frequently_asked_questions_files/Oxford Thesaurus.pdf

that dilapidated barn if we expect to use it.
dilemma n. predicament, quandary, double bind, catch-22, impasse,
deadlock, stalemate; plight, difficulty, trouble; stymie,
snooker; Colloq bind, box, fix, jam, spot, pickle, squeeze: He
was faced with the dilemma of killing the injured animal or
allowing it to die in agony.
dilettante
n. dabbler, trifler, aesthete, amateur: You know art like a
curator; I am a mere dilettante.
diligent adj. persevering, persistent, industrious, assiduous, sedulous,
intent, steady, steadfast, focused, concentrated, earnest,
attentive, conscientious, hard-working, indefatigable, tireless,
constant, painstaking, careful, thorough, scrupulous,
meticulous, punctilious: Only through diligent application was
she able to get through law school.
dilute v. water (down), thin (down or out), cut, weaken, doctor,
adulterate; mitigate, lessen, diminish, decrease: For the
table, wine was often diluted with water. He dilutes his
argument by citing irrelevancies.
dim adj. 1 obscure, obscured, vague, faint, weak, weakened, pale,
imperceptible, fuzzy, indistinct, ill-defined, indiscernible,
undefined, indistinguishable, foggy, clouded, cloudy, nebulous,
blurred, blurry, unclear, dull, hazy, misty, dark, shadowy,
murky, tenebrous, gloomy, sombre, dusky, crepuscular: Her
beauty made The bright world dim. We could barely see in the dim
light of the cave. 2 stupid, obtuse, doltish, dull, dull-witted,
foolish, slow-witted, dim-witted, dense, Colloq thick, dumb:
Anyone who can't understand that is really quite dim.
--v. 3 obscure, dull, becloud: His natural feelings of
compassion had been dimmed by neglect. 4 darken, bedim, shroud,
shade: Twilight dims the sky above. The stage-lights dimmed and
the curtain fell.
diminish v. 1 decrease, decline, abate, lessen, reduce, lower, shrink,
curtail, contract, lop, crop, dock, clip, prune, cut, truncate,
cut down, abbreviate, shorten, abridge, compress, condense, pare
(down), scale down, boil down: As the height increases, the