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DISPARATE
- (adj): fundamentally different; entirely unlike
- ex: Although the twins appear to be identical physically, their personalities are DISPARATE.
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DISSEMBLE
- (v): to present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or character
- ex: The villian could DISSEMBLE to the police no longer--he admitted the deed and tore up the floor to reveal the body of the old man.
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DISSONANCE
- (n): a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds
- ex: Cognitive DISSONANCE is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beliefs are contradicted by new evidence.
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DOGMA
- (n): a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
- ex: Linus's central DOGMA was that children who believed in the Great Pumpkin would be rewarded.
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DOGMATIC
- (adj): dictatorial in one's opinions
- ex: The dictator was DOGMATIC--he, and only he, was right.
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DUPE
- (v,n): to deceive; a person who is easily deceived
- ex: Bugs Bunny was able to DUPE Elmer Fudd by dressing up as a lady rabbit.
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ECLECTIC
- (n): selecting from or made up from a variety of sources
- ex: Budapest's architecture is an ECLECTIC mix of Eastern and Western styles.
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EFFICACY
- (n): effectiveness
- ex: The EFFICACY of penicillin was unsurpassed when it was first introduced; the drug completely eliminated almost all bacterial infections for which it was administered.
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ELEGY
- (n): a sorrowful poem or speech
- ex: Although Thomas Gray's "ELEGY Written in a Country Churchyard" is about death and loss, it urges its readers to endure this life and to trust in spirituality.
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ELOQUENT
- (adj): persuasive and moving, especially in speech
- ex: The Gettysburg Address is moving not only because of its lofty sentiments but also because of its ELOQUENT words.
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EMULATE
- (v): to copy; to try to equal or excel
- ex: The graduate student sought to EMULATE his professor in every way, copying not only how she taught but also how she conducted herself outside of class.
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ENERVATE
- (v): to reduce in strength
- ex: The guerrillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would ENERVATE the regular amy.
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ENGENDER
- (v): to produce, cause, or bring about
- ex: his fear and hatred of clowns was ENGENDERED when he witnessed the death of his father at the hands of a clown.
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ENIGMA
- (n): a puzzle; a mystery
- ex: Speaking in riddles and dressed in old robes, the artist gained a reputation as something of an ENIGMA.
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ENUMERATE
- (v): to count, list, or itemize
- ex: Moses returned from the mountain with tablets on which the commandments were ENUMERATED.
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EPHEMERAL
- (adj): lasting a short time
- ex: The lives of mayflies seem EPHEMERAL to us, since the flies' average life span is a matter of hours.
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EQUIVOCATE
- (v): to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead; be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information
- ex: when faced with criticism of her policies, the politician EQUIVOCATED and left all parties thinking she agreed with them.
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ERRATIC
- (adj): wandering and unpredictable
- ex: The plot seemed predictable until it suddenly took a series of ERRATIC turns that surprised the audience.
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ERUDITE
- (adj): learned, scholarly, bookish
- ex: The annual meeting of philosophy professors was a gathering of the most ERUDITE, well-published individuals in the field
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ESOTERIC
- (adj): known or understood by only a few.
- ex: Only a handful of experts are knowledgeable about the ESOTERIC world of particle physics.
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