1. Charisma (n.) popular charm, spiritual grace — The Quaid-e-Azam always stood out in the crowd because of charisma reflected on his face.

  2. Castigate (v.) punish — The thief was castigated by the police.

  3. Carping (adj.) find fault — Carping critics were responsible for the miserable life of the English poet, John Keats.

  4. Dauntless (adj.) bold, brave — Rehan was a dauntless warrior.

  5. Decry (v.) disparage — You can’t gain anything by decrying the success of your rivals.

  6. Devoid (adj.) lacking — I cannot trust him because he is devoid of sense of right and wrong.

  7. Dearth (n.) scarcity — There is no dearth of talent in Pakistan but it has remained unexploited.

  8. Deference (n.) regards for another’s wish — We are advised to act in deference to the wishes of our parents.

  9. Dubious (adj.) not certain, doubtful, suspicious — He is dubious about the scheme made by his friends.

  10. Deleterious (adj.) harmful — We should always beware of the deleterious effect of overeating.

  11. Defile (v.) pollute, profane —One should never defile sanctity of religious places so as not to hurt the sentiments of others.

  12. Deterrent (n.) discouraging — Pakistan had to possess nuclear weapons so that she may act as deterrent for her hostile neighbours.

  13. Dilapidation (n.) state of ruins — Ancient monuments in our town are in the state of dilapidation.

  14. Disdain (v.) treat with scorn — He always disdains what he considers dishonest.

  15. Dire (adj.) disastrous — In the interest of National Security, we must not be intimidated by the dire consequences of economic sanctions.