Page 278 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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D: GRE Words
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demographic (DEM uh GRA fik) n. a vital statistic of human population, such
as age, income, sex, and so on, used mainly for marketing research
• Demographics are a major concern to businesses.
• Before McDonald’s picks a location for a restaurant, they need to know
that the demographics are such that there are many young couples with
children that have enough money to eat out a couple times a week.
denigrate (DEN ig RAYT) vt. 1. to blacken; 2. to defame; to disparage the char-
acter of
• During an election campaign, it has become customary for one candidate
to attempt to denigrate the other’s reputation.
• Negative advertising consists of denigrating one’s competitor’s product.
[-d, denigrating] [Syn. defame, disparage]
derelict (DER il ikt) adj. 1. deserted by the owner; forsaken; abandoned;
2. remiss in performance of duty; neglectful of duty; negligent —n. 1. an aban-
doned property; 2. a destitute person with no home or job
• The derelict boat bobbed up and down in the waves, just waiting to be
swamped.
• The reason the burglars gained access was because the gate guard was
derelict in his duty.
• The derelict building was an eyesore and a haven for a swarm of rats.
• It is not unusual to see a derelict sleeping in a cardboard hovel by the side
of a building on the Bowery.
[-ion n.] [Syn. remiss, negligent]
desiccant (DES ik int) adj. drying —n. a substance that attracts water and is
packed with some goods to prevent water from damaging them
• Silica gel is a desiccant often packaged with pills in a plastic, ventilated tube
so that water doesn’t damage the pills.
• Desiccants are sometimes packed with clothing or paper goods in little
cloth bags.
[Syn. dryer]
desiccate (DES ik ayt) vt. 1. to completely dry; 2. to preserve food by freeze-
drying, or just drying it
• Cranberries are completely washed and then dessicated before they are
packaged for shipping.
• Coffee dessicated by freeze-drying is as popular as the brewed type in most
homes in the United States.
[-d, desiccating]
desultory (dis UHL ter ee) adj. 1. lacking connection; aimless; random; 2. lack-
ing in relevance
• The professor’s lecture seemed desultory, having no connection to anything
the class was studying.
• When Francine went to get her blood drawn for the test, the nurse’s asking
her to step on the scale seemed to be desultory.
[Syn. random]