diffuse
spread out or wordy and lacking concision
Word origin: From Latin diffundere, to pour out, from fundere, to pour.
Diffuse in a sentence
Here are example sentences showing diffuse in a sentence.
The report was so diffuse that its main point was hard to find.
The lecture was so diffuse that students struggled to identify a single central argument.
Using “diffuse” well
As an adjective, diffuse means spread out or, of prose, wordy and unfocused, pairing with scattered and verbose. Take care with the verb diffuse, to spread, which is sometimes confused with defuse, to make less dangerous.
More GRE words starting with D
to engage in something superficially or as a casual pastime
a raised platform for speakers or honored guests
to waste time or act without urgency
to make something slightly wet, or to make a feeling or reaction less strong
marked with spots or patches of color or light
to intimidate or discourage with fear or doubt
to move slowly or waste time idly
a scarcity or shortage of something
Questions about “diffuse”
See these words the way the GRE tests them.
Definitions in isolation do not stick. Sit a free, full-length GRE mock and meet this vocabulary inside real text completion and sentence equivalence questions, with your score and a worked solution for every answer.