| Term | Definition |
|---|
| ebullient | A boiling; bubbling with excitement; exuberant; n ebullience-cy n ebullition |
| eccentric | A not conventional; a little kooky; irregular |
| eclectic | A choosing the best from many sources; drawn from many sources n cf eclecticism |
| edify | Vt to enlighten; to instruct especially in moral or religious matters; cfedifying |
| efface | Vt to erase; to rub away the features of eclipse Cf effaceable effacement |
| effusion | N a pouring forth Effuse v Effusive a |
| egalitarian | A believing in the social and economic equality of all people |
| egocentric | A selfish; believing that one is the center of everything n egoism egoistic -tical |
| egregious | A extremely bad; flagrant |
| elicit | Vt to bring out; to call forth ~a laugh from ~a reply elicitation n |
| elliptical | Adj oval; missing a word or words; obscure |
| Ellipsis | ellipsoid |
| elusive | Adj hard to pin down; evasive elude V elusion |
| emigrate | V to move to a new country; to move a new place to live; to expatriate |
| emigrant | a n immigrate |
| empirical | Adj relying on experience or observation; not merely theoretical ; ~philosophy Empiricism |
| emulate | Vt to strive to equal or excel usually through imitation emulator emulation emulous be emulous of |
| encroach | Vi to make gradual or stealthy inroads into; to trespass on upon |
| endemic | A native; restricted to a particular region or era; indigenous n endemicity |
| enervate | V to reduce the strength or energy of especially to do so gradually |
| enfranchise | V to grant the privileges of citizenship especially the right to vote |
| engender | V to bring into existence; to create; to cause produce ment |
| enigma | N a mystery riddle |
| enormity | N extreme evil; a hideous offense; immensity |
| ephemeral | A lasting a very short time |
| epigram | N a brief and usually witty or satirical saying |
| epitome | N a brief summary that captures the meaning of the whole; the perfect example of something; a paradigm ; |
| equanimity | N composure; calm |
| equitable | Adj fair |
| equivocal | Adj ambiguous; intentionally confusing; capable of being interpreted in more than one way |
| erudite | Adj scholarly; deeply learned ; |
| esoteric | Adj hard to understand; understood by only a select few; peculiar |
| espouse | V to support; to advocate |
| ethereal | Adj heavenly as light and insubstantial as a gas or ether heavenly |
| euphemism | N a pleasant or inoffensive expression used in place of an unpleasant or offensive one |
| evanescent | Adj fleeting; vanishing; happening for only the briefest period |
| exacerbate | V to make worse ; |
| exacting | Adj extremely demanding; difficult; requiring great skill or care |
| exalt | V to raise high; to glorify |
| exasperate | V to annoy thoroughly; to make very angry; to try the patience of |
| exemplify | V to illustrate by example; to serve as a good example |
| exhaustive | Adj thorough; rigorous; complete; painstaking |
| exhort | V to urge strongly; to give a serious warning to |
| exigency | N an emergency; an urgency |
| existential | Adj having to do with existence; having to do with the body of thought called existentialism which basically holds that human beings are responsible for their own actions but is otherwise too complicated to summarize in a single sentence |
| exonerate | V to free completely from blame; to exculpate |
| expatriate | V to throw someone out of his or her native land; to move away from ones native land; to emigrate |
| expedient | Adj providing an immediate advantage; serving ones immediate self-interest; practical |
| expedite | V to speed up or ease the progress of |
| explicit | Adj clearly and directly expressed |
| extol | V to praise highly; to laud |
| extraneous | Adj unnecessary; irrelevant; extra |
| extrapolate | V to protect or deduce from something known; to infer |
| extricate | V to free from difficulty |
| extrovert | N an open outgoing person; a person whose attention is focused on others rather than on himself or herself |
| exult | V to rejoice; to celebrate |
| fabrication | N a lie; something made up |
| facetious | Adj humorous; not serious; clumsily humorous |
| facile | Adj fluent; skillful in a superficial way; easy |
| faction | N a group usually a small part of a larger group united around some cause; disagreement within an organization |
| farcical | Adj absurd; ludicrous |
| fastidious | Adj meticulous; demanding; finicky |
| fatalist | N someone who believes that future events are already determined and that humans are powerless to change them |
| fatuous | Adj foolish; silly; idiotic ; |
| fauna | N animals cf flora animal |
| fecund | Adj fertile; productive |
| felicity | N happiness; skillfulness especially at expressing things; adeptness |
| fervor | N great warmth or earnestness; ardor; zeal ardor |
| fetter | V to restrain; to hamper |
| fidelity | N faithfulness; loyalty |
| figurative | Adj based on figures of speech; expressing something in terms usually for something else; metaphorical |
| finesse | N skillful maneuvering; subtlety; craftiness |
| flagrant | Adj glaringly bad; notorious; scandalous |
| flaunt | V show off; to display ostentatiously |
| flout | V to disregard something out of disrespect |
| foible | N a minor character flaw |
| foment | V to stir up; to instigate |
| forbear | v to refrain from ; to abstain |
| forgo | v to do without ; to forbear |
| forsake | v to abandon ; to renounce ; to relinquish |
| fortuitous | a accidental ; occurring by chance |
| founder | v to fail ; to collapse ; to sink |
| fraternal | a like brothers |
| frenetic | a frantic ; frenzied |
| frugal | a economical ; penny-pinching |
| furtive | a secretive ; sly |
| futile | a useless ; hopeless ; |
| garrulous | a talkative; chatty |
| genre | n a type or category especially of art or writing |
| genteel | a refined ; polite ; aristocratic ; affecting refinement |
| gesticulate | v to make gestures especially when speaking or in place of speaking |
| glut | n surplus ; an overabundance |
| grandiloquent | a pompous ; using a lot of big fancy words in an attempt to sound impressive |
| grandiose | a absurdly exaggerated |
| gratuitous | a given freely said of something bad ; unjustified ; unprovoked ; uncalled for |
| gravity | n seriousness |
| gregarious | a sociable ; enjoying the company of others |
| guile | n cunning ; duplicity ; artfulness |
| hackneyed | a overused ; trite ; stale |
| hapless | a unlucky unlucky |
| harbinger | n a forerunner ; a signal of ; |
| hedonism | n the pursuit of pleasure as a way of life |
| hegemony | n leadership especially of one nation over another |
| heresy | n any belief that is strongly opposed to established beliefs |
| hermetic | a impervious to external influence ; airtight |
| heyday | n golden age ; prime prime |
| hiatus | n a break or interruption often from work ; |
| hierarchy | n an organization based on rank or degree ; pecking order |
| histrionic | a overly dramatic ; theatrical ; |
| homily | n a sermon |
| homogeneous | a uniform ; made entirely of one thing uniform |
| husbandry | n thrifty management of resources ; livestock farming |
| hyperbole | n an exaggeration used as a figure of speech ; exaggeration exaggeration |
| hypothetical | a uncertain ; unproven |
| iconoclast | n one who attacks popular beliefs or institutions |
| ideology | n a system of social or political ideas |
| idiosyncrasy | n a peculiarity ; an eccentricity |
| idyllic | a charming in a rustic way ; naturally peaceful |
| ignominy | n deep disgrace |
| illicit | a illegal ; not permitted |
| imminent | a just about to happen |
| immutable | a unchangeable |
| impartial | a fair ; not favoring one side or the other ; unbiased |
| impeccable | a flawless ; entirely without sin |
| Imperial` | a like an emperor or an empire |
| impervious | a not allowing anything to pass through ; impenetrable |
| impetuous | a impulsive ; extremely impatient ; |
| implement | v to carry out |
| impotent | a powerless ; helpless ; unable to perform sexual intercourse |
| impugn | v to attack especially to attack the truth or integrity of something |
| inane | a silly ; senseless |
| inaugurate | v to begin officially ; to induct formally into office |
| incandescent | a brilliant ; giving off heat or light |
| incantation | n a chant ; the repetition of statements or phrases in a way reminiscent of a chant |
| incense | a make very angry |
| incessant | a unceasing |
| incipient | a beginning ; emerging |
| incisive | a cutting right to the heart of the matter |
| incongruous | a not harmonious ; not consistent ; not appropriate not fitting in |
| incorrigible | a incapable of being reformed |
| increment | n an increase ; one in a series of increases |
| indifferent | a not caring one way or the other ; apathetic ; mediocre |
| indigenous | a native ; originating in that area |
| indigent | a poor |
| indignant | a angry especially as a result of something unjust or unworthy ; insulted |
| indolent | a lazy ; |
| indulgent | lenient ; yielding to desire |
| ineffable | a incapable of being expressed or described |
| inept | a clumsy ; incompetent ; gauche |
| inert | a inactive ; sluggish ; not reacting chemically |
| inexorable | a relentless ; inevitable ; unavoidable |
| infamous | a shamefully wicked ; having an extremely bad reputation ; disgraceful |
| infatuated | a foolish ; foolishly passionate or attracted ; made foolish ; foolishly in love |
| infer | v to conclude ; to deduce |
| infinitesimal | a very very very small ; infinitely small ; |
| ingenuous | a frank ; without deception ; simple ; artless ; charmingly na ve |
| inherent | a part of the essential nature of something ; intrinsic |
| injunction | n a command or order especially a court order |
| innate | a existing since birth ; inborn ; inherent |
| innocuous | a harmless ; banal |
| inordinate | a excessive ; unreasonable |
| insatiable | a hard or impossible to satisfy ; greedy ; avaricious |
| insidious | a treacherous ; sneaky ; |
| insinuate | v to hint ; to creep in hind |
| insipid | a dull ; bland ; banal |
| insolent | a arrogant ; insulting |
| instigate | v to provoke ; to stir up |
| insular | a like an island ; isolated |
| insurgent | n a rebel ; someone who revolts against a government |
| integral | a essential |
| intractable | a uncontrollable ; stubborn ; disobedient |
| intransigent | a uncompromising ; stubborn |
| intrinsic | a part of the essential nature of something ; inherent |
| introspective | a tending to think about oneself ; examining ones feelings |
| inundate | v to flood ; to cover completely with water ; to overwhelm |
| invective | n insulting or abusive speech |
| inveterate | a habitual ; firm in habit ; deeply rooted |
| irascible | a easily angered or provoked ; irritable |
| ironic | a meaning the opposite of what you seem to say ; using words to mean something other than what they seem to mean |
| irrevocable | a irreversible |
| itinerant | a moving from place to place |
| judicious | a exercising sound judgment |
| juxtapose | v to place side by side |
| kinetic | a having to do with motion ; lively ; active |
| labyrinth | n a maze ; something like a maze maze |
| laconic | a using few words especially to the point of seeming rude |
| lament | v to mourn |
| lampoon | v to satirize ; to mock ; to parody |
| languish | v to become weak listless or depressed ; |
| largess | n generous giving of gifts or the gifts themselves ; generosity ; philanthropy |
| latent | a present but not visible or apparent ; potential |
| laud | v to praise ; to applaud ; to extol ; to celebrate |
| legacy | n something handed down from the past ; a bequest |
| lethargy | n sluggishness ; laziness ; drowsiness ; indifference |
| levity | n lightness ; frivolity ; unseriousness |
| libel | n a written or published falsehood that injures the reputation of or defames someone ; |
| litigate | v to try in court ; to engage in legal proceedings |
| loquacious | a talking a lot or too much |
| lucid | a clear ; easy to understand ; |
| lugubrious | a exaggeratedly mournful |
| luminous | a giving off light ; glowing ; bright |
| machination | n scheming activity for an evil purpose |
| magnanimous | a forgiving ; unresentful ; noble in spirit ; generous |
| magnate | n a rich powerful or very successful businessperson |
| malaise | n a feeling of depression uneasiness or queasiness |
| malfeasance | n an illegal act especially by a public official |
| malinger | v to pretend to be sick to avoid doing work |
| malleable | a easy to shape or bend |
| mandate | n a command or authorization to do something ; the will of the voters as expressed by the results of an election |
| manifest | a visible ; evident |
| manifesto | n a public declaration of beliefs or principles usually political ones |
| marshal | v to arrange in order ; to gather together for the purpose of doing something ; |
| martial | a warlike ; having to do with combat |
| martyr | n someone who gives up his or her life in pursuit of a cause especially a religious one ; one who suffers for a cause ; one who makes a show of suffering in order to arouse sympathy |
| matriculate | v to enroll especially at a college |
| maudlin | a silly and overly sentimental |
| maverick | n a nonconformist ; a rebel |
| maxim | n a fundamental principle ; an old saying |
| mediate | v to help settle differences |
| mellifluous | a sweetly flowing |
| mendacious | a lying ; dishonest |
| mendicant | n a beggar beggar |
| mentor | n a teacher tutor counselor or coach ; especially in business an experienced person who shows an inexperienced person the ropes teacher tutor |
| mercenary | n a hired soldier ; someone who will do anything for money |
| mercurial | a emotionally unpredictable ; rapidly changing in mood |
| metamorphosis | n a magical change in form ; a striking or sudden change |
| microcosm | n the world in miniature |
| milieu | n environment ; surroundings |
| minuscule | a very tiny |
| misanthropic | a hating mankind |
| mitigate | v to moderate the effect of something |
| mollify | v to soften ; to soothe ; to pacify |
| monolithic | a massive solid uniform and unyielding |
| moribund | a dying |
| morose | a gloomy ; sullen gloomy sullen |
| mortify | a to humiliate |
| mundane | a ordinary ; pretty boring ; not heavenly and eternal |
| munificent | a very generous ; lavish lavish |
| myopia | a nearsightedness ; lack of foresight ; |
| myriad | n a huge number ; |
| narcissism | n excessive love of ones body or oneself |
| nebulous | a vague ; hazy ; indistinct ; |
| nefarious | a evil ; flagrantly wicked |
| neologism | n a new word or phrase ; a new usage of a word |
| nepotism | n showing favoritism to friends of family in business or politics |
| nihilism | n the belief that there are no values or morals in the universe |
| nominal | a in name only ; insignificant ; A-OK during rocket launches |
| nostalgia | n sentimental longing for the past ; homesickness; homesickness |
| notorious | a famous for something bad |
| novel | a new ; original ; |
| noxious | a harmful ; offensive ; |
| nuance | n a subtle difference or distinction |
| obdurate | a stubborn and insensitive |
| obfuscate | v to darken ; to confuse ; to make confusing |
| oblique | a indirect ; at an angle ; |
| oblivion | n total forgetfulness ; the state of being forgotten ; |
| obscure | a unknown ; hard to understand ; dark |
| obsequious | a fawning ; subservient ; sucking up to |
| obtuse | a insensitive ; blockheaded |
| officious | a annoyingly eager to help or advise |
| onerous | a burdensome ; oppressive |
| opaque | a impossible to see through ; impossible to understand |
| opulent | a luxurious |
| orthodox | a conventional ; adhering to established principles or doctrines especially in religion ; by the book |
| ostensible | a apparent but misleading ; professed |
| ostentatious | describing a showy or pretentious display |
Combine with other sets
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