Dogmatic (adjective) Stating opinions as if they were unquestionably true, without allowing for debate.
Example: The professor's dogmatic insistence that there was only one correct interpretation frustrated students who wanted to debate.
Mnemonic: The word comes from 'dogma,' a fixed system of belief — a dogmatic person treats their own opinion like unquestionable dogma, closed to debate.
Ebullient (adjective) Overflowing with enthusiasm, energy, and high spirits.
Example: The ebullient coach could barely stand still on the sideline after her team scored the winning goal.
Mnemonic: Ebullient shares a root with 'boil' — an ebullient mood is one bubbling over with excitement like water at a rolling boil.
Eclectic (adjective) Made up of a wide variety of styles, ideas, or sources combined together.
Example: Her eclectic music collection ranged from baroque symphonies to underground hip-hop.
Mnemonic: The word contains 'elect' — an eclectic taste elects, or hand-picks, the best pieces from many different sources at once.
Effrontery (noun) Shocking boldness or disrespectful nerve.
Example: He had the effrontery to ask for a raise the same week he missed three separate deadlines.
Mnemonic: The word contains 'front' — someone with effrontery boldly puts their nerve right out front, without a trace of shame.
Egregious (adjective) Shockingly and obviously bad or wrong.
Example: The referee's egregious missed call decided the outcome of the entire championship game.
Mnemonic: 'E-' (out) plus 'greg' (flock, as in 'gregarious') — egregious once meant standing out from the herd; now it means standing out in a shockingly bad way.
Elicit (verb) To draw out a response, answer, or reaction from someone.
Example: The therapist's gentle questions were designed to elicit memories the patient had long suppressed.
Mnemonic: 'E-' (out) plus a root meaning to lure or draw forth — to elicit a reaction is to draw it out of someone.
Enervate (verb) To drain someone of energy, vitality, or strength.
Example: The oppressive summer heat enervated the hikers long before they reached the halfway point of the trail.
Mnemonic: 'E-' (out) plus 'nerv' (nerve or sinew) — to enervate someone is to strip out their nerve and strength, leaving them weak; don't mix it up with 'energize,' which means the exact opposite.
Enigmatic (adjective) Mysterious and difficult to interpret or fully understand.
Example: The Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile has puzzled viewers for over five hundred years.
Mnemonic: The word comes from 'enigma,' meaning riddle — an enigmatic person is basically a walking puzzle nobody can quite solve.
Equanimity (noun) A state of mental calmness and composure, especially under pressure or stress.
Example: She accepted the surprising diagnosis with a quiet equanimity that amazed everyone in the room.
Mnemonic: 'Equ-' means even (as in 'equal'), and 'anim' means mind or spirit (as in 'animate') — equanimity is keeping an even mind no matter what happens around you.
Equivocate (verb) To use vague or ambiguous language deliberately in order to avoid committing to a clear position.
Example: When asked directly if he supported the bill, the senator equivocated, giving three different vague answers.
Mnemonic: 'Equi-' (equal) plus 'voc' (voice, as in 'vocal') — to equivocate is to give two different meanings equal voice at once, so no one can pin you down to either.
Erudite (adjective) Showing deep, extensive knowledge gained from serious study and reading.
Example: The erudite professor could discuss anything from Roman history to string theory without missing a beat.
Mnemonic: The word comes from a Latin root meaning to instruct or polish — an erudite mind is one thoroughly polished by years of serious study.
Esoteric (adjective) Understood by or intended for only a small group with specialized knowledge.
Example: The seminar covered such esoteric aspects of tax law that even some lawyers in the audience looked lost.
Mnemonic: The word comes from a Greek term meaning 'further within' — esoteric knowledge is kept further inside a small circle, out of reach of outsiders.
Facetious (adjective) Joking about something, especially in a way that is inappropriate for the moment.
Example: His facetious comment about quitting his job was clearly a joke, but his boss didn't find it funny.
Mnemonic: An easy way to remember its spelling: facetious runs through every vowel in order, a-e-i-o-u, just like its joking tone slips past every serious moment.
Fallacious (adjective) Based on a mistaken belief or flawed reasoning; logically unsound.
Example: The lawyer pointed out that the witness's entire argument rested on a fallacious assumption about the timeline.
Mnemonic: Fallacious shares a root with 'fallacy' and 'fail' — a fallacious argument is one that ultimately fails the test of sound logic.
Fastidious (adjective) Extremely attentive to detail and difficult to please; excessively careful and particular.
Example: The fastidious editor rejected the draft three times over a single misplaced comma.
Mnemonic: Say it as 'fast' plus 'tedious' — a fastidious person moves in a painstakingly slow, tedious way because every last detail must be exactly right.
Fatuous (adjective) Silly and pointless in a self-satisfied, unaware way.
Example: His fatuous comment about the economy revealed that he hadn't read a single news article that week.
Mnemonic: Say it as 'fat, you' — picture someone puffed up with self-satisfaction while saying something completely foolish.
Fervent (adjective) Showing intense and passionate feeling or enthusiasm.
Example: The fervent crowd chanted for hours outside the stadium, refusing to let the rain dampen their spirit.
Mnemonic: Fervent shares a root with 'fervor' and 'ferment' — fervent feelings seem to bubble and boil inside a person just like fermenting liquid.
Flagrant (adjective) Conspicuously and shockingly obvious, especially in doing something wrong.
Example: The referee called a flagrant foul after the player elbowed his opponent in plain view of everyone.
Mnemonic: Flagrant shares a root with 'flame' — a flagrant violation blazes brightly enough in plain sight that nobody could miss it.
Fortuitous (adjective) Happening by lucky chance rather than by design or planning.
Example: Their meeting at the airport gate turned out to be fortuitous, since he ended up hiring her on the spot.
Mnemonic: Fortuitous shares a root with 'fortune' — a fortuitous event feels like a stroke of good fortune landing in your lap by accident.
Frugal (adjective) Careful and economical in spending money or using resources.
Example: Despite his enormous salary, he remained frugal, still packing his own lunch every single day.
Mnemonic: Frugal shares a root meaning fruit or value — a frugal person makes sure every single dollar produces its full worth before it's spent.
Furtive (adjective) Done secretly or slyly to avoid being noticed.
Example: She cast a furtive glance at her phone under the table, hoping the teacher wouldn't notice.
Mnemonic: Furtive sounds like 'for thieves' — furtive behavior is the sneaky, hush-hush kind you'd expect from someone trying hard not to get caught.
Garrulous (adjective) Talking excessively, especially about unimportant or trivial things.
Example: The garrulous cab driver talked nonstop about his childhood for the entire forty-minute ride.
Mnemonic: Picture a chatterbox who never runs out of stories, jumping from topic to topic without ever pausing for breath — that nonstop chatter is garrulous.
Grandiloquent (adjective) Using extravagant, pompous language meant to impress rather than communicate clearly.
Example: The grandiloquent toast went on for fifteen minutes, full of fancy words but light on genuine feeling.
Mnemonic: 'Grand' plus 'loqu' (speech, as in 'eloquent') — grandiloquent language tries so hard to sound grand that it piles on big words just to impress.
Gratuitous (adjective) Done or given without any real justification or necessity; uncalled for.
Example: Critics complained that the film's violence was gratuitous, adding nothing to the plot or characters.
Mnemonic: Gratuitous shares a root with 'gratis,' meaning free — something gratuitous gets thrown in for free, without being earned or truly needed.
Gregarious (adjective) Fond of company; sociable and enjoying the presence of others.
Example: Being naturally gregarious, she made three new friends within the first hour of the conference.
Mnemonic: The word comes from a Latin term for flock or herd — a gregarious person, like a herd animal, always wants to be surrounded by the group.