dis-

Dis- Keeping Things Distant

Prefixes are key morphemes in English vocabulary that begin words. The prefix dis- means “apart;” today we will discover many words that have the prefix dis- in them!

The Roman god Pluto was also named Dis, and luckily this god of the underworld was distant from the land above, or stood “apart” from it. What if Dis were to travel to the upper world with his three-headed dog Cerberus? Imagine how dissimilar, or “apart” from being like others that ghastly duo would be! He and Cerberus would certainly distract people, or draw them “apart” from their usual activities as they walked about town. Speaking of Cerberus, imagine if Dis were to take him to a doggie park—talk about disrupting or breaking “apart” a normal day of playing for all of those one-headed dogs! The disorder, or a state “apart” from being orderly that would ensue would be a hoot to behold. The disquiet that would be present, or a state “apart” from being quiet, would subside once Dis left for his deep home, thus pulling a disappearing act, having gone “apart” from being there, hopefully for a very long time.

Now let’s imagine that Dr. Frankenstein decides to create another monster, this time of himself. For the doctor has caught a fatal disease, which holds his physical comfort “apart” from being at ease. This condition is holding him at quite a disadvantage, keeping him “apart” from being his best. To add insult to injury, while disinterring dead bodies, or taking those bodies “apart” from being buried in the ground, he dislocated his shoulder, taking it “apart” from its usual location. Unfortunately, the hard-up doctor has distrust in anyone else to do the digging for him, or holds them “apart” from his trust. Hence, he may soon become disinterested, or take himself “apart” from interest in the whole concept of making another self and disband his medical team, which would then go “apart” to different areas of the country.

Now you will no longer feel discomfort when encountering words with the prefix dis- in them!

1. distant: stand “apart”
2. dissimilar: “apart” from being similar
3. distract: draw “apart”
4. disrupt: burst “apart”
5. disorder: “apart” from orderliness
6. disquiet: “apart” from quiet
7. disappear: “apart” from being present
8. disease: “apart” from ease
9. disadvantage: “apart” from having an advantage
10. disinter: to take “apart” from being in the ground
11. dislocate: to take “apart” from the usual location
12. distrust: “apart” from being trustworthy
13. disinterested: “apart” from being interested
14. disband: when a band of people go “apart” from each other
15. discomfort: being “apart” from feeling comfortable

Usage

• dissident

  A dissident is someone who disagrees publicly with a government, especially in a country where this is not allowed.

• disburse

  To disburse is to pay out money, usually from a large fund that has been collected for a specific purpose.

• disquiet

  When someone feels disquiet about a situation, they feel very worried or nervous.

• disseminate

  To disseminate something, such as knowledge or information, is to distribute it so that it reaches a lot of people.

• discursive

  A piece of writing is discursive if it includes a lot of information that is not relevant to the main subject.

• disingenuous

  Someone who is disingenuous is not straightforward or is dishonest in what they say or do.

• disparate

  Things that are disparate are clearly different from each other and belong to different groups or classes.

• discern

  If you discern something, especially something that is not obvious, you notice, detect, or perceive it, especially after thinking about it carefully or studying it.

• indiscreet

  Someone who is indiscreet shows lack of judgment, especially because they say or do things in public that should only be said or done privately—if at all.

• disconcert

  If something disconcerts you, it makes you feel anxious, worried, or confused.

• dissonance

  Dissonance is an unpleasant situation of opposition in which ideas or actions are not in agreement or harmony; dissonance also refers to a harsh combination of sounds.

• discordant

  A situation or thing that is discordant does not fit in with other things; therefore, it is disagreeable, strange, or unpleasant.

• disaffected

  A disaffected member of a group or organization is not satisfied with it; consequently, they feel little loyalty towards it.

• disinter

  When a dead body is disinterred, it is dug up.

• discomfit

  If something discomfits you, it makes you feel embarrassed, confused, uncomfortable, or frustrated.

• disparage

  If you disparage someone or something, you say unpleasant words that show you have no respect for that person or thing.

• dissemble

  When people dissemble, they hide their real thoughts, feelings, or intentions.

• disinterested

  Someone does something in a disinterested way when they have no personal involvement or attachment to the action.

• dissension

  Dissension is a disagreement or conflict of opinion among a group of people.

• disabuse

  If you disabuse someone of an idea or notion, you persuade them that the idea is in fact untrue.

• demise

  A demise can be the death of someone or the slow end of something.

• disarray

  When you are in a state of disarray, you are disorganized, disordered, and in a state of confusion.

• discombobulated

  When you are discombobulated, you are confused and upset because you have been thrown into a situation that you cannot temporarily handle.

• disconsolate

  If you are disconsolate, you are very unhappy or so sad that nothing will make you feel better.

• discrepancy

  When there is a discrepancy between two sets of data, there is a difference or inconsistency among them, despite the fact that they should be the same.

• discrete

  Discrete objects are completely unconnected to one another, so each one is separate and individual.

• disdain

  You show disdain towards another person when you despise what they do, or you regard them as unworthy of your notice and attention.

• disentangle

  When you disentangle a knot, you untie it completely; when you disentangle yourself from a problem, you get yourself out of it.

• disillusion

  When you disillusion someone, you show that a belief they hold dear is untrue—thereby disheartening and disappointing them.

• disincentive

  A disincentive to do something does not encourage you to do that thing; rather, it restrains and hinders you from doing it.

• dismantle

  When you dismantle something, you break it down into its parts or destroy it gradually by taking away key aspects of it.

• disparity

  When there is a disparity between two things, they are not of equal status; therefore, they are different or unlike in some way.

• dispel

  When you dispel a thought from your mind, you cause it to go away or vanish; when you dispel a crowd, you cause it to scatter into different directions.

• disposition

  Your disposition is your personality, the way in which you tend to react to the various events in your life, or the mood that you generally have.

• dissuade

  When you dissuade someone, you try to discourage or prevent them from doing something.

• distortion

  When something undergoes distortion, it is twisted out of shape in some way.

• indispensable

  An indispensable item is absolutely necessary or essential—it cannot be done without.

• predispose

  If someone is predisposed to something, they are made favorable or inclined to it in advance, or they are made susceptible to something, such as a disease.

• discriminate

  The ability to discriminate between things allows you to keenly observe or be aware of differences.

• disposed

  When you are disposed towards a particular thing, you are inclined or partial towards it.

• disclaimer

  A disclaimer is a legal statement that indicates a refusal to accept responsibility in case something bad happens when a product is used.

• disrupt

  When you disrupt something that is happening, you interrupt, upset, or disturb it in some way.

• dispute

  A dispute is a disagreement, difference of opinion, or quarrel about something.

• disintegrate

  When something disintegrates, it crumbles, falls apart, or breaks down into separate pieces.

• distinctive

  A distinctive trait of someone sets them apart from everyone else; it is what makes them different or unique.

• distraught

  If you are distraught about a situation, you are very upset or worried about it.

• disport

  When someone disports, they entertain or divert themselves for the sake of amusement.

• disorder

  If a place is in disorder, it is not organized or is very messy.

• disease

  A disease is a sickness or illness, such as diabetes or cancer.

• discussion

  A discussion is a talk or conversation that you have with one or more people usually to reach some kind of agreement or to solve a problem.

• discover

  When you discover something, such as a new idea or thing, you learn about it or find it for the first time.

• displace

  When one thing displaces another, it takes its position or place and forces that other thing to leave.

• dismiss

  When you dismiss someone, you send them away.

• distant

  Something that is distant is far off or far away from something else.

• distract

  When you distract someone, you pull that person's attention or focus away from something towards something else.

• distribute

  When you distribute something, you hand it out or spread it around to a number of different people.

• dissimilar

  When one thing is dissimilar to another thing, it is not like it or is not the same as it.

• defer

  If you defer the occurrence of something, you move or delay it to a later point in time.