Vocabulary>Commonly Tested Words>E-I

Question 1

ecclesiastic

Answer 1

adj. –pertaining or relating to a church
syn. –priestly, ministerial, clerical, ecclesiastic, canonical, sacerdotal, church, churchly, religious, spiritual, holy, divine

Question 2

edify

Answer 2

v. –1. to build or establish; 2. to instruct and improve the mind
syn. –educate, instruct, teach, school, tutor, train, guide; enlighten, inform, cultivate, develop, better

Question 3

efface

Answer 3

v. –to erase; to remove from the mind

syn. –eradicate, expunge, blot out, rub out, wipe out, eliminate, delete, cancel, obliterate

Question 4

effrontery

Answer 4

n. –impudence
syn. –impertinence, insolence, cockiness, audacity, temerity, presumption, nerve, gall, shamelessness, impoliteness, disrespect, bad manners

Question 5

effusive

Answer 5

adj. –pouring out or forth; overflowing

syn. –gushing, gushy, unrestrained, extravagant, fulsome, demonstrative, lavish, enthusiastic

Question 6

egregious

Answer 6

adj. –remarkably bad, outrageous
syn. –shocking, appalling, terrible, awful, horrendous, frightful, atrocious, abominable, abhorrent, monstrous, heinous, dire, unspeakable, shameful, unforgivable, intolerable, dreadful

Question 7

egress

Answer 7

v. –to depart; to go out

syn. –departure, exit, withdrawal, retreat, exodus

Question 8

elegy

Answer 8

n. –a poem of lament and praise for the dead

syn. –requiem, threnody, dirge

Question 9

elucidate

Answer 9

v. –to make clear or manifest; to explain

syn. –explain, illuminate, clarify, clear up, sort out, unravel, spell out, interpret, explicate

Question 10

emanate

Answer 10

v. –to send forth; to emit

syn. –issue, spread, radiate

Question 11

embellish

Answer 11

v. –to improve the appearance of

syn. –decorate, adorn, ornament, beautify, enhance, grace, trim, garnish, gild, bedeck, festoon, emblazon

Question 12

enamored

Answer 12

adj. –filled with love and desire
syn. –infatuated with, besotted with, smitten with, captivated by, enchanted by, fascinated by, bewitched by, beguiled by; keen on, taken with

Question 13

encroach

Answer 13

v. –to trespass or intrude
syn. –impinge on, obtrude on, impose oneself on, invade, infiltrate, interrupt, infringe on, violate, interfere with, disturb

Question 14

encumber

Answer 14

v. –to hold back; to hinder

syn. –hamper, obstruct, impede, cramp, inhibit, restrict, limit, constrain, restrain, bog down, retard

Question 15

enrapture

Answer 15

v. –to fill with pleasure
syn. –delight, enchant, captivate, charm, enthrall, entrance, bewitch, beguile, transport, thrill, excite, exhilarate, intoxicate

Question 16

epilogue

Answer 16

n. –closing section of a play or novel providing further comment
syn. –afterword, coda, codicil, appendix, supplement, addendum, postlude, rider, conclusion

Question 17

epiphany

Answer 17

n. –an appearance of a supernatural being

syn. –revelation, adumbration, divination, divulgement

Question 18

epitaph

Answer 18

n. –an inscription on a monument, in honor or memory of a dead person
syn. –commemoration, elegy

Question 19

epitome

Answer 19

n. –a part that is typical of the whole

syn. –personification, embodiment, incarnation, paragon, essence, quintessence, archetype, paradigm

Question 20

equivocate

Answer 20

v. –to be purposely ambiguous

syn. –prevaricate, be evasive, be noncommittal, be vague

Question 21

eschew

Answer 21

v. –to escape from; to avoid
syn. –abstain from, refrain from, give up, forgo, shun, renounce, steer clear of, have nothing to do with, fight shy of, relinquish, reject, disavow, abandon, spurn

Question 22

estranged

Answer 22

adj. –kept at a distance; alienated

syn. –antagonize, turn away, drive away

Question 23

ethereal

Answer 23

adj. –1. very light; airy; 2. heavenly; not earthly

syn. –delicate, exquisite, dainty, elegant, graceful, fragile, fine, subtle

Question 24

euphemism

Answer 24

n. –the use of a word or phrase in place of one that is distasteful
syn. –polite term, indirect term, circumlocution, substitute, alternative, understatement, genteelism

Question 25

euphoria

Answer 25

n. --a feeling of well-being | syn. --elation, happiness, joy, delight, glee, excitement, exhilaration, jubilation, exultation, ecstasy, bliss, rapture

Question 26

exhume

Answer 26

v. --to unearth; to reveal | syn. --disinter, dig up

Question 27

expunge

Answer 27

v. --to blot out; to delete | syn. --erase, remove, wipe out, efface, cross out, strike out, destroy, obliterate, scratch, eradicate, eliminate

Question 28

exude

Answer 28

v. --to flow slowly or ooze in drops | syn. --ooze, seep, issue, escape, discharge, flow, leak, radiate, display

Question 29

faction

Answer 29

n. --a number of people in an organization having a common end view syn. --clique, coterie, caucus, cabal, bloc, camp, group, grouping, sector, section, wing, arm, branch, set

Question 30

fallible

Answer 30

adj. --liable to be mistaken or erroneous | syn. --error-prone, errant, liable to err, open to error; imperfect, flawed, weak

Question 31

fathom

Answer 31

v. --to reach or penetrate with the mind | syn. --understand, comprehend, work out, grasp, divine, interpret, decipher, decode

Question 32

fatuous

Answer 32

adj. --silly; inane; unreal | syn. --foolish, stupid, inane, idiotic, vacuous, asinine, pointless, senseless, ridiculous, ludicrous, absurd

Question 33

fealty

Answer 33

n. --fidelity; loyalty | syn. --allegiance, divined, constancy, obligation

Question 34

feign

Answer 34

v. --to invent or imagine | syn. --simulate, fake, sham, affect, give the appearance of, make a pretense of

Question 35

ferment

Answer 35

v. --to excite or agitate syn. --fever, fervor, frenzy, tumult, storm, rumpus; turmoil, upheaval, unrest, disquiet, uproar, agitation, turbulence, disruption, confusion, disorder, chaos, mayhem

Question 36

fervid

Answer 36

adj. --1. very hot; burning; 2. intensely fervent or zealous | syn. --fervent, ardent, passionate, impassioned, intense, vehement, wholehearted, heartfelt, sincere, earnest

Question 37

fetish

Answer 37

n. --an object to which one gives excessive devotion or blind adoration syn. --fixation, obsession, compulsion, mania, weakness, fancy, fascination, fad

Question 38

fidelity

Answer 38

n. --faithfulness; honesty | syn. --loyalty, constancy, trueheartedness, trustworthiness, dependability, reliability

Question 39

fissure

Answer 39

n. --a dividing or breaking into parts | syn. --opening, crevice, crack, cleft, breach, crevasse, chasm, fracture, fault, rift, rupture, split

Question 40

flaccid

Answer 40

adj. --1. hanging in loose folds or wrinkles; 2. lacking force; weak syn. --1. soft, loose, flabby, slack, lax; drooping, sagging; 2. lackluster, lifeless, listless, uninspiring, unanimated, tame, dull, vapid

Question 41

flamboyant

Answer 41

adj. --ornate; too showy syn. --colorful, brightly colored, bright, vibrant, vivid, dazzling, eye-catching, bold, ostentatious, gaudy, garish, lurid, loud

Question 42

foible

Answer 42

n. --a slight frailty in character syn. --weakness, failing, shortcoming, flaw, imperfection, blemish, fault, defect, limitation, quirk, kink, idiosyncrasy, eccentricity, peculiarity

Question 43

foist

Answer 43

v. --1. to put in slyly or stealthily; 2. to pass off as genuine or valuable syn. --impose on, force on, thrust on, offload on, unload on, dump on, palm off on

Question 44

foray

Answer 44

v. --to raid for spoils, plunder | syn. --attack, assault, incursion, swoop, strike, onslaught, sortie, sally, push, thrust

Question 45

forensic

Answer 45

adj. --pertaining to legal or public argument | syn. --debatable, dialectic, dialectical, disputative, juridical, juristic, polemical

Question 46

fortitude

Answer 46

n. --firm courage; strength syn. --bravery, endurance, resilience, mettle, strength of character, strong-mindedness, backbone, spirit, grit, steadfastness

Question 47

fractious

Answer 47

adj. --rebellious; apt to quarrel syn. --grumpy, bad-tempered, irascible, irritable, crotchety, grouchy, cantankerous, short-tempered, tetchy, testy, curmudgeonly, ill-tempered, ill-humored, peevish, cross, waspish, prickly, touchy

Question 48

fraught

Answer 48

adj. --loaded; charged with | syn. --full of, filled with, rife with; attended by, accompanied by

Question 49

fulminate

Answer 49

v. --1. to explode with sudden violence; 2. to issue thunderous verbal attack or denunciation syn. --protest, rail against, rant about, vociferate against, declaim, denounce, decry, condemn, criticize, censure, disparage, attack, execrate

Question 50

galvanize

Answer 50

v. --to stimulate as if by electric shock; startle; excite syn. --jolt, impel, stir, spur, prod, urge, motivate, stimulate, electrify, rouse, arouse, awaken, invigorate, fire, animate, vitalize, energize, exhilarate, thrill, catalyze, inspire

Question 51

gamut

Answer 51

n. --1. a complete range; 2. any complete musical scale | syn. --spectrum, span, scope, sweep, compass, area, breath, reach, extent, catalog, scale, variety

Question 52

garish

Answer 52

adj. --gaudy; showy syn. --lurid, loud, harsh, glaring, violent, showy, glittering, brassy, brash, tasteless, tawdry, vulgar, unattractive, bilious

Question 53

gauche

Answer 53

adj. --awkward; lacking grace syn. --gawky, inelegant, graceless, ungraceful, ungainly, maladroit, klutzy, inept, uncultured, uncultivated, unrefined, raw, inexperienced, unworldly

Question 54

gauntlet

Answer 54

n. --a long glove with a flaring cuff covering the lower part of the arm syn. --gage

Question 55

germane

Answer 55

adj. --closely related; pertinent | syn. --relevant, applicable, apposite, material, apropos, appropriate, apt, fitting, suitable, connected, related, akin

Question 56

glib

Answer 56

adj. --smooth and slippery; speaking or spoken in a smooth manner syn. --fast-talking, smooth-talking, disingenuous, insincere, facile, shallow, superficial, flippant, silver-tongued, urbane

Question 57

gnarled

Answer 57

adj. --full of knots | syn. --knobbly, gnarly, lumpy, bumpy, nodular, twisted, bent, crooked, distorted, contorted

Question 58

gourmand

Answer 58

n. --a greedy or ravenous eater; glutton | syn. --overeater, big eater, gobbler, gorger

Question 59

gregarious

Answer 59

adj. --fond of the company of others | syn. --sociable, company-loving, convivial, companionable, outgoing, friendly, affable, amiable, genial, warm, comradely

Question 60

grisly

Answer 60

adj. --frightful; horrible syn. --gruesome, ghastly, fearful, hideous, macabre, horrendous, grim, awful, dire, dreadful, terrible, shocking, appalling, abominable, loathsome, abhorrent, odious, unspeakable, disgusting, repulsive, repugnant, revolting, repellent, sickening

Question 61

guffaw

Answer 61

n. --a loud, coarse burst of laughter | syn. --roar, bellow, cackle

Question 62

guise

Answer 62

n. --1. customary behavior; 2. manner of dress; 3. false appearance syn. --2. likeness, outward appearance, appearance, semblance, form, shape, image; disguise; 3. pretense, disguise, front, facade, cover, blind, screen, smokescreen

Question 63

halcyon

Answer 63

adj. --calm; quiet; peaceful syn. --happy, golden, idyllic, carefree, blissful, joyful, joyous, contented, flourishing, thriving, prosperous, successful, serene, tranquil

Question 64

hapless

Answer 64

adj. --unlucky; unfortunate syn. --unlucky, luckless, out of luck, ill-starred, ill-fated, jinxed, cursed, doomed, unhappy, forlorn, wretched, miserable, woebegone

Question 65

harangue

Answer 65

v. --to speak in an impassioned and forcible manner syn. --tirade, diatribe, lecture, polemic, rant, fulmination, broadside, attack, onslaught, criticism, condemnation, censure, admonition, sermon, declamation, speech

Question 66

heretic

Answer 66

n. --one who holds opinion contrary to that which is generally accepted syn. --dissenter, nonconformist, apostate, freethinker, iconoclast, agnostic, atheist, nonbeliever, unbeliever, idolater, idolatress, pagan, heathen

Question 67

hiatus

Answer 67

n. --an opening or gap; slight pause syn. --pause, break, lacuna, interval, intermission, interlude, interruption, suspension, lull, respite, time out, time off, recess

Question 68

hoary

Answer 68

adj. --very aged; ancient; gray or white with age | syn. --grizzled, elderly, aged, old, ancient, venerable

Question 69

homily

Answer 69

n. --discourse or sermon read to an audience | syn. --lecture, discourse, address, lesson, talk, speech, oration

Question 70

hybrid

Answer 70

n. --anything of mixed origin | syn. --cross, mixture, blend, amalgamation, combination, composite, compound, fusion

Question 71

idiosyncrasy

Answer 71

n. --any personal peculiarity, mannerism, etc. | syn. --oddity, eccentricity, mannerism, trait, singularity, quirk, tic, whim, vagary, caprice

Question 72

igneous

Answer 72

adj. --having the nature of fire | syn. --burning, blazing, flaming, on fire, ablaze

Question 73

ignominious

Answer 73

adj. --1. contemptible; 2. degrading syn. --humiliating, undignified, embarrassing, mortifying, ignoble, inglorious, disgraceful, shameful, dishonorable, discreditable

Question 74

immaculate

Answer 74

adj. --1. perfectly clean; perfectly correct; 2. pure syn. --1. spotless, ultraclean, pristine, unsoiled, unstained, unsullied, shining, shiny, gleaming, neat, tidy; 2. perfect, pristine, mint, as good as new; flawless, faultless, unblemished, unspoiled, undamaged, excellent, impeccable

Question 75

imminent

Answer 75

adj. --appearing as if about to happen | syn. --impending, coming, forthcoming, expected, anticipated, brewing, looming, threatening, menacing

Question 76

impasse

Answer 76

n. --a situation that has no solution or escape | syn. --deadlock, dead end, stalemate, standoff, standstill, halt, stoppage, stop

Question 77

impenitent

Answer 77

adj. --without regret, shame, or remorse | syn. --unrepenting, uncontrite, remorseless, unashamed, unapologetic, unabashed

Question 78

impiety

Answer 78

n. --1. irreverence toward God; 2. lack of respect syn. --1. godlessness, ungodliness, unholiness, irreligion, irreverence, sinfulness, sin, vice, transgression, wrongdoing, immorality, unrighteousness, blasphemy, sacrilege; 2. irreverence, disrespect, impertinence, insolence, mockery, derision

Question 79

impolitic

Answer 79

adj. --unwise; imprudent | syn. --injudicious, incautious, irresponsible, ill-advised, misguided, rash, reckless, foolhardy, foolish, shortsighted

Question 80

imprecate

Answer 80

v. --to pray for evil; to invoke a curse | syn. --anathematize, damn, hex, jinx

Question 81

imputation

Answer 81

n. --attribution | syn. --quality, characteristic, trail, feature, element, aspect, property, sign, mark, distinction

Question 82

incarcerate

Answer 82

v. --to imprison or confine | syn. --put in prison, send to prison, jail, intern, confine, detain, hold, immure

Question 83

incommodious

Answer 83

adj. --uncomfortable; troublesome | syn. --small, cramped, tiny

Question 84

incorporeal

Answer 84

adj. --not consisting of matter syn. --intangible, impalpable, nonphysical, bodiless, disembodied, discarnate, immaterial, spiritual, ethereal, unsubstantial, insubstantial, transcendental

Question 85

incorrigible

Answer 85

adj. --not capable of correction or improvement syn. --chronic, irredeemable, hopeless, beyond hope, impenitent, unrepentant, unapologetic, unashamed, bad, naughty, terrible

Question 86

incubate

Answer 86

v. --to sit on and hatch (eggs) | syn. --produce, procreate, nurture

Question 87

inculcate

Answer 87

v. --to impress upon the mind by frequent repetition or urging syn. --implant in, fix in, impress in, imprint in, drum into, drive into, drill into

Question 88

indemnify

Answer 88

v. --to protect against or keep free from loss | syn. --reimburse, compensate, guarantee

Question 89

indigenous

Answer 89

adj. --innate; inherent; inborn | syn. --native, original, aboriginal, autochthonous; local, domestic, homegrown

Question 90

indomitable

Answer 90

adj. --not easily discouraged or defeated syn. --invincible, unconquerable, unbeatable, unassailable, invulnerable, unshakable, indefatigable, unyielding, stalwart, stout-hearted, lionhearted, strong-willed, strong-minded, steadfast, staunch, resolute, firm, determined, intransigent, inflexible, adamant; unflinching, courageous, brave, valiant, heroic, intrepid, fearless, impenetrable, impregnable

Question 91

indubitable

Answer 91

adj. --unquestionable; sure syn. --undoubtable, indisputable, unarguable, undebatable, incontestable, undeniable, irrefutable, incontrovertible, unmistakable, unequivocal, certain, sure, positive, definite, absolute, conclusive, watertight, ironclad

Question 92

inimical

Answer 92

adj. --unfriendly; adverse syn. --harmful, injurious, detrimental, deleterious, prejudicial, damaging, hurtful, destructive, ruinous, pernicious, antagonistic, contrary, antipathetic, unfavorable, opposed, hostile, unkind, unsympathetic, unfriendly

Question 93

iniquitous

Answer 93

adj. --unjust; wicked syn. --sinfulness, immorality, impropriety, vice, evil, sin, villainy, criminality, odiousness, atrocity, egregiousness, outrage, monstrosity, obscenity, reprehensibility

Question 94

inordinate

Answer 94

adj. --not regulated; excessive | syn. --undue, unreasonable, unjustifiable, unwarrantable, disproportionate, unwarranted, unneccessary, needless

Question 95

intrepid

Answer 95

adj. --fearless; brave syn. --unafraid, undaunted, unflinching, unshrinking, bold, daring, gallant, audacious, adventurous, heroic, dynamic, spirited, indomitable

Question 96

inured

Answer 96

adj. --accustomed | syn. --harden, toughen, season, temper, condition, habituate, familiarize, acclimatize, adjust, adapt, desensitize

Question 97

irascible

Answer 97

adj. --easily provoked or inflamed to anger syn. --irritable, quickly-tempered, short-tempered, hot-tempered, testy, touchy, tetchy, edgy, crabby, petulant, waspish, dyspeptic, snappish, cross, surly, crusty, grouchy, grumpy, cranky, cantankerous, curmudgeonly, ill-natured, peevish

Question 98

irreparable

Answer 98

adj. --cannot be repaired or regained | syn. --irreversible, irrevocable, irrecoverable, beyond repair, unrectifiable; hopeless