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Difficult Words: Eccentric, Ebullient, Eclectic, Edify, Efface and Effusion
Difficult Words: Eccentric, Ebullient, Eclectic, Edify, Efface and Effusion
Ebullient (i BUL yunt) adj: boiling; bubbling with excitement; exuberant
A boiling liquid can be called ebullient. More often, though this word describes excited or enthusiastic people.
The roaring crowd in a full stadium before the World Series might be said to be ebullient.
A person overflowing with enthusiasm might be said to be ebullient.
Martha was ebullient when her fairy godmother said she could use one of her three wishes to wish for three more wishes.
Someone or something that is ebullient is characterized by ebullience.
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Eccentric (ik SEN trik) adj: not conventional; a little kooky; irregular
The eccentric inventor spent all his waking hours fiddling with what he said was a time machine but was actually just an old telephone booth.
Fred's Political views are eccentric. He believes that we should have Kings Instad of Presidents and that the government should raise money by holding bake sales.
The rocket followed an eccentric course; first it veered in one direction, then it veered in another, then it crashed.
An eccentric person is a person who has eccentricities.
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Eclectic (i KLEK tik) adj: choosing the best from many sources; drawn from many sources
Zeke's taste in art was eclectic. He liked the Old Masters, the Impressionists and Walt Disney.
The eclectic menu included dishes from many different countries.
George's eclectic reading made him well rounded.
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Edify (ED uh FYE) v: to enlighten; to instruct, especially in moral or religious matters
We found the Pastor's sermon on the importance of not eating beans to be most edifying.
The teacher's goal was to edify her students, not to force a handful of facts down their throats.
We would have felt lost at the art show had not the excellent and informative programs been provided for our edification.
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Efface (I FASE) v: to erase; to rub away the features of
The inscription on the tombstone had been effaced by centuries of weather.
The vandals effaced the delicate carving by rubbing it with sandpaper.
We tried to efface the dirty words that had been written on the front of our house, but nothing would remove them.
To be self-effacing is to be modest. Jennings is self-effacing; He won an Olympic gold medal and all he said was "Aw, shucks. I'm just a regular fellow.”
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Effusion (I FYOO zhun) n: a pouring forth
When the child was rescued from the well there was an intense effusion of emotion from the crowd that had gathered around the hole.
The madman's writings consisted of a steady effusion of nonsense.
To be effusive is to be highly emotional. Sally's effusive thanks for our silly little present made us feel somewhat embarrassed, so we decided to move to a different city.