1 Deck Flashcards
abate
v. subside; decrease, lessen.
n. abatement
Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate.
There was an abatement of bullying in the school.
abridge
v. condense; shorten.
Because the publishers felt the public wanted a shorter version of War and Peace, the proceeded to abridge the novel.
abstemious
adj. sparing in eating and drinking; temperate.
Concerned whether her vegetarian son’s abstemious diet provided him with sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed food on him
abstract
adj. theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational.
To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal.
abstruse
adj. hard to understand; obscure; profound.
Baffled by the abstruse philosophical texts assigned in class, Dave asked Lexy to explain Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason.
accessible
adj. easy to approach, obtainable.
We asked our guide whether the ruins were accessible on foot.
acclaim
v. applaud; announce with great approval.
n. acclaim
The NBC sportscasters acclaimed every American victory in the Olympics and decried every American defeat.
She has won acclaim for her commitment to the community.
accolade
n. award of merit.
In Hollywood, an “Oscar” is the highest accolade.
acknowledge
v. recognize; admit.
Although Iris acknowledged that the Beatles’ tunes sounded pretty dated nowadays, she still preferred them to the hip-hop songs her brothers played.
acquiesce
v. assent, agree without protesting.
n. acquiescence
adj. acquiescent
Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer’s suggestions, I could tell she had reservations about the changes he wanted made.
In silent acquiescence, she stood up.
The political parties were acquiescent and there was no conflict between them.
acrid
adj. sharp, bitterly pungent.
The acrid odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired.
acrimonious
adj. bitter in words or manner.
n. acrimony
The candidate attacked his opponent in highly acrimonious terms.
Children exposed to acrimony can cause them to be mean.
adulation
n. flattery; admiration.
v. adulate
The rock star thrived on the adulation of his groupies and yes men.
Many people adulate celebrities.
adversary
n. opponent.
The young wrestler struggled to defeat his adversary.
adversity
n. unfavorable fortune; hardship.
According to the humorist Mark Twain, anyone can easily learn to endure adversity, as long as it is another man’s.
advocate
v. urge; plead for.
n. advocate
The abolitionists advocated freedom for the slaves.
He was an advocate for economic reform.
aesthetic
adj. artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciation of the beautiful.
n. aesthete
The beauty of Tiffany’s stained glass appealed to Esther’s aesthetic sense.
The model remains an aesthete, but has to endure the harsh eating habits.
affable
adj. easily approachable; warmly friendly.
Accustomed to the cold, aloof supervisors, Nicholas was amazed at how affable his new employer was.
affirmation
n. positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath.
Despite Tom’s affirmations of innocence, Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie.
aggregate
v. gather; accumulate.
n. aggregation
Before the Wall Street scandals, dealers in so-called junk bonds managed to aggregate great wealth in short periods of time.
Elephants are found in large aggregations.
alleviate
v. relieve.
This should alleviate the pain; if it does not, we shall have to use stronger drugs.
aloof
adj. apart; reserved.
Shy by nature, she remained aloof while all the rest conversed.
altruistic
adj. unselfishly generous; concerned for others.
n. altruism
In providing tutorial assistance and college scholarships for hundreds of economically disadvantaged youths, Eugene Lang preformed a truly altruistic deed.
My friend helps everyone out of altruism.
ambiguous
adj. unclear or doubtful in meaning.
n. ambiguity
His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take.
Legislators work hard to make sure there are no ambiguities in the Constitution.
ambivalence
n. the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes.
adj. ambivalent
Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ambivalence of her feelings.
The ambivalent feelings a teenager has towards their parents.
amorphous
adj. formless; lacking shape or definition.
As soon as we have decided on out itinerary, we shall send a copy; right now, our plans are still amorphous.
anachronistic
adj. having an error involving time in a story.
n. anachronism
The reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is anachronistic: clocks did not exist in Caesar’s time.
The town is a throwback to medieval times, an anachronism that has survived the passing years.
analogous
adj. comparable.
She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that we do the same.
anarchist
n. person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority.
n. anarchy
Denying she was an anarchist, Katya maintained she wished only to make changes in our government, not to destroy it entirely.
There was anarchy in Peru after the disease was uncontrollable.
anecdote
n. short account of an amusing or interesting event.
Rather than make concrete proposals for welfare reform, President Reagan told anecdotes about poor people who became wealthy despite their impoverished backgrounds.
animosity
n. active enmity, strong hostility. He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power.
anomaly
n. irregularity.
A bird that cannot fly is an anomaly.
antagonism
n. hostility; active resistance.
adj. antagonistic
Barry showed his antagonism toward his new stepmother by ignoring her whenever she tried to talk to him.
Many people were antagonistic to the government’s reforms.
antediluvian
adj. antiquated; extremely ancient.
Looking at his great-aunt’s antique furniture, which must have been cluttering up the attic since the time of Noah’s flood, the young heir exclaimed, “Heavens! How positively antediluvian!”
antidote
n. medicine to counteract a poison or disease.
antipathy
n. aversion; dislike.
Tom’s extreme antipathy for disputes keeps him from getting into arguments with his temperamental wife. Noise in any form is antipathetic to him. Among his other antipathies are honking cars, boom boxes, and heavy metal rock.
antiquated
adj. old-fashioned; obsolete.
Philip had grown so accustomed to editing his papers on word processors that he thought typewriters were too antiquated for him to use.
apathy
n. lack of caring; indifference.
adj. apathetic
A firm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the apathy of people who never bothered to vote.
The apathetic father gave no support to his children.
apocryphal
adj. untrue; made up.
To impress his friends, Tom invented apocryphal tales of his adventures in the big city.
appease
v. pacify or soothe; relieve.
Tom and Jody tried to appease the crying baby by offering him one toy after another, but he would not calm down until they appeased his hunger by giving him a bottle.
apprehension
n. fear
His nervous glances at the passersby on the deserted street revealed his apprehension.
arable
adj. fit for growing crops.
The first settlers wrote home glowing reports of the New World, praising its vast acres of arable land ready for the plow.
arbitrary
adj. capricious; randomly chosen; tyrannical.
Tom’s arbitrary dismissal angered him; his boss had no reason to fire him. He threw an arbitrary assortment of clothes into his suitcase and headed off, not caring where he went.
archaic
adj. antiquated. “Methinks,” “thee,” and “thou” are archaic words that are no longer part of our normal vocabulary.
ardent
adj. intense; passionate; zealous
n. ardor
Katya’s ardor was contagious; soon all her fellow demonstrators were busily making posters and handing out flyers, inspired by her ardent enthusiasm for the cause.
She kissed him with an ardor that left him breathless.
arrogance
n. pride, haughtiness.
Convinced that Emma thought she was better than anyone else in the class, Ed rebuked her for her arrogance.
articulate
adj. effective; distant.
v. articulate
Her articulate presentation of the advertising campaign impressed her employers.
artifact
n. object made by human beings, either handmade or mass-produced.
Archaeologists debated the significance of the artifacts discovered in the ruins of Asian minor but came to no conclusion about the culture they represented.
artisan
n. manually skilled worker; craftsman, as opposed to artists.
A noted artisan, Arturo was known for the fine craftsmanship of his inlaid cabinets.
ascendancy
n. controlling influence; domination.
Leaders of religious cults maintain ascendancy over their followers by methods that can verge on brainwashing.
ascetic
adj. practicing self-denial; austere.
n.
The wealthy, self-indulgent young man felt oddly drawn to the strict, ascetic life led by member of some monastic orders.
aspire
v. seek to attain; long for.
n. aspiration
Because he aspired to a career in professional sports, Philip enrolled in a graduate program in sports management.
assiduous
v. diligent.
n. assiduity
He was assiduous, working at this task for weeks before he felt satisfied with his results.
assuage
v. soothe
My fears of the quiz were assuaged when the teacher said he was joking.
astute
adj. wise; shrewd.
John looked astute in his suit.
atrophy
v. waste away.
n. atrophy
After three months in a cast, your calf muscles are bound to atrophy.
attribute
v. ascribe, explain.
I attribute her success in science to the encouragement she received from her parents.
audacious
adj. daring; bold.
n. audacity
Audiences cheered as Luke Skywalker made his audacious leap to freedom.
augment
v. increase; add to.
Armies augment their forces by calling up reinforcements.
austere
adj. forbiddingly stern; severely simple, not decorated.
The headmaster’s austere demeanor tended to scare off the more timid students.
authoritarian
adj. subordinating the individual to the state; completely dominating another’s will.
The leaders of the authoritarian regime ordered the suppression of the democratic protest movement.
autonomous
adj. self-governing.
n. autonomy
Although UCLA is just on part of the state university system, in many ways UCLA is autonomous, for it runs several programs that are not subject to outside control.
avarice
n. greediness for wealth.
King Midas is a perfect example of avarice.
aversion
n. firm dislike.
Bert had an aversion to punks. Their mutual aversion was so great that they refused to speak to one another.
avert
v. prevent; turn away.
She averted her eyes from the dead cat.
beguile
v. mislead or delude; pass time.
With flattery and big talk of easy money, the con men beguiled Kyle into betting his allowance on the shell game. Broke, he beguiled himself during the long hours of playing solitaire.
belie
v. contradict; give a false impression.
His coarse, hard-bitten exterior belied his inner sensitivity.
benevolent
adj. generous; charitable. Mr. Fezziwig was a benevolent employer, who wished to make Christmas merrier for young Scrooge and his other employees.
bequeath
v. leave to someone by a will; hand down.
n. bequest
Though Maud had intended to bequeath the family home to her nephew, she died before changing her will.
bleak
adj. cold or cheerless; unlikely to be favorable.
The frigid, inhospitable Aleutian Islands are bleak military outposts.
blighted
adj. suffering from a disease; destroyed.
The extent of the blighted areas could be seen only when viewed from the air.
bolster
v. support; reinforce.
The debates amassed file boxes full of evidence to bolster their arguments.
braggart
n. boaster.
Modest by nature, she was no braggart, preferring to let her accomplishments speak for themselves.
brevity
n. conciseness.
Brevity is essential when you send a telegram or cable gram; you are charged for every word.
buttress
v. support; prop up.
n.
The attorney came up with several far-fetched arguments in a vain attempt to buttress his weak-case.
cacophonous
adj. discordant; inharmonious.
Do the students in the orchestra enjoy the cacophonous sounds they make when they’re tuning up?
cajole
v. coax; wheedle.
n. cajolery
Diane tried to cajole her father into letting her drive the family car.
calculated
adj. deliberately planned; likely. Lexy’s choice of clothes to wear to the debate tournament was carefully calculated.
candor
n. frankness; open honesty.
adj. candid
Jack can carry candor too far: when he told Jill his honest opinions of her, she nearly slapped his face,
capricious
adj. unpredictable.
n. caprice
The storm was capricious: it changed course constantly.
carping
adj. finding fault.
A carping critic is a nit-picker: he loves to point out flaws..
censorious
adj. severely critical of others.
Censorious people delight in casting blame.
censure
v. blame; criticize.
n.
The senator was censured for behavior inappropriate to a member of Congress.
certitiude
n. certainty.
Though there was no certitude of his getting the job, Lou thought he had a good chance of doing so.
charlatan
n. quack; pretender to knowledge.
When they realized that the Wizard didn’t know how to get them back to Kansas, Dorothy and her companions were indignant that they’d been duped by a charlatan.
circumlocution
n. indirect or roundabout expression.
He was afraid to call a spade a spade and resorted to circumlocutions to avoid direct reference to his subject.
cliche
n. phrase dulled in meaning by repetition.
High school compositions are often marred by such cliches as “strong as ox.”
coalesce
v. combine; fuse.
The brooks coalesce into one large river.
coercion
n. use of force to get someone to obey.
v. coerce
The inquisitors used both physical and psychological coercion to force Joan of Arc to deny that her visions were sent by God
colloquial
adj. pertaining to conversational or common speech.
Some of the new, less formal reading passages on the SAT have a colloquial tone that is intended to make them more appealing for students.
combustible
adj. easily burned.
n.
After the recent outbreak of fires in private homes, the fire commissioner ordered that all combustible materials be kept in safe containers.
commemorate
v. honor the memory of.
The statue of the Minute Man commemorates the valiant soldiers who fought in the Rev. War.
compile
v. assemble; gather.
We planned to compile a list of the words most frequently used on SAT exams.
complacency
n. self-satisfaction; smugness.
adj. complacent.
Full of complacency about his latest victories, he looked smugly at the row of trophies on his mantelpiece.
complementary
adj. serving to complete something.
John and Lisa’s skills are complementary; he’s good at following a daily routine, while she’s great at improvising and handling emergencies.
compliance
n. readiness to yield; conformity in fulfilling requirements.
Bullheaded Bill was not noted for easy compliance with the demands of others.
composure
n. mental calmness.
Even the latest work crisis failed to shaker her composure.
comprehensive
adj. through; inclusive.
This book provides a comprehensive review of verbal and math skills for the SAT.
concede
v. admit; yield..
Despite all the evidence Monica had assembled, Mark refused to concede that she was right.
conciliatory
adj. reconciling; soothing.
v. conciliate
She was still angry despite his conciliatory words.
concise
adj. brief, compact.
When you define a new word, be concise; the shorter the definition, the easier it is to remember.
concur
v. agree.
Did you concur with the decision of the court or did you find it unfair?
condone
v. overlook; forgive; excuse.
Unlike the frail widow, who indulged her only son and condoned his minor offenses, the boy’s stern uncle did nothing but scold.
conflagration
n. great fire.
In the conflagration that followed the 1906 earthquake, much of San Francisco was destroyed.
confluence
n. flowing together; crowd.
They built the city at the confluence of two rivers.
confound
v. confuse; puzzle.
No mystery could confound Sherlock Holmes for long.
conjecture
v. surmise; guess.
n.
Although there was no official count, the organizers conjectured that more than 10,000 marchers took part in the March for Peace.
consensus
n. general agreement.
Every time the garden club members had nearly reached a consensus about what to plant, Mistress Mary, quite contrary, disagreed.
constraint
n. compulsion; repression of feelings.
v. constrain
There was a feeling of constraint in the room because no one dared to criticize the speaker.
contend
v. struggle; compete.
Sociologist Harry Edwards contends that young black athletes are exploited by some college recruiters.
contentious
adj. quarrelsome.
Disagreeing violently with the referees’ ruling, the coach became so contentious that they threw hims out of the game.
contract
v. compress or shrink; make a pledge; catch a disease.
Warm metal expands; cold metal contracts.
converge
v. approach; tend to meet; come together.
African-American men from all over the U.S converge on Washington to take part in the historic Million Men march.
conviction
n. judgement that someone is guilty of a crime; strongly held belief.
Even her conviction for murder did not shake Peter’s conviction that Harriet was innocent of the crime.
cordial
adj. gracious; heartfelt.
Our hosts greeted us with a cordial welcome and a hearty hug.
corroborate
v. confirm; support.
Though Huck was quite willing to corroborate Tom’s story, Aunt Polly knew better than to believe either of them.
corrode
v. destroy by chemical action.
n. corrosion.
The girders supporting the bridge corroded so gradually that no one suspected any danger until the bridge suddenly collapsed.
corrugated
adj. wrinkled; ridged.
She wished she could smooth way the wrinkles from his corrugated brow.
credulity
n. belief on sight evidence; gullibility.
adj. credulous
Con artists take advantage of the credulity of inexperienced investors to swindle them out of their savings.
criterion
n. standard used in judging.
plural. criteria
What criterion did you use when you selected this essay as the prizewinner?
cryptic
adj. mysterious; hidden; secret.
Thoroughly baffled by Holmes’s cryptic remarks, Watson wondered whether Holmes was intentionally concealing his thoughts about the crime.
culpable
adj. deserving blame.
Corrupt politicians who condone the activities of the gamblers are equally culpable.
cursory
adj. casual; hastily done.
Because a cursory examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson, we believed the insurance agency should undertake a more extensive investigation of the fire’s cause.
curtail
v. shorten; reduce.
When Herb asked Diane for a date, she said she was really sorry she couldn’t go out with him, but her dad had ordered her to curtail her social life.
debilitate
v. weaken; enfeeble.
Michael’s sever bout of the flu debilitated him so much that he was too tired to go to work for a week.
debunk
v. expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc; ridicule.
Pointing out that he consistently had voted against strengthening anti-pollution legislation, reporters debunked the candidate’s claim that he was a fervent environmentalist.
decorum
n. propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners.
adj. decorous
Even the best-mannered students have trouble behaving with decorum on the last day of school.
deference
n. courteous regard for another’s wish.
In deference to the minister’s request, please do not take photographs during the wedding service.
degradation
n. humiliation; debasement; degeneration.
v. degrade
Some secretaries object to fetching the boss a cup of coffee because they resent the degradation of being made to do lowly tasks.
dehydrate
v. remove water from; fry out.
Running under a hot sun quickly dehydrates the body; joggers soon learn to carry water bottles and to drink from them frequently.
deleterious
adj. harmful.
If you believe that smoking is deleterious to your health, then quit.
delineate
v. portray; depict.
n. delineation
Using only a few descriptive phrases, Austin delineates the character of Mr. Collins so well that we can predict his ever move.
denounce
v. condemn; criticize.
n. denunciation.
The reform candidate denounced the corrupt city officers for having betrayed the public’s trust.
deplore
v. regret; disapprove of.
Although I deplore the vulgarity of your language, I defend your right to express yourself freely.
depose
v. dethrone; remove from office.
The army attempted to dethrone the king and set up a military government.
depravity
n. extreme corruption; wickedness.
The depravity of Caligula’s behavior came to sicken many.
deprecate
v. express disapproval of; protest against.
adj. deprecatory
A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first name.
deride
v. ridicule; make fun of
n. derision.
The critics derided his pretentious dialogue and refused to consider his play seriously.
derivative
adj. unoriginal; derived from another source.
Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature, the critics thought she had promise and eventually would find her own voice.
desiccate
v. dry up.
A tour of this smokehouse will give you an idea of how pioneers used to desiccate food in order to preserve it.
despondent
adj. depressed; gloomy.
n. despondency.
To the dismay of his parents, William became seriously despondent after he broke up with Jan.
detached
adj. emotionally removed; calm and objective; physically unconnected.
A psychoanalyst must maintain a detached point of view and stay uninvolved with his or her patients’ personal lives.
deterrent
n. something that discourages; hinderance.
v. deter
Does the threat of capital punishment serve as a deterrent to potential killers?
detrimental
adj. harmful; damaging.
n. detriment.
The candidate’s acceptance of major financial contributions from a well-known racist ultimately proved detrimental to his campaign.
devious
adj. roundabout; erratic; not straightforward.
The Joker’s plan was so devious that it was only with great difficulties we could follow its shifts and dodges.
devise
v. think up; invent; plan.
How clever he must be to devise such a devious plan?
diffidence
n. shyness
You must overcome your diffidence if you want to become a salesman.
diffuse
adj. wordy; rambling; spread out.
n. diffusion
If you pay authors by the word, you tempt them to produce diffuse manuscripts rather than brief ones.
digression
n. wandering away from a subject.
v. digress.
Nobody minded when Professor Renoir’s lectures wandered away from their official theme; his digressions were always more fascinating rather than brief ones.
dilatory
adj. delaying.
If you are dilatory in paying bills, your credit rating may suffer.
diligence
n. steadiness of effort; persistent hard work
adj. diligent
Her employers were greatly impressed by her diligence and offered her partnership in the firm.
diminution
n. lessening; reduction in size.
Old Jack was as sharp at eighty as had been at fifty; increasing age lead to no diminution of his mental acuity.
discerning
adj. mentally quick and observant.
Though no genius, the star was sufficiently discerning to tell her true friends from the countless phonies who flattered her.
disclose
v. reveal
n. disclosure
Although competitors offered him bribes, he refused to disclose any information about his company’s forthcoming product.
discordant
adj. not harmonious; conflicting.
Nothing is quite so discordant as the sound of a junior high school orchestra.
discount
v. disregard, dismiss.
Be prepared to discount what he has to say about his ex-wife.
discourse
n. formal discussion; conversation.
v.
The young Plato was drawn to the Agora to hear the philosophical discourse of Socrates and his followers.
discrepancy
n. lack of consistency; difference.
The police noticed some discrepancies in his description of the crime and did not believe him.
discriminating
adj. able to see differences; prejudiced.
n. discrimination
A superb interpreter of Picasso, she was sufficiently discriminating to judge the most complex works of modern art.
disdain
v. view with scorn or contempt.
n.
The bookish heroine disdained fashion models for their lack of intellectual interests.
disinclination
n. unwillingness.
Some mornings I feel a great disinclinations to get out of bed.
dismiss
v. put away from consideration; reject.
Believing in John’s love for her, she dismissed the notion that he might be unfaithful.
disparage
v. belittle
A doting mother, Emma was more likely to praise her son’s crude attempts at art than to disparage them.
disparity
n. difference; condition of inequality.
Their disparity in rank made no difference at all to the prince and Cinderella.
disperse
v. scatter
n. dispersion
The police fired tear gas into the crowd to disperse the protesters.
disputatious
adj. argumentative
Convinced he knew more than his lawyers, Alan was a disputatious client.
disseminate
v. distribute; spread.
By their use of the Internet, propagandists have been able to disseminate their pet doctrines to new audiences around the globe.
dissent
v. disagree
There was dissent among the committee members
distend
v. expand; swell out.
I can tell when he is under stress by the way the veins distend on his forehead.
divergent
adj. differing; deviating.
n. divergence
Since graduating from medical school, the two doctors have taken divergent paths.
doctrine
n. teachings, principle
He was so committed to the doctrine of his faith that he was unable to evaluate them impartially.
document
v. provide written evidence
n.
She kept all the receipts from her business trip in order to document her expenses for the firm.
dogmatic
adj. opinionated; arbitrary
We tried to discourage Doug from being so dogmatic, but never could convince him that his opinions might be wrong.
dubious
adj. questionable; filled with doubt
Many critics of the SAT contend the test is of dubious worth.
dupe
n. someone easily fooled.
v.
While the gullible Watson often was made a dupe by unscrupulous parties, Sherlock Holmes was far more difficult to fool.
duplicity
n. double-dealing; hypocrisy
When Tanya learned that Mark had been two-timing her, she was furious at his duplicity
ebullient
adj. showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm
n. ebullience
Amy’s ebullient nature could not be repressed; she was bubbling over with excitement.
eclectic
adj. composed of elements drawn from disparate sources.
n. eclecticism
His style of interior decoration was eclectic: pieces of furnishings from widely divergent periods juxtaposed to create a unique decor.
edify
v. instruct; correct morally
Although his purposes was to edify and not to entertain his audience, many of his listeners were amused rather than enlightened.
efface
v. rub out.
The coin had been handled so many times that its date had been effaced.
effervescence
n. inner excitement
adj. effervescent
v. effervesce
Nothing depressed Sue for long; her natural effervescence soon reasserted itself.
egotistical
adj. excessively self-centered.
I hate egotistical people.
elated
adj. overjoyed.
n. elation
Grinning from ear to ear, Bonnie was clearly elated by her fifth Olympic gold medal.
elegy
n. poem or song expressing lamentation.
adj. elegiacal
On the death of Edward King, Milton composed the elegy “Lycidas.”
elicit
v. draw out by discussion.
The detectives tried to elicit where he had hidden his loot.
eloquence
n. expressiveness; persuasive speech.
adj. eloquent
The crowds were stirred by MLK’s eloquence.
elucidate
v. explain; enlighten
He was called upon to elucidate the disputed points in his article.
elusive
adj. evasive
v. elude
Trying to pin down exactly when the contractors would be finished remodeling the house, Nancy was frustrated by their elusive replies.
emaciated
adj. thin and wasted.
Many severe illnesses leaver their victims so emaciated that they must gain back their lost weight before they can fully recover.
embellish
v. adorn; ornament.
The costume designer embellished the leading lady’s ball gown with yards and yards of ribbon and lace.
emend
v. correct; correct by a critic.
The critic emended the book by selecting the passages which he thought most appropriate to the text.
emulate
v. imitate; rival.
In a brief essay, describe a person you admire, someone whose virtues you would like to emulate.
endorse
v. approve;support.
n. endorsement.
Everyone waited to see which one of the rival candidates for the city council the mayor would endorse.
enhance
v. increase; improve.
You can enhance your chances of being admitted to the college of your choice by learning to write well.
enigma
n. puzzle; mystery.
adj. enigmatic
A woman’s behavior is an enigma to me.
enmity
n. ill will; hatred.
At camp David, President Carter labored to bring an end to the enmity that prevented the peaceful coexistence of Egypt and Israel.
ephemeral
adj. short-lived.
The mayfly is an ephemeral creature: its adult life lasts little more than a day.
equanimity
n. calmness of temperament; composure
Even the inevitable strains of caring for an ailing mother did not disturb Bea’s equanimity.
equitable
adj. fair; impartial.
I am seeking an equitable solution to this dispute, one that will be fair and acceptable to both sides.
equivocal
adj. ambiguous; intentionally misleading.
v. equivocate
Rejecting the candidate’s equivocal comments on tax reform, the reporters pressed him to state clearly where he stood on the issue.
erroneous
adj. mistaken; wrong.
I thought my answer was correct, but it was erroneous.
erudite
adj. learned, scholarly.
Unlike much scholarly writing, Huizinga’s prose was entertaining as well as erudite, lively as well as learned.
esoteric
adj. hard to understand; known only to chosen few.
The New Yorker short stories often include esoteric allusions to obscure people and events.
eulogy
n. expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone’s death.
Instead of delivering a spoken eulogy at Genny’s memorial service, Jeff sang a song he had written in her honor.
euphemism
n. mild expression in place of an unpleasant one.
The expression “he passed away” is a euphemism for “he died.”
