Vocabulary for GMAT - E

earthy
(adj.) unrefined
The earthy-looking table was bare.
ebullience
(n.) an overflowing of high spirits; effervescence
She emanated ebullience as she skipped and sang down the hallway after
learning of her promotion.
eccentric
(adj.) 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
(adj.) pertaining or relating to a church
Ecclesiastic obligations include attending mass.
eclectic
(adj.) picking from various possibilities; made up of material from various
sources
You have eclectic taste.
The eclectic collection of furniture did not match.
economical
(adj.) not wasteful; thrifty
With her economical sense she was able to save the company thousands
of dollars.
edifice
(n.) a large building
The edifice rose 20 stories and spanned two blocks.
edify
(v.) 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
(v.) 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
(v.) to erase; to make inconspicuous
Hiding in the woods, the soldier was effaced by his camouflage uniform.
effeminate
(adj.) having qualities attributed to a woman; delicate
A high-pitched laugh made the man seem effeminate.
effervescence
(n.) 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
(n.) the image or likeness of a person
Demonstrators carried effigies of the dictator they wanted overthrown.
effluvium
(n.) 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
(n.) arrogance
The effrontery of the young man was offensive.
effusive
(adj.) pouring out or forth; overflowing
The effusive currents rush through the broken dam.
egocentric
(adj.) self-centered, viewing everything in relation to oneself
The egocentric professor could not accept the students' opinions as
valid.
egress
(n.) a way out; exit
The doorway provided an egress from the chamber.
elaboration
(n.) act of clarifying; adding details
The mayor called for an elaboration on the ordinance's first draft.
elegy
(n.) a poem of lament and praise for the dead
Upon conclusion of the elegy, the casket was closed.
ellipsis
(n.) omission of words that would make the meaning clear
The accidental ellipsis confused all those who heard the speech.
eloquence
(n.) the ability to speak well
The speaker's eloquence was attributed to his articulate manner of
speaking.
elucidate
(v.) to make clear; to explain
In the paper's conclusion, its purpose was elucidated in one sentence.
elusive
(adj.) hard to catch
Even the experienced, old fisherman admitted that the trout in the river
were quite elusive.
emanate
(v.) to emit
Happiness emanates from the loving home.
embarkation
(v.) to engage or invest in
The embarkation into self-employment was a new start for the woman.
embellish
(v.) to improve by adding details
Adding beads to a garment will embellish it.
eminence
(n.) 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
(adj.) 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
(v.) to try to equal or excel
The neophyte teacher was hoping to emulate her mentor.
enamored
(adj.) filled with love and desire
The young couple are enamored with each other.
encomium
(n.) formal expression of high praise
The sitcom actress gave her co-stars a long encomium as she accepted
her Emmy.
encroach
(v.) to trespass or intrude
It is unlawful to encroach on another's private property.
encumber
(v.) 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
(adj.) 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
(v.) support; to approve of; recommend
The entire community endorsed the politician who promised lower taxes
and a better school system.
enervate
(v.) to weaken; to deprive of nerve or strength
The sickness enervates its victims until they can no longer get out of
bed.
enfeeble
(v.) to make weak
The illness will enfeeble anyone who catches it.
enfranchised
(v.) 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
(v.) to bring about; beget; to bring forth
The group attempted to engender changes to the law.
enhance
(v.) to improve; compliment; make more attractive
The new fuel enhanced the performance of the rocket's engines.
enigma
(n.) mystery; secret; perplexity
To all of the searchers, the missing child's location remained a great
enigma.
enigmatic
(adj.) baffling
The enigmatic murder plagued the detective.
ennui
(n.) boredom; apathy
Ennui set in when the children realized they had already played with all
the toys.
eon
(n.) an indefinitely long period of time
The star may have existed for eons.
ephemeral
(adj.) very short-lived; lasting only a short time
Living alone gave him an ephemeral happiness, soon to be replaced with
utter loneliness.
epicure
(n.) a person who has good taste in food and drink
As an epicure, Lance is choosy about the restaurants he visits.
epigram
(n.) a witty or satirical poem or statement
The poet wrote an epigram about the upcoming election.
epilogue
(n.) closing section of a play or novel providing further comment.
The epilogue told us the destiny of the characters.
epiphany
(n.) an appearance of a supernatural being
The man bowed to the epiphany.
epitaph
(n.) an inscription on a monument; in honor or memory of a dead person
The epitaph described the actions of a brave man.
epitome
(n.) model; typification; representation
The woman chosen to lead the dancers was the epitome of true grace.
equanimity
(n.) the quality of remaining calm and undisturbed
Equanimity can be reached when stress is removed from life.
equinox
(n.) precise time when day and night is of equal length
On the equinox we had twelve hours of night and day.
equivocal
(adj.) doubtful; uncertain
Scientific evidence was needed before the equivocal hypothesis was
accepted by the doubting researchers.
equivocations
(n.) a purposely misleading statement
The equivocations by the man sent the search team looking in the wrong
direction.
eradication
(n.) 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
(adj.) roving in search of adventure
The young man set out across country on an errant expedition.
erratic
(adj.) 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
(adj.) untrue; inaccurate; not correct
The reporter's erroneous story was corrected by a new article that
stated the truth.
erudite
(adj.) having a wide knowledge acquired through reading
The woman was so erudite, she could recite points on most any subject.
eschew
(v.) to shun; to avoid
Eschew the traffic and you may arrive on time.
esoteric
(adj.) 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
(adj.) deserving respect
The estimable hero was given a parade.
ethereal
(adj.) 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
(adj.) pertaining to races or peoples and their origin classification, or
characteristics
Ethnic foods from five continents were set up on the table.
eulogy
(n.) words of praise, especially for the dead
The eulogy was a remembrance of the good things the man accomplished
in his lifetime.
euphemism
(n.) 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
(n.) 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
(adj.) vanishing quickly; dissipating like a vapor
The evanescent mirage could only be seen at a certain angle.
evasion
(n.) the avoiding of a duty
The company was charged with tax evasion, as they did not pay all that
they owed.
evoke
(v.) 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
(v.) to free from guilt
The therapy session will exculpate the man from his guilty feelings.
execute
(v.) 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
(adj.) 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
(adj.) thorough; complete
It took an exhaustive effort, using many construction workers, to
complete the new home by the deadline.
exhume
(v.) 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
(adj.) 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
(v.) to declare or prove blameless
Hopefully, the judge will exonerate you of any wrongdoing.
exorbitant
(adj.) going beyond what is reasonable; excessive
Paying hundreds of dollars for the dress is an exorbitant amount.
exotic
(adj.) 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
(adj.) 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
(v.) to hasten the action of
We can expedite the bank transaction if we tell them it is an emergency.
explicit
(adj.) specific; definite
The explicit recipe gave directions for making a very complicated
dessert.
exposition
(n.) setting forth facts
The exposition by the witness substantiated the story given by the
prisoner.
expunge
(v.) to blot out; to delete
Bleach may be used to expunge the stain.
extant
(adj.) existing; refers especially to books or documents
Some of my ancestor's letters remain extant.
extemporize
(v.) 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
(v.) to give great praise
The father will extol the success of his son to everyone he meets.
extraneous
(adj.) irrelevant; not related; not essential
During the long, boring lecture, most people agreed that much of the
information was extraneous.
extricable
(adj.) capable of being disentangled
The knots were complicated, but extricable.
exultation
(n.) the act of rejoicing
Exultation was evident by the partying and revelry.