SAT Terms 3

curtail

to lessen, reduce

elucidate

to clarify, explain

elude

to evade, escape

emaciated

very thin, enfeebled looking

embellish

to decorate, adorn; to add details to, enhance

embezzle

to steal money by falsifying records

emend

to correct or revise a written text

emnent

distinguished, prominent, famous

emollient

soothing

emote

to express emotion

empathy

sensitivity to another's feeling as if they were one's own

empirical

based on observation or experience; capable of being proved or disproved by experiment

emulate

to imitate

enamor

to fill with love, fascinate, usually used in passive form followed by "of" or "with"

encore

the audience's demand for a repeat performance; also the artist's performance in response to that demand

encumber

to weigh down, burden

enervate

to weaken, exhaust

enfranchise

to grant the vote to

engender

to bring about, create, generate

enigmatic

mystifying, cryptic

enmity

ill will, hatred, hostility

ennui

boredom, weariness

entail

to include as a necessary step

enthrall

to charm, hold spellbound

ephemeral

short-lived; fleeting

epistolary

relating to or contained in letters

epitome

a perfect example, embodiment

equanimity

composure

equivocal

ambiguous, uncertain, undecided

erudite

learned

eschew

to shun, avoid

esoteric

understood by only a select few

espouse

to take up as a cause, support

ethereal

heavenly, exceptionally delicate or refined

etymology

the history of words, their origin and development

euphoric

elated, uplifted

evanescent

fleeting, momentary

evince

to show, reveal

exacerbate

to make more violent, intense

exalt

to glorify, praise

exasperate

to irritate, irk

excavate

to dig out of the ground and remove

exculpate

to free from guilt or blame, exonerate

excursion

a trip or outing

execrable

loathsome, detestable

exhort

to urge, prod, spur

exigent

urgent, critical

exonerate

to free from guilt or blame

exorbitant

excessive

expedient

advisable, advantageous, serving one's self-interest

expiate

to make amends for, atone

expunge

to obliterate, eradicate

expurgate

to remove offensive or incorrect parts, usually of a book

extant

existing, not destroyed or lost

extol

to praise, revere

extraneous

irrelevant, extra, not necessary

extricate

to disentangle

exult

to rejoice

fabricate

to make up, invent

facade

the wall of a building; a deceptive appearance or attitude

facile

easy, requiring little effort

fallacious

incorrect, misleading

fastidious

meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards

fathom

to understand, comprehend

fatuous

silly, foolish

fecund

fruitful, fertile

felicitous

well suited, apt; delightful, pleasing

feral

wild, savage

fervent

ardent, passionate

fetid

having a foul odor

fetter

to chain, restrain

fickle

shifting in character, inconstant

fidelity

loyalty, devotion

figurative

symbolic

flabbergasted

astounded

flaccid

limp, not firm or strong

flagrant

offensive, egregious

florid

flowery, ornate

flout

to disregard or disobey openly

foil

to thwart, frustrate, defeat

forage

to graze, rummage for food

forbearance

patience, restraint, toleration

forestall

to prevent, thwart, delay

forlorn

lonely, abandoned, hopeless

fosake

to give up, renounce

fortitude

strength, guts

fortuitous

happening by chance, often lucky or fortunate

forum

a medium for lecture or discussion

foster

to stimulate, promote, encourage

fractious

troublesome or irritable

fraught

filled or accompanied with

frenetic

frenzied, hectic, frantic

frivolous

of little importance, trifling

frugal

thrifty, economical

furtive

secretive, sly

garish

gaudy, in bad taste

garrulous

talkative, wordy

genial

friendly, affable

gluttony

overindulgence in food or drink

goad

to urge, spur, incite to action