 | Term | Definition |
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dissent |
1. (v.) to disagree (The principal argued that the child should repeat the fourth grade, but the unhappy parents dissented.) 2. (n.) the act of disagreeing (Unconvinced that the defendant was guilty, the last juror voiced his dissent with the rest of the jury |
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dissipate |
1. (v.) to disappear, cause to disappear (The sun finally came out and dissipated the haze.) 2. (v.) to waste (She dissipated her fortune on a series of bad investments |
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dissonance |
(n.) lack of harmony or consistency (Though the president of the company often spoke of the company as reliant solely upon its workers, her decision to increase her own salary rather than reward her employees revealed a striking dissonance between her alleged beliefs and her actions |
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distend |
(v.) to swell out (Years of drinking beer caused his stomach to distend |
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dither |
(v.) to be indecisive (Not wanting to offend either friend, he dithered about which of the two birthday parties he should attend |
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divine |
(adj.) godly, exceedingly wonderful (Terribly fond of desserts, she found the rich chocolate cake to be divine |
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divisive |
(adj.) causing dissent, discord (Her divisive tactics turned her two friends against each other |
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divulge |
(v.) to reveal something secret (Pressured by the press, the government finally divulged the previously unknown information |
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dogmatic |
(adj.) aggressively and arrogantly certain about unproved principles (His dogmatic claim that men were better than women at fixing appliances angered everyone |
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dormant |
(adj.) sleeping, temporarily inactive (Though she pretended everything was fine, her anger lay dormant throughout the dinner party and exploded in screams of rage after everyone had left |
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dour |
(adj.)stern, joyless (The children feared their dour neighbor because the old man would take their toys if he believed they were being too loud |
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dubious |
(adj.) doubtful, of uncertain quality (Suspicious that he was only trying to get a raise, she found his praise dubious |
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duplicity |
(n.) crafty dishonesty (His duplicity involved convincing his employees to let him lower their salaries and increase their stock options, and then to steal the money he saved and run the company into the ground |
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duress |
(n.) hardship, threat (It was only under intense duress that he, who was normally against killing, fired his gun |
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ebullient |
(adj.) extremely lively, enthusiastic (She became ebullient upon receiving an acceptance letter from her first-choice college |
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ecstatic |
(adj.) intensely and overpoweringly happy (The couple was ecstatic when they learned that they had won the lottery |
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edict |
(n.) an order, decree (The ruler issued an edict requiring all of his subjects to bow down before him |
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efface |
(v.) to wipe out, obliterate, rub away (The husband was so angry at his wife for |
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effervescent |
(adj.) bubbly, lively (My friend is so effervescent that she makes everyone smile |
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efficacious |
(adj.) effective (My doctor promised me that the cold medicine was efficacious, but I'm still sniffling |
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effrontery |
(n.) impudence, nerve, insolence (When I told my aunt that she was boring, my mother scolded me for my effrontery |
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effulgent |
(adj.) radiant, splendorous (The golden palace was effulgent |
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egregious |
(adj.) extremely bad (The student who threw sloppy joes across the cafeteria was punished for his egregious behavior |
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elaborate |
(adj.) complex, detailed, intricate (Dan always beats me at chess because he develops such an elaborate game plan that I can never predict his next move |
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elated |
(adj.) overjoyed, thrilled (When she found out she had won the lottery, the writer was elated |
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elegy |
(n.) a speech given in honor of a dead person (At the funeral, the widow gave a moving elegy describing her love for her husband |
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elicit |
(v.) to bring forth, draw out, evoke (Although I asked several times where the exit was, I elicited no response from the stone-faced policeman |
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eloquent |
(adj.) expressive, articulate, moving (The priest gave such an eloquent sermon that most churchgoers were crying |
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elucidate |
(v.) to clarify, explain (I didn't understand why my friend was so angry with me, so I asked Janine to elucidate her feelings |
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elude |
(v.) to evade, escape (Despite an intense search, the robber continues to elude the police |
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emaciated |
(adj.) very thin, enfeebled looking (My sister eats a lot of pastries and chocolate but still looks emaciated |
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embellish |
1. (v.) to decorate, adorn (My mom embellished the living room by adding |
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embezzle |
(v.) to steal money by falsifying records (The accountant was fired for embezzling $10,000 of the company's funds |
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eminent |
1. (adj.) distinguished, prominent, famous (Mr. Phillips is such an eminent |
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conspicuous |
(There is an eminent stain on that shirt |
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emollient |
(adj.) soothing (This emollient cream makes my skin very smooth |
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emote |
(v.) to express emotion (The director told the actor he had to emote, or else the audience would have no idea what his character was going through |
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empathy |
(n.) sensitivity to another's feelings as if they were one's own (I feel such empathy for my sister when she's in pain that I cry too |
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empirical |
1. (adj.) based on observation or experience (The scientist gathered empirical data on the growth rate of dandelions by studying the dandelions behind his house |
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2. |
(adj.) capable of being proved or disproved by experiment (That all cats hate getting wet is an empirical statement: I can test it by bathing my cat, Trinket |
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emulate |
(v.) to imitate (I idolize Britney Spears so much that I emulate everything she does: I wear her outfits, sing along to her songs, and date a boy named Justin |
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enamor |
(v.) to fill with love, fascinate, usually used in passive form followed by "of" or "with" (I grew enamored of that boy when he quoted my favorite love poem |
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encore |
(n.) the audience's demand for a repeat performance; also the artist's |
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encumber |
(v.) to weigh down, burden (At the airport, my friend was encumbered by her luggage, so I offered to carry two of her bags |
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enervate |
(v.) to weaken, exhaust (Writing these sentences enervates me so much that I will have to take a nap after I finish |
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enfranchise |
(v.) to grant the vote to (The Nineteenth Amendment enfranchised women |
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engender |
(v.) to bring about, create, generate (During the Olympics, the victories of |
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enigmatic |
(adj.) mystifying, cryptic (That man wearing the dark suit and dark glasses is so enigmatic that no one even knows his name |
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enmity |
(n.) ill will, hatred, hostility (Mark and Andy have clearly not forgiven each other, because the enmity between them is obvious to anyone in their presence |
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entail |
(v.) to include as a necessary step (Building a new fence entails tearing down the old one |
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enthrall |
(v.) to charm, hold spellbound (The sailor's stories of fighting off sharks and finding ancient treasures enthralled his young son |
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ephemeral |
(adj.) short-lived, fleeting (She promised she'd love me forever, but her "forever" was only ephemeral: she left me after one week |
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epistolary |
(adj.) relating to or contained in letters (Some people call me "Auntie's boy," because my aunt and I have such a close epistolary relationship that we write each other every day |
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epitome |
(n.) a perfect example, embodiment (My mother, the epitome of good taste, always dresses more elegantly than I do |
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equanimity |
(n.) composure (Even though he had just been fired, Mr. Simms showed great equanimity by neatly packing up his desk and wishing everyone in the office well |
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equivocal |
(adj.) ambiguous, uncertain, undecided (His intentions were so equivocal that I didn't know whether he was being chivalrous or sleazy |
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erudite |
(adj.) learned (My Latin teacher is such an erudite scholar that he has translated some of the most difficult and abstruse ancient poetry |
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espouse |
(v.) to take up as a cause, support (I love animals so much that I espouse animal rights |
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ethereal |
(adj.) heavenly, exceptionally delicate or refined (In her flowing silk gown and lace veil, the bride looked ethereal |
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etymology |
(n.) the history of words, their origin and development (From the study of etymology, I know that the word "quixotic" derives from Don Quixote and the word "gaudy" refers to the Spanish architect Gaudí |
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euphoric |
(adj.) elated, uplifted (I was euphoric when I found out that my sister had given birth to twins |
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evanescent |
(adj.) fleeting, momentary (My joy at getting promoted was evanescent |
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evince |
(v.) to show, reveal (Christopher's hand-wringing and nail-biting evince how nervous he is about the upcoming English test |
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exacerbate |
(v.) to make more violent, intense (The gruesome and scary movie I saw last night exacerbated my fears of the dark |
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exalt |
(v.) to glorify, praise (Michael Jordan is the figure in basketball we exalt the most |
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exasperate |
(v.) to irritate, irk (George's endless complaints exasperated his roomate |
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excavate |
(v.) to dig out of the ground and remove (The pharaoh's treasures were excavated by archeologists in Egypt |
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exculpate |
(v.) to free from guilt or blame, exonerate (My discovery of the ring behind the dresser exculpated me from the charge of having stolen it |
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excursion |
(n.) a trip or outing (After taking an excursion to the Bronx Zoo, I dreamed about pandas and monkeys |
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execrable |
(adj.) loathsome, detestable (Her pudding is so execrable that it makes me sick |
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exhort |
(v.) to urge, prod, spur (Henry exhorted his colleagues to join him in protesting against the university's hiring policies |
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exigent |
(adj.) urgent, critical (The patient has an exigent need for medication, or else he will lose his sight |
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exonerate |
(v.) to free from guilt or blame, exculpate (The true thief's confession exonerated the man who had been held in custody for the crime |
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exorbitant |
(adj.) excessive (Her exorbitant praise made me blush and squirm in my seat |
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expedient |
(adj.) advisable, advantageous, serving one's self-interest (In his bid for |
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expiate |
(v.) to make amends for, atone (To expiate my selfishness, I gave all my profits to charity |
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expunge |
(v.) to obliterate, eradicate (Fearful of an IRS investigation, Paul tried to expunge all incriminating evidence from his tax files |
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expurgate |
(v.) to remove offensive or incorrect parts, usually of a book (The history editors expurgated from the text all disparaging and inflammatory comments about the Republican Party |
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extant |
(adj.) existing, not destroyed or lost (My mother's extant love letters to my father are in the attic trunk |
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extol |
(v.) to praise, revere (Violet extolled the virtues of a vegetarian diet to her meat-loving brother |
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extraneous |
(adj.) irrelevant, extra, not necessary (Personal political ambitions should always remain extraneous to legislative policy, but, unfortunately, they rarely are |
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extricate |
(v.) to disentangle (Instead of trying to mediate between my brother and sister, I extricated myself from the family tension entirely and left the house for the day |
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exult |
(v.) to rejoice (When she found out she won the literature prize, Mary exulted by dancing and singing through the school's halls |
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fabricate |
(v.) to make up, invent (When I arrived an hour late to class, I fabricated some excuse about my car breaking down on the way to school |
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façade |
1. (n.) the wall of a building (Meet me in front of the museum's main façade.) 2. (n.) a deceptive appearance or attitude (Despite my smiling façade, I am feeling melancholy |
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facile |
1. (adj.) easy, requiring little effort (This game is so facile that even a four-year- old can master it.) 2. (adj.) superficial, achieved with minimal thought or care, insincere (The business was in such shambles that any solution seemed facile at best; nothing could really helpit in the long-run |
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fallacious |
(adj.) incorrect, misleading (Emily offered me cigarettes on the fallacious assumption that I smoked |
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fastidious |
(adj.) meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards (Mark is so fastidious that he is never able to finish a project because it always seems imperfect to him |
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fathom |
(v.) to understand, comprehend (I cannot fathom why you like that crabby and mean-spirited neighbor of ours |
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fatuous |
(adj.) silly, foolish (He considers himself a serious poet, but in truth, he only writes fatuous limericks |
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fecund |
(adj.) fruitful, fertile (The fecund tree bore enough apples to last us through the entire season |
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felicitous |
1. (adj.) well suited, apt (While his comments were idiotic and rambling, mine |
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feral |
(adj.) wild, savage (That beast looks so feral that I would fear being alone with it |
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fervent |
(adj.) ardent, passionate (The fervent protestors chained themselves to the building and shouted all night long |
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fetid |
(adj.) having a foul odor (I can tell from the fetid smell in your refrigerator that your milk has spoiled |
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fetter |
(v.) to chain, restrain (The dog was fettered to the parking meter |
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fickle |
(adj.) shifting in character, inconstant (In Greek dramas, the fickle gods help Achilles one day, and then harm him the next |
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fidelity |
(n.) loyalty, devotion (Guard dogs are known for the great fidelity they show toward their masters |
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figurative |
(adj.) symbolic (Using figurative language, Jane likened the storm to an angry bull |
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flabbergasted |
(adj.) astounded (Whenever I read an Agatha Christie mystery novel, I am always flabbergasted when I learn the identity of the murderer |
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flaccid |
(adj.) limp, not firm or strong (If a plant is not watered enough, its leaves become droopy and flaccid |
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flagrant |
(adj.) offensive, egregious (The judge's decision to set the man free simply because that man was his brother was a flagrant abuse of power |
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florid |
(adj.) flowery, ornate (The writer's florid prose belongs on a sentimental Hallmark card |
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flout |
(v.) to disregard or disobey openly (I flouted the school's dress code by wearing a tie-dyed tank top and a pair of cut-off jeans |
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foil |
(v.) to thwart, frustrate, defeat (Inspector Wilkens foiled the thieves by locking them in the bank along with their stolen money |
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forage |
(v.) to graze, rummage for food (When we got lost on our hiking trip, we foraged for berries and nuts in order to survive |
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forestall |
(v.) to prevent, thwart, delay (I forestalled the cold I was getting by taking plenty of vitamin C pills and wearing a scarf |
