List Of Word E Flashcards
Eccentric (ek SEN trik)
Adjective
Not conventional ; a little kooky ; irregular
The rocket followed an eccentric course ; first it veered in one direction , then it veered in another , then it crashed.
Ebullient (ih BUL yunt)
Adjective
Boiling; bubbling with excitement; exuberant
A person overflowing with enthusiasm might be said to be ebullient
Eclectic (ih KLEK tik)
Adjective
Choosing the best from many sources ; drawn from many sources
George’s eclectic reading made him well rounded.
Edify (ED uh fye)
V
To enlighten ; to instruct, especially in moral or religious manner
The teacher’s aim was to edict her students, not to force a handful of facts down their throats.
Efface (ih FAYS)
Verb
To erase; to run away the features of
The inscription on the tombstone had been effaced by centuries of weather
Effusion (ih FYOO zhun)
Noun
A pouring forth
The madman’s writings consisted of a steady effusion of non sense.
Egalitarian (ih gal uh TAYR ee un)
Adjective
Believing in the social and economic equality of all people
People often lose interest in egalitarian measures when such measures interfere with their own interest
Egocentric (ee goh SEN trik)
Adjective
Selfish; believing that one is the center of everything
Nevitt was so egocentric that he could never give anyone else credit for doing anything
Egregious (ih GREE jus)
Adjective
Extremely bad ; flagrant
Egregious neglect
Egregious manners
Elicit (ih LIS it)
Verb
To bring out ; to call forth
The interviewer skillfully elicited our true feelings by asking us questions that got to the heart of the matter.
Elliptical (ih LIP ti kul)
Adjective
Oval; missing a word or words; obscure
The orbit of the earth is not perfectly round; it is elliptical
Elusive ( ih LOO siv)
Adjective
Hard to pin down; evasive
To be elusive is to elude, which means to avoid, evade, or escape.
Emigrate ( EM uh grayt)
Verb
To leave a country permanently; to expatriate
Immigrate
To get settled into a country
Eminent ( EM uh nunt)
Adjective
Well known and respected; standing out from all others in quality or accomplishment ; outstanding
An eminent teacher
Empirical ( em PIR uh Kul)
Adjective
Relying on experience or observing not merely theoretical
Emulate (EM yuh layt)
V
To strive to equal or excel, usually through imitation
To emulate someone is to try to be just as good as, or better than him or her
Encroach ( en KROHCH)
V
To make gradual or stealthy inroads into; to trespass
As the city grew, it encroached on the country side surrounding it
Endemic (en DEM ik)
Adjective
Native ; restricted to a particular region or era; indigenous
Enervate ( EN ur vayt)
V
To reduce the strength or energy of, especially to do so gradually
Life itself seemed to enervate the old man. He grew weaker and paler with every breath he drew
Enfranchise (en FRAN chyze)
Verb
To grant the privileges of citizenship, especially the right to vote
Engender ( en JEN dur)
V
To bring into existence; to create ; to cause
Smile engenders smiles.
Enigma ( uh NIG muh)
Noun
A mystery
Ben is an enigma; he never does homework but he always gets good grades
Enormity (i NOR muh tee)
Noun
Extreme evil ; a hideous offense ; immensity
Ephemeral (i FEM ur al)
Adjective
Lasting a very short time
Some friendships are ephemeral.
Epigram
Noun A brief witty satirical saying Epigraph An apt quotation placed at the beginning of a book or say Epitaph A commemorative inscription on a grave Epithet A term used to characterize the nature of something; sometimes a disparaging term used to describe a person
Epitome (i PIT uh mee)
Noun
A brief summary that captures the meaning of the whole; the perfect example of something; a paradigm
Rumi’s poetry is epitome of love
Equanimity ( ek wuh NIM uh tee)
Noun
Composure; calm
John’s mother looked at the broken glass on the floor with equanimity; at least he didn’t hurt himself when the knocked over the vase
Equitable ( EK wuh tuh bul)
Adjective
Fair
Equity is fairness; inequity is unfairness. Iniquity and inequity both means unfair, but iniquity implies wickedness as well
Equivocal ( ih KWIV uh kul)
Adjective
Ambiguous; intentionally confusing; capable of being interpreted in more than one way
To be equivocal is to be intentionally ambiguous
To be equivocal is to equivocate. To equivocate is to mislead by saying confusing or ambiguous things
Erudite ( ER yoo dyte)
Adjective
Scholarly; deeply learned
The erudite biologist was viewed by many of his colleagues as a likely winner of the Nobel prize
Esoteric ( es uh ter ik)
Adjective
Hard to understand; understood by only a select few; peculiar
The author’s books were so esoteric that not even his mother bought any of them
Espouse (eh SPOWZ)
Verb
To support; to advocate
Alex espoused so many causes that he sometimes had trouble remembering which side he was on
Ethereal
Adjective
Heavenly; as light and unsubstantial as gas or ether
The ethereal mist on the hillside was delicate and beautiful
Euphemism ( YOO fuh miz um)
Noun
A pleasant or inoffensive expression used in place of an unpleasant or offensive one
Evanescent ( ev uh NES unt)
Adjective
Fleeting; vanishing; happening for only the briefest period
Meteors are evanescent: they last so briefly that it is hard to tell whether one has actually appeared
Exacerbate ( ig ZAS ur bayt)
Verb
To make worse
Dipping Austin in lye exacerbate his skin condition
Exacting ( ig zAK ting)
Adjective
Extremely demanding; difficult; requiring great skill or care
Exalt
To raise high to glorify
Exasperate (ig ZAS puh rayt)
Verb
To annoy thoroughly; to make very angry; to try the patience of
The algebra class’s refusal to answer any question was extremely exasperating to the substitute teacher
Exemplify
To illustrate by example; to serve as a good example
Exhaustive ( ig ZAWS tiv)
Adjective
Thorough; rigorous; complete; painstaking
Exhort
Verb
To urge strongly; to give a serious warning to
Exigency ( EK si jen see)
Noun
An emergency; an urgency
An academics exigency: You haven’t opened a book all term and the final is tomorrow morning
Exigent means urgent
Existential ( eg zis TEN shul)
Adjective
Having to do with existence
Exonerate ( ig ZAHN uh rayt)
Verb
To free completely from blame; to exculpate
The defendant, who had always claimed he wasn’t guilty, excepted to be exonerated by the testimony of his best friend
Expatriate ( eks PAY tree ayt)
Verb To throw ( someone) out of his or her native land; to move away from one's native land; to emigrate
Expedient ( ik SPEE dee unt)
Adjective
Providing an immediate advantage; serving one’s immediate self interest; practical
Sine the basement had nearly filled with water, the plumber felt it would be expedient to clear out the drain
Expedite
Verb
To speed up or erase the progress of
Explicit
Adjective
Clearly and directly expressed
Extol (ik STOHL)
Verb
To praise highly; to laud
The millionaire extolled the citizen who returned his gold watch and then rewarded him with a heartfelt handshake
Extraneous
Adjective
Unnecessary; irrelevant; extra
Extrapolate
Verb
To project or deduce from something known; to infer
Extricate ( EK struh kayt)
Verb
To free from difficulty
Extrovert
Noun
An open; out going person; a person whose attention is focused on others rather than on himself or herself
Exult
Verb
To rejoice;to celebrate
