< V > TOEFL Vocabulary (92)

Deflect (verb) 

to turn aside especially from a straight course or fixed direction

If the interior is weak, For example, an attempt to deflect it with a nuclear warhead (an

option under consideration) may simply break up the asteroid into many smaller and

uncontrolled pieces. 

Defuse (verb)  

to remove the fuse from a mine or bomb; to make less harmful, potent, or tense

You can tend to your loved one and to yourself by focusing on the rewards of caring for

someone with Alzheimer's disease and by learning to recognize and defuse stress.

 Degradation (noun) 

the act or an instance of demoting

Don Quixote shows how not distinguishing between the two leads to the moral

degradation of his hero and, consequently, of his public. 

Degraded (adjective) 

reduced far below ordinary standards of civilized life and conduct; characterized by 

degeneration of structure or function

Protecting existing habitat and restoring degraded habitat can help the grizzly to

recover. 

 

Delectable (adjective) 

highly pleasing, especially to the sense of taste 

The ape inserts a twig into a hole in a termite’s nest, after which it pull outs the twig

covered with delectable insects.

Delegate (noun) 

one who stands in for another; one who is given authority to represent another

In 1776, John Adams was a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress in

Philadelphia.

Deleterious (adjective) 

harmful often in a subtle or unexpected way

There is increasing evidence that some beached whales may have been stranded as a

result of loud sounds made by mid-range navy sonar. This has produced a great deal of

concern about the possible deleterious effects of noise pollution on marine mammals. 

Delineation (noun) 

a line marking and shaping the outer form of an object

Bialystok asserts that the delineation begins at the age of twenty, at which point begins

a decline in the ability to learn a language.

Delta (noun) 

the alluvial deposit at the mouth of a river

The delta extends outward fifty miles on both sides of the Mississippi River in the area of

Mississippi and Louisiana and experiences floods during the spring.

Demise (noun)

a cessation of existence or activity 

Columbia's demise on Feb. 1, 2003, not only cost the lives of seven astronauts, but also

leaves a gaping hole in the busy shuttle manifest, which is now focused on building and

supplying the International Space Station.