One should never feel downtrodden when it comes to adjectives. So, if you're ever afraid of being the one person in the room who's a little doltish when it comes to adjectives that start with the letter D, or if you ever feel dreary when other adjectives come up, just keep reading - no need for drastic measures!
Adjectives That Start with D
adjectives that start with D
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50 Adjectives That Start With D
Here follow 50 adjectives, chosen to be commonly used and relevant to everyday conversation and writing. We've provided a definition straight from our dictionary and a list of synonyms courtesy of our thesaurus. If you need more, just check those out.
Adjective | Definition | Synonyms |
occurring every day, during the day | circadian, diurnal, regularly, routine | |
characterized by hazard or risk | deadly, perilous, precarious, unsafe | |
lacking light, shadowed | dusky, gloomy, shadowy, tenebrous | |
no longer living, the opposite of alive | deceased, extinct, inanimate, lifeless | |
something that is beloved, inspires tender and positive feeling | cherished, esteemed, precious, valuable | |
characterized by appropriateness or goodness | demure, fitting, mannerly, virtuous | |
far beneath, under a surface | bottomless, fathomless, nethermost, subterranean | |
providing or focusing on protection | protective, shielding, guarding | |
pleasing, especially to the taste | appetizing, delectable, yummy | |
maintaining beliefs that are contradictory to reality | confused, deluded, neurotic, unrealistic | |
of an organization, to be controlled by its members | autonomous, egalitarian, equalitarian, self-ruling | |
someone, often a woman, who is reserved and modest | bashful, coy, prim, shy | |
relating to teeth | oral, orthodontic | |
contingent on something else, determined by another factor | conditional, provisional, reliant, subordinate | |
worthy of being treated in a particular manner or given special treatment | exemplary, meriting, meritorious, owed | |
of a situation or feeling, to be at risk of catastrophe, to risk terrible consequences | despairing, despondent, dire, frantic | |
to be particularized, rich with detail | comprehensive, itemized, meticulous, thorough | |
causing damage or harm | damaging, deleterious, destructive, disturbing | |
directly opposed to | contradictory, contrary, converse, opposite | |
divided in two | binary, bilateral, dual, dualistic | |
not resembling another subject, unlike something else | alien, disparate, divergent, unrelated | |
complicated, hard to understand | arduous, formidable, laborious, onerous | |
using digits, transmitted electronically, opposite of analog | automated, binary, computerized, numerical | |
by the shortest way, straightforward | linear, straight, undeviating | |
unclean, covered in grime | defiled, foul, grimy, soiled | |
unhappy with an event or result | discouraged, dissatisfied, frustrated, let down | |
harsh, unpleasant to the ear | cacophonous, dissonant, grating, shrill | |
overly wordy or talkative | desultory, digressive, rambling, verbose | |
failing to show respect | discourteous, impolite, rude, uncivil | |
to hide the identity of, to conceal | camouflage, disguise, dissemble, mask | |
unpleasant, not wanted, expressing aversion | disagreeable, repugnant, undesirable, unpleasant | |
noticeable, specific to one particular thing | characteristic, distinguishing, outstanding, peculiar | |
taking attention from, capturing interest | diverting, engaging, intriguing, sidetracking | |
in a state of anxiety or discomfort | agitated, concerned, nervous, uneasy | |
different, having multiple characteristic qualities | assorted, distinct, heterogeneous, varied | |
having to do with God or gods | deific, godlike, holy, numinous | |
to feel or express great distress | doleful, mournful, plaintive, rueful | |
to behave in a foolish way, to be unwise | blockheaded, dense, dumb, obtuse | |
having to do with a household | domesticated, household, indigenous, local | |
something in control, in charge | authoritative, commanding, controlling, hegemonic | |
in a pair | bifold, binary, dual, twofold | |
in the southernmost or most urban part of a city | citified, inner-city, metropolitan, urban | |
thrilling in the fashion of a play or musical | histrionic, spectacular, stagy, striking | |
lacking water | arid, barren, desiccated, parched | |
occuring twice | coupled, double, paired, twin | |
marked by treachery or deceit | devious, disingenuous, sneaky, underhanded | |
lasting a long time, resistant to damage and age | enduring, hardy, lasting, tough | |
full of energy | active, energetic, kinetic, vigorous | |
nonworking, functioning poorly | debilitated, defective, flawed, maladjusted | |
suffering from indigestion, also angry or rude | cross, grouchy, grumpy, touchy |
10 Example Sentences With D-Adjectives
Here we've presented 10 sentences that use our D-adjectives in a common setting. For more help with sentence structure, check out our sentence variety examples and articles on compound and declarative sentences. We've also linked to more examples in each sentence.
- One day, Debbie was disappointed to find her usual track dirty with debris.
- She decided to take another path downtown to work.
- Debbie arrived at her dull but durable desk early.
- On arrival, she found a diverse variety of distracting problems awaiting her.
- Her dysfunctional computer had locked up again, and several customers had left messages.
- She attended to her customers' sometimes sometimes doltish requests in time for lunch.
- After lunch, despite a meeting full of discursive coworkers, she was able to get her computer working again.
- Debbie downed a delicious cup of coffee before getting back to her daily tasks.
- She was disappointed to find a number of fresh issues waiting on her newly fixed computer.
- Her afternoon troubles turned out not too dolorous, and she had no trouble squaring them away before the end of the day.
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What Is an Adjective?
An adjective is one of two kinds of modifiers in English. The other kind is the adverb. The difference is simple: adverbs modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs, while adjectives only modify nouns. Before you use an adjective, be sure the word you're modifying is a person, place, thing or idea.
Types of Adjectives
While all adjectives exist to modify nouns, there are at least three categories of adjectives, each representing what it does.
- Demonstrative adjectives, while not numerous, are some of the most important words in the language. They answer the question "which one?" as applied to a noun. When you specify "these apples" or "that person over there," you are using a demonstrative adjective.
- Descriptive adjectives are likely the first words that spring to mind when you think of adjectives. They describe specific qualities about the noun they modify. In the phrase "a red apple," the word "red" is a descriptive adjective applied to the noun "apple."
- Quantitative adjectives answer the simple question of "how many?" as applied to a noun. In phrases like "all of the students" or "some of our neighbors," "all" and "some" are quantitative adjectives, indicating what proportion of the noun is being described.
If you're unclear on some of the concepts above, don't fret. We have comprehensive articles on examples of adjectives and types of adjectives to help you out.
Ds by Degrees
They weren't all dismal, right? Isn't it interesting to examine the English language, letter by letter? Not all "D" words are bad, not by any stretch. But, it is interesting to see how they fall on the scale of good and evil, given their propensity for prefixes such as dis- and dys-. Let's keep our examination going strong, as we move into the letter E and explore a fun list of Adjectives That Start With E.