| Question |
Answer |
| engaged |
employed; busy; betrothed; involved in conflict |
| engaging |
charming; attractive |
| engender |
cause; produce; give rise to |
| engross |
occupy fully; absorb |
| engulf |
surround and swallow up |
| enhance |
increase; make greater (as in value, reputation, or usefulness); improve |
| enigma |
puzzle; mystery; ADJ. enigmatic: obscure; puzzling |
| enjoin |
command; order; forbid |
| enlist |
(cause to) join the armed forces; obtain (help, sympathy, or support) |
| enliven |
make lively or spirited; animate |
| enmity |
ill will; hatred; hostility |
| ennui |
boredom; listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; CF. annoy |
| enormity |
hugeness (in a bad sense); excessive wickedness; Ex. enormity of the crime; ADJ. enormous |
| enrapture |
please intensely; fill with rapture and delight |
| ensconce |
settle comfortably; place comfortably (in a secure place) |
| ensue |
follow (as a result) |
| entail |
make necessary; require; necessitate; involve; limit the inheritance of (property) to a specified succession of heirs; Ex. entail A on/upon B |
| enterprise |
willingness to take new ventures; initiative; business organization; plan (that is difficult or daring); Ex. their latest enterprise to sail round the world in a small boat |
| enterprising |
full of initiative; showing enterprise |
| enthrall |
capture; enslave; captivate; hold the complete attention of (as if magic); hold spellbound |
| entice |
lure; persuade to do (something wrong); attract; tempt |
| entity |
real being |
| entomology |
study of insects |
| entourage |
group of attendants; retinue; CF. surround |
| entrance |
put under a spell(condition caused by magical power); carry away(fill with strong feeling) with emotion; put into a trance; fill with delight |
| entreat |
plead; ask earnestly |
| entree(entr\'ee) |
entrance; a way in; right to enter; main dish of a meal; Ex. entree into the exclusive circle |
| entrepreneur |
businessperson (who assumes the risk of a business venture); contractor; ADJ. entrepreneurial |
| enumerate |
list; mention one by one |
| enunciate |
announce; proclaim; utter or speak, especially distinctly; pronounce clearly; articulate; Ex. This theory was first enunciated by him. |
| environ |
enclose; surround; N. environs: surrounding area (as of a city) |
| eon(aeon) |
long period of time; an age; longest division of geologic time containing two or more eras |
| epaulet(epaulette) |
ornament worn on the shoulder (of a uniform, etc.) |
| ephemeral |
short-lived; fleeting |
| epic |
long heroic poem, novel, or similar work of art (celebrating the feats of a hero); ADJ: (of stories or events) resembling an epic; grand |
| epicure |
connoisseur of food and drink; gourmet; ADJ. epicurean; CF. Epicurus |
| epicurean |
believing that pleasure is good and suffering is bad and should be avoided; N. |
| epigram |
witty thought or saying, usually short |
| epilogue |
short speech at conclusion of dramatic work |
| episodic |
(of a story or play) loosely connected; made up of separate and loosely connected parts; N. episode: incident in the course of an experience |
| epistemologist |
philosopher who studies the nature of knowledge; N. epistemology |
| epitaph |
inscription in memory of a dead person (as on a tombstone) |
| epithet |
word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or thing; descriptive phrase to characterize a person (often contemptous) |
| epitome |
perfect example or embodiment; brief summary; Ex. epitome of good manners; V. epitomize: make an epitome of; be an epitome of; embody |
| epoch |
period of time |
| equable |
tranquil; of even calm temper; (of temperature) steady; uniform |
| equanimity |
calmness of temperament; composure |
| equestrian |
rider on horseback; ADJ. |
| equilibrium |
balance of opposing forces; balance of the mind; equanimity |
| equine |
resembling a horse; Ex. equine face |
| equinox |
period of equal days and nights; the beginning of spring and autumn; Ex. vernal/autumnal equinox; ADJ. equinoctial |
| equipoise |
balance; balancing force; equilibrium |
| equitable |
fair; impartial; OP. inequitable |
| equity |
fairness; justice; OP. inequity |
| equivocal |
(of words or statements) ambiguous; intentionally misleading; (of behavior) questionable; OP. unequivocal |
| equivocate |
use equivocal language to deceive people; lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth; N. equivocation |
| erode |
eat away; wear away gradually by abrasion; Ex. The sea erodes the rocks. |
| erotic |
pertaining to passionate love or sexual love |
| errant |
wandering (esp. in search of adventure); straying from proper moral standards; Ex. knight-errant |
| erratic |
odd; irregular in movement or behavior; unpredictable |
| erroneous |
mistaken; wrong; incorrect |
| erudite |
(of a person or book) learned; full of learning; scholarly; N. erudition |
| escapade |
prank; flighty conduct; reckless adventure that disobeys rules |
| eschew |
avoid habitually; Ex. eschew alcoholic drinks |
| esoteric |
hard to understand; known only to the chosen few, esp. initiates; N. esoterica |
| espionage |
spying |
| espouse |
adopt; support (an idea or aim); marry; N. espousal |
| esteem |
respect; value; judge; N. |
| estimable |
(of a person) worthy of esteem; admirable; deserving esteem; possible to estimate |
| estranged |
separated; alienated; V. estrange: alienate (people in a family); N. estrangement |
| ethereal |
like a spirit or fairy; unearthly light; heavenly; unusually refined; Ex. She has an ethereal beauty; CF. ether: upper air |
| ethnic |
relating to races |
| ethnology |
study of humankind; study of the different races of human beings; CF. anthropology |
| ethos |
underlying character of a culture, group, etc.; character or ideas peculiar to a specific person, group, or culture; Ex. the company ethos |
| etymology |
study of word parts; study of the origins of words |
| eugenic |
pertaining to the improvement of race; N. eugenics: study of hereditary improvement of the human race |
| eulogistic |
praising; full of eulogy |
| eulogy |
expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone's death; V. eulogize |
| euphemism |
mild expression in place of an unpleasant one; ADJ. euphemistic |
| euphony |
sweet sound; ADJ. euphonious |
| euphoria |
feeling of exaggerated or unfounded(ungrounded; baseless) well-being; feeling of great happiness or well-being (when unreasonable); ADJ. euphoriaric |
| euthanasia |
mercy killing |
| evanescent |
fleeting; vanishing; soon disappearing; V. evanesce |
| evasive |
not frank; trying to hide the truth; eluding; evading; V. evade: avoid (a duty or responsibility) or escape from by deceit |
| evenhanded |
impartial; fair |
| eventual |
happening at last as a result; Ex. eventual victory |
| evince |
show clearly |
| evocative |
tending to call up (emotions, memories) |
| evoke |
call forth (memory or feeling); Ex. That old film evoked memories of my childhood; N. evocation |
| ewe |
female sheep |
| exacerbate |
worsen; aggravate; embitter |
| exact |
demand and obtain by force; Ex. exact a promise from him; N. exaction |
| exacting |
extremely demanding; Ex. exacting standard of safety |
| exalt |
raise in rank or dignity; praise highly; inspire; Ex. exalt the imagination; ADJ. exalted; N. exaltation |
| exasperate |
vex; annoy or make angry (by testing the patience) |
| except |
exclude; N. exception: objection; exclusion; ADJ. exceptional: unusual; of unusually high quality |
| exceptionable |
objectionable; likely to cause dislike; offensive; CF. unexceptionable: entirely acceptable |
| excerpt |
selected passage (written or musical) taken from a longer work; V. |
| exchequer |
treasury; Ex. Chancellor of the exchequer |
| excise |
cut away; cut out; N: government tax on good produced and used inside a country; N. excision |
500 Words
