#36 ebullient ~ egregious Flashcards
ebullient
/ɪˈbʌlyənt, ɪˈbʊl-/
adj. boiling; bubbling with excitement; exuberant
A boiling liquid can be called ebullient. More often, though, this word describes excited or enthusiastic people.
The roaring crowd in a full stadium before the World Series might be said to be ebullient.
A person overflowing with enthusiasm might be said to be ebullient.
- Cammie was ebullient when her fairy godmother said she could use one of her three wishes to wish for three more wishes.
Someone or sth. that is ebullient is characterized by ebullience.
eccentric
/ɪkˈsɛntrɪk, ɛk-/
adj. not conventional; a little kooky; irregular
- The eccentric inventor spent all his waking hours fiddling with what he said was a time machine, but it was actually just an old telephone booth.
- Fred’s political views are eccentric: He believes that we should have kings instead of presidents and that the government should raise money by holding bake sales.
- The rocket followed an eccentric course; first it veered in one direction, then it veered in another, then it crashed.
An eccentric person is a person who has eccentricities.
eclectic
/ɪˈklɛktɪk/
adj. choosing the best from many sources; drawn from many sources
- Adolfo’s taste in art was eclectic. He liked the Old Masters, the Impressionists, and Walt Disney.
- The eclectic menu included dishes from many different countries.
- George’s eclectic reading made him well rounded.
edify
/ˈɛdɪˌfaɪ/
v. to enlighten; to instruct, esp. in moral or religious matters
- We found the pastor’s sermon on the importance of not eating beans to be most edifying.
- The teacher’s goal was to edify her students, not to force a handful of facts down their throats.
- We would have felt lost at the art show had not the excellent and informative programs been provided for our edification.
efface
/ɪˈfeɪs/
v. to erase; to rub away the features of
- The inscription on the tombstone had been effaced by centuries of weather.
- The vandals effaced the delicate carving by rubbing it with sandpaper.
- We tried to efface the dirty words that had been written on the front of our house, but nothing would remove them.
self-effacing
adj. modest
- John is self-effacing: When he won an Olympic gold medal, all he said was, “Aw, shucks. I’m just a regular fella.”
effusion
/ɪˈfyuʒən/
n. a pouring forth
- When the child was rescued from the well, there was an intense effusion of emotion from the crowd that had gathered around the hole.
- The madman’s writings consisted of a steady effusion of nonsense.
effusive
/ɪˈfyusɪv/
adj. highly emotional
- Anna’s effusive thanks of our silly little present made use feel somewhat embarrassed, so we decided to move to a different lunch table.
egalitarian
/ɪˌgælɪˈtɛəriən/
adj. believing in the social and economic equality of all people
- People often lose interest in egalitarian measures when such measures interfere with their own interests.
Egalitarian can also be used as a noun to characterize a person. An egalitarian advocates egalitarianism.
egocentric
/ˌigoʊˈsɛntrɪk, ˌɛgoʊ-/
adj. selfish; believing that one is the center of everything
- Nevitt was so egocentric that he could never give anyone else credit for doing anything.
- Egocentric Lou never read the newspaper unless there was sth. in it about him.
- It never occurred to the egocentric musician that his audiences might like to hear someone else’s songs every once in a while.
egoist
/ˈigoʊɪst, ˈɛgoʊ-/
n. an egocentric person
- An egoist believes the entire universe exists for his benefit.
- An egotist is another type of egocentric. An egotist is an egoist who tells everyone how wonderful he is.
egregious
/ɪˈgridʒəs, -dʒiəs/
adj. extremely bad; flagrant
Save this word for things that are worse than bad.
- The mother’s egregious neglect was responsible for her child’s accidental cross-country ride on the freight train.
- Erik’s manners were egregious; he ate his mashed potatoes with his fingers and slurped the peas right off his plate.
