions or hostilities between nations. We were greatly heartened by the promise of detente between the two warring leaders.

deterrent n. (de TUR unt) that which hinders, blocks, or stops. If you're worried about burglars, a tall, barbed wire fence is a good deterrent.