Words beginning with E

303 words

• eager — keenly wanting to do or have something
• earmark — to set aside money or a resource for one specific purpose
• earn — to receive money or respect in return for work or merit
• earnest — serious and sincere in intention
• earnings — money received from work or investment over a period
• earthquake — a sudden violent shaking of the ground caused by movement in the earth’s crust
• ease — to make something less difficult or less severe
• easement — a legal right to use another person’s land for a limited purpose
• eavesdrop — to listen secretly to a private conversation
• ebb — to decline gradually after reaching a peak
• ebullient — lively and full of cheerful energy
• eccentric — behaving in a way that is odd compared with what is usual
• echelon — a level or rank within an organisation
• echo — to repeat or reflect someone else’s view or sound
• eclectic — drawing ideas from a wide range of sources
• eclipse — to overshadow someone or something so as to make it seem less important
• ecological — relating to the relationship between living things and their environment
• ecology — the study of how organisms relate to one another and to their surroundings
• economic — relating to the economy, trade or the production of wealth
• economical — using money or resources carefully, without waste
• economics — the study of how wealth is produced, distributed and consumed
• economise — to spend less; to use resources more carefully
• economy — the system by which a country produces, distributes and uses wealth
• ecosystem — a community of living things together with the environment they depend on
• ecotourism — tourism that is planned so as not to damage the natural environment
• ecstatic — feeling or showing overwhelming joy
• edible — fit or safe to be eaten
• edict — an official order issued by an authority
• edifice — a large imposing building, or a large system built up over time
• edify — to improve someone morally or intellectually
• edifying — morally or intellectually improving
• editorial — a newspaper article stating the paper’s own opinion on an issue
• educate — to teach or train someone systematically
• education — the process of teaching and learning, especially in schools and colleges
• efface — to wipe out or erase something completely
• effect — a result produced by a cause; to bring something about
• effective — producing the intended result
• effectual — able to produce the exact result that is required, especially in law
• effete — weak and no longer capable of effective action
• efficacious — succeeding in producing the desired effect, especially of a remedy or measure
• efficacy — the power of something to produce the result it is meant to produce
• efficiency — the quality of getting a result with the least waste of effort or money
• efficient — working well with little waste of time, money or effort
• effigy — a rough figure of a person made to be burnt or hanged in protest
• effluent — liquid waste discharged into a river, drain or the sea
• effort — the physical or mental work put into achieving something
• effrontery — shameless boldness in behaving improperly
• effusive — expressing feelings or praise in an unrestrained way
• egalitarian — believing that all people deserve equal rights and opportunities
• ego — a person’s sense of self-importance
• egregious — outstandingly bad or shocking
• either — one or the other of two possibilities
• eject — to force someone or something out
• ejection — the act of forcing someone or something out
• elaborate — detailed and complicated; to explain in greater detail
• elapse — to pass, of a period of time
• elastic — able to stretch and adjust; in economics, responsive to a change in price
• elated — very happy because of a success
• elation — a feeling of great happiness and excitement
• elderly — old, especially of people past working age
• elect — to choose someone for a post by voting
• election — the formal process of choosing representatives by vote
• electioneering — active campaigning to win votes
• elective — chosen or filled by election; optional rather than compulsory
• electoral — relating to elections or voters
• electorate — all the people entitled to vote in an election
• electrification — the supplying of electricity to an area or a system
• elegant — graceful and pleasingly simple in design or solution
• elegy — a poem or piece of writing lamenting someone who has died
• elevate — to raise to a higher rank, level or position
• elevation — height above sea level; also a rise in rank
• elicit — to draw out a reply, fact or reaction from someone
• eligibility — the state of satisfying the conditions required for something
• eligible — meeting the conditions needed to qualify for something (not to be confused with…
• eliminate — to remove or get rid of something completely
• elimination — the complete removal of something
• elite — the small group holding the most power, wealth or influence
• elitism — the belief or practice of favouring a select privileged group
• elongate — to make longer
• eloquence — the ability to speak fluently and persuasively
• eloquent — speaking or written in a fluent and persuasive way
• else — in addition to, or instead of, what has been mentioned
• elsewhere — in or to some other place
• elucidate — to make something clear by explaining it
• elude — to escape from or avoid something skilfully
• elusive — difficult to find, catch or achieve
• emaciated — abnormally thin and weak from hunger or illness
• emanate — to come out from a source
• emancipate — to set someone free from legal, social or political restraint
• emancipation — the act of freeing a group from restriction or bondage
• embankment — a raised bank of earth or stone built to hold back water or carry a road
• embargo — an official ban on trade or on the release of information
• embark — to begin a project or journey
• embarrass — to make someone feel awkward or ashamed
• embarrassment — a feeling of awkward shame, or a cause of it
• embattled — beset by difficulties or attack from many sides
• embed — to fix something firmly within a larger whole
• embellish — to decorate, or to add invented details to a story
• embezzle — to steal money placed in one’s trust
• embezzlement — the theft of money entrusted to one’s care
• emblem — an object or design that stands for an idea, group or nation
• emblematic — serving as a symbol of something larger
• embodiment — a person or thing that is a perfect example of a quality
• embody — to give visible or concrete form to an idea
• embolden — to give someone the courage to act
• embrace — to accept an idea or change willingly
• embroil — to involve someone deeply in a conflict or difficult situation
• embryonic — at a very early stage of development
• emerge — to come into view or become known
• emergence — the process of coming into existence or into notice
• emergency — a serious situation demanding immediate action
• emergent — newly appearing and gaining importance
• emeritus — retired but allowed to keep the title of an office as an honour
• emigrant — a person who leaves their own country to settle in another
• emigrate — to leave one’s own country in order to live in another
• emigration — the act of leaving one’s country to settle abroad
• eminence — a position of great distinction or superiority
• eminent — famous and respected
• emissary — a person sent as a representative to deliver a message or negotiate
• emission — the release of gas, heat or radiation into the air
• emit — to send out gas, light, sound or heat
• emolument — the salary and allowances attached to a post
• emotive — likely to arouse strong feeling
• empanel — to place a person or agency on an official approved list
• empathise — to understand and share another person’s feelings
• empathy — the ability to understand and share the feelings of another
• emphasis — special importance given to something
• emphasise — to give special importance to a point
• emphatic — expressed forcefully and clearly
• empire — a group of territories ruled by a single supreme authority
• empirical — based on observation and evidence rather than on theory alone
• employ — to give work to someone for pay; to make use of something
• employability — the qualities that make a person able to get and keep a job
• employee — a person who works for an organisation for wages
• employment — the state of having paid work, or the giving of such work
• empower — to give someone the authority or means to act
• empowerment — the process of giving people control over their own lives and decisions
• emulate — to try to equal or surpass someone by imitating them
• enact — to make a bill into law
• enactment — the making of a law, or the law so made
• encompass — to include a wide range of things within its scope
• encroach — to intrude gradually on someone’s land or rights
• encroachment — unlawful occupation of land or intrusion on a right
• encumber — to burden with a legal claim or a heavy load
• endanger — to put at risk of harm
• endeavour — to make a serious and sustained attempt
• endemic — regularly found in a particular place or group
• endorse — to declare public support for something
• endorsement — formal approval or backing
• endow — to give a permanent fund to, or to gift a natural quality
• endowment — a fund given permanently to support an institution
• endure — to bear hardship patiently, or to last a long time
• enforce — to compel obedience to a law or rule
• enforcement — the act of compelling compliance with a law
• enfranchise — to give someone the right to vote
• engender — to give rise to a feeling or a condition
• engulf — to swallow up completely
• enhance — to increase the value or quality of something
• enigma — a person or thing that is very hard to understand
• enjoin — to order someone to do something, or to forbid by court order
• enlighten — to give someone clear information or understanding
• enlist — to enrol in a service, or to obtain someone’s help
• enmity — deep and lasting hostility
• enormity — the extreme seriousness of a wrong
• enquire — to ask for information, or to hold a formal inquiry
• enrich — to improve the quality or value of something
• enrol — to register formally as a member or a student
• enshrine — to preserve a right or principle in a law or constitution
• ensue — to happen afterwards as a result
• ensure — to make certain that something happens
• entail — to involve something as a necessary consequence
• enterprise — a business undertaking, or bold initiative
• entertain — to give formal consideration to a petition or plea
• entice — to attract someone by offering something tempting
• entitle — to give someone a legal right to something
• entitlement — a benefit one has a legal right to receive
• entity — a thing with a separate and independent existence
• entrench — to establish something so firmly that change becomes difficult
• entrepreneur — a person who starts and runs a business, bearing the risk
• entrust — to give someone the responsibility for something
• enumerate — to list things one by one
• enunciate — to state a principle clearly and formally
• envisage — to foresee or plan for something in the future
• envoy — an official messenger or diplomat sent by a government
• ephemeral — lasting for a very short time
• epidemic — a disease spreading rapidly through a population
• epitome — a perfect example of a quality or type
• equanimity — calmness of mind under stress
• equilibrium — a state of balance between opposing forces
• equip — to supply with what is needed for a task
• equitable — fair and impartial to everyone concerned
• equity — fairness in treatment; also ownership capital in a company
• equivalent — equal in value, meaning or effect
• equivocal — deliberately unclear so as to avoid commitment
• eradicate — to destroy something completely
• erode — to wear away gradually
• erosion — the gradual wearing away of soil, value or authority
• erratic — irregular and unpredictable
• erroneous — containing a mistake; incorrect
• erstwhile — former; belonging to an earlier time
• erudite — having or showing deep learning
• escalate — to increase or intensify rapidly
• escalation — a rapid increase in intensity or cost
• eschew — to deliberately avoid using or doing something
• esoteric — understood only by a small group of specialists
• espouse — to adopt and support a cause or belief
• essential — absolutely necessary
• essentially — in its most basic and important respects
• establish — to set up firmly, or to prove something
• establishment — the permanent staff and structure of an office
• esteem — high regard or respect for someone
• estimate — an approximate calculation of value, cost or quantity
• estrange — to make someone hostile or distant from a person or group
• eternal — lasting forever
• ethical — morally right according to accepted principles
• ethnic — relating to a group with a shared culture or descent
• ethos — the characteristic spirit and values of a group
• etiquette — the accepted rules of polite or official conduct
• eulogy — a speech or piece of writing in high praise of someone
• euphemism — a mild word used in place of a blunt or unpleasant one
• euphoria — intense but usually short-lived elation
• evacuate — to move people away from a dangerous place
• evade — to avoid a duty, question or payment by cleverness
• evaluate — to judge the value or quality of something
• evasion — the act of unlawfully avoiding a duty or a payment
• evasive — avoiding a direct answer or a direct course
• even so — in spite of that; nevertheless
• eventuality — a possible event, especially an unwelcome one
• eventually — in the end, after much time or delay
• evict — to remove an occupant from property by legal process
• eviction — the legal removal of an occupant from property
• evident — clear and obvious from what can be seen
• evoke — to bring a feeling, memory or response into being
• evolve — to develop gradually into a more advanced form
• ex officio — holding a position by virtue of one’s office
• exacerbate — to make an already bad situation worse
• exact — to demand and obtain something by force or authority
• exaggerate — to represent something as larger or worse than it really is
• exalt — to raise someone to a higher rank, or to praise highly
• exasperate — to irritate someone intensely
• excavate — to dig out earth, or to uncover remains by digging
• exceed — to go beyond a permitted limit
• excel — to be exceptionally good at something
• exception — a case to which a general rule does not apply
• excerpt — a short extract taken from a text or a speech
• excess — an amount beyond what is allowed or needed
• exchequer — the account of public funds held by a government
• excise — a duty levied on goods produced within the country
• exclude — to keep or leave someone out
• exclusion — the act of keeping someone out of a benefit or a group
• exclusive — restricted to one person or body only
• exculpate — to clear someone of blame
• execute — to carry out a plan, or to sign a document so that it becomes valid
• execution — the carrying out of a plan, an order or a document
• executive — the branch of government that implements laws
• exemplary — serving as an outstanding model, or as a warning to others
• exemplify — to be a typical or ideal example of something
• exempt — to free someone from a duty or payment that others must bear
• exemption — official freedom from an obligation others must meet
• exercise — to make use of a power, right or discretion
• exert — to apply force, influence or effort
• exhaust — to use something up completely
• exhaustive — covering every possible detail
• exhibit — to display publicly, or to produce a document as evidence
• exhort — to urge someone strongly to do something
• exigency — an urgent need arising from a particular situation
• exile — forced or self-imposed absence from one’s own country
• exonerate — to clear of blame
• exorbitant — unreasonably high in price or amount
• expand — to increase in size, scope or coverage
• expatriate — a person living outside their native country
• expedient — convenient and practical, though possibly not fair or principled
• expedite — to make a process happen faster
• expeditious — done quickly and efficiently
• expel — to force someone to leave a body, institution or country
• expend — to spend money or use up effort on something
• expenditure — money spent, especially by a government
• expertise — specialised knowledge or skill in a field
• expire — to come to an end after a fixed period
• explicit — stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for doubt
• exploit — to use someone or something unfairly for one’s own gain
• exploitation — the unfair use of people or resources for profit
• exponent — a person who supports and explains an idea or practice
• exponential — increasing at a rapidly accelerating rate
• exposure — the state of being laid open to something harmful or public
• expound — to explain something in detail
• expropriate — for the state to take private property for a public purpose
• expulsion — the act of forcing someone out of a body or a place
• expunge — to strike words off an official record
• extant — still existing and not lost or destroyed
• extempore — spoken without preparation
• extensive — covering a large area or a wide range
• extenuate — to make an offence seem less serious by offering reasons
• extol — to praise something or someone highly
• extort — to obtain money or a confession by force or threats
• extortion — the crime of obtaining money by threats
• extradition — handing over an accused person to another country
• extraneous — not belonging to the matter under consideration
• extravagant — spending far more than is necessary
• extricate — to free someone or something from a difficulty
• extrinsic — coming from outside; not part of the essential nature of a thing
• exuberant — full of lively energy and enthusiasm
• exude — to display a quality strongly and openly