Definition Dictionary

A departure from an expected course, standard, or pattern.

Entirely lacking a specified quality or thing.

Deeply committed to religious belief or practice.

A conversation or exchange of ideas between two or more participants.

A bitter and forceful verbal attack.

A division into two contrasting parts or categories.

The choice and arrangement of words, or the clarity with which they are pronounced.

Intended to teach, sometimes in an overly instructive manner.

To recognize or show the features that make things distinct.

Lacking confidence in one's own abilities or position.

One word family: also includes diffidence.

Spread out or lacking concentration and precision.

Calm and serious in a way that expresses self-respect and invites respect from others.

A departure from the main subject or line of thought.

Moving away from the main subject into other topics.

In a state of disrepair after neglect or age.

A difficult situation requiring a choice between unsatisfactory alternatives.

To become smaller or less important, or to make something so.

A reduction in size, amount, or importance.

An authoritative instruction that guides an action or procedure.

A mournful song or piece of music, especially for the dead.

To free someone from a mistaken belief.

Capable of being perceived or recognized.

Able to notice and judge important differences or qualities.

One word family: also includes discernment.

To unsettle, confuse, or disturb someone's composure.