Words starting with E | Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) for GRE PDF Download

earthy: unrefined

The earthy-looking table was bare.

ebullience:  an overflowing of high spirits; effervescence

She emanated ebullience as she skipped and sang down the hallway after learning of her promotion.

eccentric: odd; peculiar; strange

People like to talk with the eccentric artist since he has such different views on everyday subjects.

Wearing polka dot pants and a necklace made of recycled bottle tops is considered eccentric.

ecclesiastic: pertaining or relating to a church

Ecclesiastic obligations include attending mass.

eclectic: picking from various possibilities; made up of material from various sources

You have eclectic taste.

The eclectic collection of furniture did not match.

economical: not wasteful; thrifty

With her economical sense she was able to save the company thousands of dollars.

edifice:  a large building

The edifice rose 20 stories and spanned two blocks.

edify:  to build or establish; to instruct and improve the mind

According to their schedule, the construction company will edify the foundation of the building in one week.

The teachers worked to edify their students through lessons and discussion.

educe:  to draw out; to infer from information

Because she is so dour, I was forced to educe a response.

I educe from the report that the experiment was a success.

efface:  to erase; to make inconspicuous

Hiding in the woods, the soldier was effaced by his camouflage uniform.

effeminate: having qualities attributed to a woman; delicate

A high-pitched laugh made the man seem effeminate.

effervescence:  liveliness; spirit; enthusiasm; bubbliness

Her effervescence was contagious; she made everyone around her happy.

The effervescence of champagne is what makes it different from wine.

effigy:  the image or likeness of a person

Demonstrators carried effigies of the dictator they wanted overthrown.

effluvium: an outflow of vapor of invisible particles; a noxious odor

The effluvium from the exhaust had a bad smell.

It was difficult to determine from where the effluvium issued.

effrontery:  arrogance

The effrontery of the young man was offensive.

effusive: pouring out or forth; overflowing

The effusive currents rush through the broken dam.

egocentric: self-centered, viewing everything in relation to oneself

The egocentric professor could not accept the students' opinions as valid.

egress:  a way out; exit

The doorway provided an egress from the chamber.

elaboration:  act of clarifying; adding details

The mayor called for an elaboration on the ordinance's first draft.

elegy:  a poem of lament and praise for the dead

Upon conclusion of the elegy, the casket was closed.

ellipsis:  omission of words that would make the meaning clear

The accidental ellipsis confused all those who heard the speech.

eloquence:  the ability to speak well

The speaker's eloquence was attributed to his articulate manner of speaking.

elucidate:  to make clear; to explain

In the paper's conclusion, its purpose was elucidated in one sentence.

elusive: hard to catch

Even the experienced, old fisherman admitted that the trout in the river were quite elusive.

emanate:  to emit

Happiness emanates from the loving home.

embarkation:  to engage or invest in

The embarkation into self-employment was a new start for the woman.

embellish:  to improve by adding details

Adding beads to a garment will embellish it.

eminence:  a lofty place; superiority

After toiling in the shadows for years, at last she achieved eminence.

The eminence of the institution can be seen in the impact of its research.

emollient: softening or soothing to the skin; having power to soften or relax living tissues

When hands become dry, it may be necessary to soothe them with an emollient lotion.

emulate:  to try to equal or excel

The neophyte teacher was hoping to emulate her mentor.

enamored: filled with love and desire

The young couple are enamored with each other.

encomium:  formal expression of high praise

The sitcom actress gave her co-stars a long encomium as she accepted her Emmy.

encroach:  to trespass or intrude

It is unlawful to encroach on another's private property.

encumber:  to hold back; to hinder; to burden, load down

The review of the ethic's committee encumbered the deal from being finalized.

A brace will encumber the girl's movement.

endemic: native to a particular area; constantly present in a particular country or locality

The endemic fauna was of great interest to the anthropologist.

A fast-paced style is endemic to those who live in New York City.

endorse:  support; to approve of; recommend

The entire community endorsed the politician who promised lower taxes and a better school system.

enervate:  to weaken; to deprive of nerve or strength

The sickness enervates its victims until they can no longer get out of bed.

enfeeble:  to make weak

The illness will enfeeble anyone who catches it.

enfranchised:  to free from obligation; to admit to citizenship

The player was enfranchised when the deal was called off.

The recent immigrants were enfranchised when they took their oath to their new country.

engender:  to bring about; beget; to bring forth

The group attempted to engender changes to the law.

enhance:  to improve; compliment; make more attractive

The new fuel enhanced the performance of the rocket's engines.

enigma:  mystery; secret; perplexity

To all of the searchers, the missing child's location remained a great enigma.

enigmatic: baffling

The enigmatic murder plagued the detective.

ennui:  boredom; apathy

Ennui set in when the children realized they had already played with all the toys.

eon:  an indefinitely long period of time

The star may have existed for eons.

ephemeral: very short-lived; lasting only a short time

Living alone gave him an ephemeral happiness, soon to be replaced with utter loneliness.

epicure:  a person who has good taste in food and drink

As an epicure, Lance is choosy about the restaurants he visits.

epigram: a witty or satirical poem or statement

The poet wrote an epigram about the upcoming election.

epilogue: closing section of a play or novel providing further comment.

The epilogue told us the destiny of the characters.

epiphany: an appearance of a supernatural being

The man bowed to the epiphany.

epitaph: an inscription on a monument; in honor or memory of a dead person

The epitaph described the actions of a brave man.

epitome: model; typification; representation

The woman chosen to lead the dancers was the epitome of true grace.

equanimity: the quality of remaining calm and undisturbed

Equanimity can be reached when stress is removed from life.

equinox: precise time when day and night is of equal length

On the equinox we had twelve hours of night and day.

equivocal: doubtful; uncertain

Scientific evidence was needed before the equivocal hypothesis was accepted by the doubting researchers.

equivocations: a purposely misleading statement

The equivocations by the man sent the search team looking in the wrong direction.

eradication: the act of annihilating, destroying, or erasing

Some have theorized that the eradication of the dinosaurs was due to a radical change in climate.

errant: roving in search of adventure

The young man set out across country on an errant expedition.

erratic: unpredictable; irregular

His erratic behavior was attributed to the shocking news he had received.

The kitten's erratic behavior was attributed to the owner's cruel method of disciplining his pet.

erroneous: untrue; inaccurate; not correct

The reporter's erroneous story was corrected by a new article that stated the truth.

erudite: having a wide knowledge acquired through reading

The woman was so erudite, she could recite points on most any subject.

eschew:  to shun; to avoid

Eschew the traffic and you may arrive on time.

esoteric: understood by only a chosen few; confidential

The esoteric language was only known by the select group.

We have had a number of esoteric conversations.

estimable: deserving respect

The estimable hero was given a parade.

ethereal: very light; airy; heavenly; not earthly

The ethereal quality of the music had a hypnotic effect.

The dancer wore an ethereal outfit which made her look like an angel.

ethnic: pertaining to races or peoples and their origin classification, or characteristics

Ethnic foods from five continents were set up on the table.

eulogy:  words of praise, especially for the dead

The eulogy was a remembrance of the good things the man accomplished in his lifetime.

euphemism:  the use of a word or phrase in place of one that is distasteful

The announcer used a euphemism when he wanted to complain.

euphony:  pleasant combination of sounds

The gently singing birds created a beautiful euphony.

The euphony created by the orchestra was due to years of practice.

evanescent: vanishing quickly; dissipating like a vapor

The evanescent mirage could only be seen at a certain angle.

evasion:  the avoiding of a duty

The company was charged with tax evasion, as they did not pay all that they owed.

evoke:  to call forth; provoke

Seeing her only daughter get married evoked tears of happiness from the mother.

Announcement of the results evoked a cheer from the crowd.

exculpate:  to free from guilt

The therapy session will exculpate the man from his guilty feelings.

execute:  to put to death; kill; to carry out; fulfill

The evil, murderous man was executed for killing several innocent children.

I expected him to execute my orders immediately.

exemplary: serving as an example; outstanding

The honor student's exemplary behavior made him a role model to the younger children.

Employees of the month are chosen for their exemplary service to the firm.

exhaustive: thorough; complete

It took an exhaustive effort, using many construction workers, to complete the new home by the deadline.

exhume:  to unearth; to reveal

The scientists exhumed the body from the grave to test the body's DNA.

The next episode will exhume the real betrayer.

exigent: a situation calling for immediate attention; needing more than is reasonable

The exigent request for more assistance was answered quickly.

The bank seemed to feel that another extension on their loan payment was too exigent a request to honor.

exonerate: to declare or prove blameless

Hopefully, the judge will exonerate you of any wrongdoing.

exorbitant: going beyond what is reasonable; excessive

Paying hundreds of dollars for the dress is an exorbitant amount.

exotic: unusual; striking; foreign

Many people asked the name of her exotic perfume.

The menu of authentic Turkish cuisine seemed exotic to them, considering they were only accustomed to American food.

expedient: convenient in obtaining a result; guided by self-interest

The mayor chose the more expedient path rather than the more correct one.

There is no expedient method a teenager will not resort to in order to get the keys to a car of their own.

expedite:  to hasten the action of

We can expedite the bank transaction if we tell them it is an emergency.

explicit: specific; definite

The explicit recipe gave directions for making a very complicated dessert.

exposition:  setting forth facts

The exposition by the witness substantiated the story given by the prisoner.

expunge:  to blot out; to delete

Bleach may be used to expunge the stain.

extant: existing; refers especially to books or documents

Some of my ancestor's letters remain extant.

extemporize:  to improvise; to make it up as you go along

It was necessary for the musician to extemporize when his music fell off the stand.

extol:  to give great praise

The father will extol the success of his son to everyone he meets.

extraneous: irrelevant; not related; not essential

During the long, boring lecture, most people agreed that much of the information was extraneous.

extricable: capable of being disentangled

The knots were complicated, but extricable.

exultation:  the act of rejoicing

Exultation was evident by the partying and revelry.