Recently Added Articles Page #113

effrontery - vocabulary

effrontery - noun Unblushing impudence or boldness; barefaced audacity; “nerve.”Note: Do not confuse the noun effrontery with the verb and noun affront. The verb affront means “to insult, to offend deliberately”; the noun means “insult” a...

egoism, egotism - vocabulary

egoism, egotism - noun Egoism: a philosophical doctrine that morality has its foundations in self-interest.Egotism: an excessive preoccupation with self. Note: Egotism, egoism refer to preoccupation with one's ego or self. Egotism is the common word ...

egregious - vocabulary

egregious - adjective Extraordinary in a bad way, glaring, flagrant, as in an egregious violation of the law. On Jan. 31, 1996, the city ordered the tenants of a Harlem brownstone to move out, saying that a series of code violations had made the buil...

elicit, illicit - vocabulary

Elicit: verb, to draw out, to bring forth, to call forth or provoke.Illicit: adjective, not legally permitted or authorized, disapproved of, as in an illicit affair or illicit drug traffic. It is the story-teller’s task to elicit sympathy and a mea...

elucidate - vocabulary

verbTo bring out more clearly the facts concerning; to make lucid or clear. The chief element in the art of statesmanship under modern conditions is the ability to elucidate the confused and clamorous interests which converge upon the seat of governm...

elude, allude - vocabulary

verbElude: to evade the search or pursuit of by dexterity or artifice; to escape capture. Also, to escape the understanding of, as in The answer eluded me.Allude: to refer to casually or indirectly. If you want something, it will elude you. If you do...

emaciate - vocabulary

verbTo waste away in flesh, to make abnormally lean. Often used as a verbal adjective, as in After his diet, he looked emaciated. It never entered his head to analyse the details of the sick man’s situation, to consider how that body was lying unde...

emanate - vocabulary

verbTo flow out of, to proceed, as from a source, as in The light emanated from the lamp. As the struggle proceeded for making the ruling power emanate from the periodical choice of the ruled, some persons began to think that too much importance had ...

emigrate, immigrate - vocabulary

verbEmigrate: to move out of a country.Immigrate: to come into a country.nounEmigration: the process of leaving a country.Emigrant: the person who leaves.Immigration: process of coming into a country.Immigrant: the person who comes in.Note: Use this ...

eminent, imminent - vocabulary

adjectiveEminent: high in station or rank, prominent, distinguished; prominent; conspicuous. To show the highest in stature, use preeminent (no hyphen).In law, the power of eminent domain is the power of a government to take private property for publ...

emulate - vocabulary

verbTo imitate with the intent to equal or surpass. Gentlemen, I had hoped you might emulate your Saxon forefathers, who thought it not creditable to be unprepared for anything.—President Woodrow Wilson In Wilson: The Academic Years by Henry W. Bra...

endemic - vocabulary

adjectiveCharacteristic of or natural to a particular place or people; indigenous; native; belonging exclusively to or confined to particular place. Dr. Hooker has recently shown that in the S.E. corner of Australia, where, apparently, there are many...

enervate - vocabulary

verbTo render ineffective or inoperative; to deprive of strength or force; to weaken.Note: Do not confuse enervate with invigorate. The two words differ significantly. His musicality is evident in the fresh and lively flow of images, though his tin e...

enhance - vocabulary

verbTo intensify, to raise to a higher degree, to magnify; to raise the value of. Baseball, he determined, would be an excellent hobby. “No sense a man’s working his fool head off. I’m going out to the Game three times a week. Besides, fellow o...

enigma - vocabulary

nounAn inexplicable occurrence or situation, puzzling; a person of puzzling character; a question, saying, or picture with a hidden meaning, a riddle. I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma...

enmity - vocabulary

nounA feeling or condition of animosity, hatred, ill will. Between men and women there is no friendship possible. There is passion, enmity, worship, love, but no friendship.—Oscar Wilde Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892)...

ennoble - vocabulary

verbTo dignify, to elevate in degree or respect; to exalt; to confer nobility upon. [S]uffering does not ennoble. It destroys. To resist destruction, self-hatred, or lifelong hopelessness, we have to throw off the conditioning of being despised, the ...

enormity, enormousness - vocabulary

nounEnormity: outrageous or heinous character; largeness of size, immensity.Enormousness: largeness of size or scope.Note: Use enormousness when meaning “large” and enormity when wishing to emphasize the awfulness of something. Enormity is freque...

epiphany - vocabulary

nounA sudden appearance or bodily manifestation of a deity; a sudden, intuitive perception of the essential meaning or significance of something, usually initiated by a commonplace occurrence.Note: The proper noun Epiphany names a Christian festival,...

epithet - vocabulary

nounAny word or phrase applied to a person or thing and used to describe an actual or attributed quality, as in The Great Communicator used to describe Ronald Reagan or man’s best friend used to describe a dog.Also, a term of abuse, as in racial ep...

epitome - vocabulary

nounA person or thing that is typical of or represents to a high degree the attributes of an entire class; a summary or abstract of a larger literary work.Note: The word epitome does not mean “pinnacle” or “climax” though many people use it t...

equanimity - vocabulary

nounEmotional or mental stability or composure, especially when tensed or strained; calm. We could not help contrasting the equanimity of Nature with the bustle and impatience of man. His words and actions presume always a crisis near at hand, but sh...

equity - vocabulary

nounCharacterized by fairness. In law, the term courts of equity refers to a parallel system of courts in England and, later, the United States, that could give remedies deemed inadequate in courts of law. The term equitable remedies refers to forms ...

equivocal - vocabulary

verbEquivocate: To hedge, to utter ambiguous statements, to use unclear expressions.adjectiveEquivocal: Ambiguous, open to more than one interpretation; often intentionally misleading, as in an equivocal statement. Elizabeth saw directly that her fat...

erudition, erudite - vocabulary

nounErudition: deep, extensive knowledge and learning.adjectiveErudite: characterized by great knowledge and learning. [Abraham Lincoln] became an erudite lawyer, one of the best in Illinois, representing important corporations, presenting cases in t...