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11 Plus Vocabulary Words Starting With E

38 words with meanings, synonyms, antonyms & example sentences

These are the 38 vocabulary words starting with E from our free 565-word 11 plus vocabulary list, from earnest to extremely including 2 advanced words of the kind that separates top verbal reasoning scores. Each entry shows the meaning, synonyms, antonyms and an example sentence — the exact skills tested in GL and CEM verbal reasoning, comprehension and cloze questions. You can also download the full list as a free PDF or practise these words with our free vocabulary games.

earnest

/ˈɜːnɪst/adjective/noun
Intermediate

Sincere and serious in intention; showing deep conviction.

“She made an earnest attempt to improve her grades.”

Synonyms: sincere, serious, genuine, heartfelt

Antonyms: insincere, frivolous, half-hearted

economical

/ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪkəl/adjective
Intermediate

Giving good value in relation to resources used; avoiding waste.

“The small car is very economical on fuel.”

Synonyms: thrifty, efficient, cost-effective, frugal

Antonyms: wasteful, extravagant, expensive

elect

/ɪˈlekt/verb/adjective
Intermediate

To choose someone by voting; to decide to do something.

“The citizens will elect a new mayor next month.”

Synonyms: choose, vote for, select, pick

Antonyms: reject, refuse, dismiss

elude

/ɪˈluːd/verb
Advanced

To escape from or avoid something, especially by being clever or skilful.

“The answer continued to elude her despite hours of thinking.”

Synonyms: escape, evade, avoid, dodge

Antonyms: confront, face, encounter

embarrass

/ɪmˈbærəs/verb
Intermediate

To cause someone to feel awkward, self-conscious, or ashamed.

“His public mistake embarrassed him greatly.”

Synonyms: humiliate, shame, mortify, fluster

Antonyms: comfort, reassure, encourage

embrace

/ɪmˈbreɪs/verb/noun
Intermediate

To hold someone closely in one's arms; to accept willingly.

“She ran to embrace her grandmother at the airport.”

Synonyms: hug, accept, welcome, adopt

Antonyms: reject, refuse, shun

emerge

/ɪˈmɜːdʒ/verb
Intermediate

To come out from somewhere; to become known or apparent.

“The butterfly emerged from its cocoon.”

Synonyms: appear, arise, surface, materialise

Antonyms: disappear, vanish, recede

empire

/ˈempaɪə/noun
Intermediate

A group of countries or regions controlled by one ruler or government; a large business organisation.

“The Roman Empire lasted for centuries.”

Synonyms: kingdom, realm, domain, dominion

employ

/ɪmˈplɔɪ/verb
Intermediate

To give work to someone and pay them for it; to make use of something.

“The factory employs over five hundred workers.”

Synonyms: hire, engage, use, utilise

Antonyms: dismiss, fire, discharge

endeavour

/ɪnˈdevə/verb/noun
Advanced

To try hard to do or achieve something; a serious attempt.

“We will endeavour to complete the project on time.”

Synonyms: attempt, strive, try, effort

Antonyms: neglect, abandon, quit

endure

/ɪnˈdjʊə/verb
Intermediate

To suffer through something difficult patiently; to remain in existence.

“Athletes must endure intense training to compete.”

Synonyms: bear, tolerate, withstand, survive

Antonyms: surrender, yield, collapse

enterprise

/ˈentəpraɪz/noun
Intermediate

A business or company; a project or undertaking that requires boldness and effort.

“She started her own enterprise selling handmade jewellery.”

Synonyms: business, venture, project, undertaking

entire

/ɪnˈtaɪə/adjective
Intermediate

Whole; with no part left out; complete.

“She read the entire book in one day.”

Synonyms: whole, complete, full, total

Antonyms: partial, incomplete, fractional

entirely

/ɪnˈtaɪəli/adverb
Intermediate

Completely; wholly; in every way.

“The situation is entirely different from what I expected.”

Synonyms: completely, totally, wholly, absolutely

Antonyms: partially, partly, somewhat

environment

/ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt/noun
Intermediate

The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives; the natural world.

“Protecting the environment is everyone's responsibility.”

Synonyms: surroundings, habitat, setting, conditions

equip

/ɪˈkwɪp/verb
Intermediate

To supply with the necessary items for a particular purpose.

“The school aims to equip students with essential life skills.”

Synonyms: supply, furnish, provide, outfit

Antonyms: deprive, strip, divest

equipment

/ɪˈkwɪpmənt/noun
Intermediate

The necessary items for a particular purpose; tools, machinery, or supplies.

“The laboratory has state-of-the-art equipment.”

Synonyms: gear, apparatus, tools, supplies

equipped

/ɪˈkwɪpt/adjective/verb
Intermediate

Supplied with the necessary items; prepared or fitted out.

“The kitchen is fully equipped with modern appliances.”

Synonyms: supplied, prepared, furnished, fitted

Antonyms: unprepared, lacking, deprived

erect

/ɪˈrekt/verb/adjective
Intermediate

To build or put up a structure; standing upright and straight.

“Workers will erect the scaffolding tomorrow.”

Synonyms: build, construct, raise, upright

Antonyms: demolish, destroy, bent

errand

/ˈerənd/noun
Intermediate

A short journey undertaken to deliver or collect something or to complete a task.

“She ran a few errands before coming home.”

Synonyms: task, job, chore, mission

especially

/ɪˈspeʃəli/adverb
Intermediate

To a great extent; more than usually; particularly.

“I love all fruits, especially strawberries.”

Synonyms: particularly, notably, specifically, chiefly

Antonyms: generally, ordinarily

estimate

/ˈestɪmeɪt/verb/noun
Intermediate

To roughly calculate or judge the value, number, or extent of something.

“Can you estimate how long the journey will take?”

Synonyms: calculate, assess, gauge, approximation

Antonyms: exact, precise

evaluation

/ɪˌvæljuˈeɪʃən/noun
Intermediate

The process of judging or calculating the quality, importance, or value of something.

“Students receive a detailed evaluation of their performance.”

Synonyms: assessment, appraisal, review, judgement

evident

/ˈevɪdənt/adjective
Intermediate

Clearly seen or understood; obvious.

“It was evident that she had been crying.”

Synonyms: obvious, clear, apparent, plain

Antonyms: unclear, hidden, obscure

exaggerate

/ɪɡˈzædʒəreɪt/verb
Intermediate

To represent something as larger, better, or worse than it really is.

“He tends to exaggerate his achievements.”

Synonyms: overstate, magnify, embellish, amplify

Antonyms: understate, minimise, downplay

excellent

/ˈeksələnt/adjective
Intermediate

Extremely good; outstanding.

“She received excellent marks on her exam.”

Synonyms: outstanding, superb, exceptional, first-rate

Antonyms: poor, terrible, inferior

excitement

/ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/noun
Intermediate

A feeling of great enthusiasm and eagerness; something that causes such feelings.

“The children could barely contain their excitement.”

Synonyms: enthusiasm, thrill, exhilaration, anticipation

Antonyms: boredom, apathy, indifference

exciting

/ɪkˈsaɪtɪŋ/adjective
Intermediate

Causing great enthusiasm and eagerness; thrilling.

“The match was incredibly exciting to watch.”

Synonyms: thrilling, exhilarating, stimulating, gripping

Antonyms: boring, dull, tedious

exclaim

/ɪkˈskleɪm/verb
Intermediate

To cry out suddenly, especially in surprise, joy, or anger.

“"What a beautiful sunset!" she exclaimed.”

Synonyms: cry out, shout, call out, declare

Antonyms: whisper, murmur, mutter

existence

/ɪɡˈzɪstəns/noun
Intermediate

The fact or state of living or being real; a way of living.

“Scientists debate the existence of life on other planets.”

Synonyms: being, reality, life, presence

Antonyms: nonexistence, absence, death

expel

/ɪkˈspel/verb
Intermediate

To force someone to leave a place, especially as a punishment; to force out.

“The student was expelled for breaking school rules.”

Synonyms: eject, remove, banish, dismiss

Antonyms: admit, accept, welcome

expense

/ɪkˈspens/noun
Intermediate

The cost required for something; money spent on something.

“The expense of the renovation was higher than expected.”

Synonyms: cost, charge, expenditure, outlay

Antonyms: income, revenue, profit

explanation

/ˌekspləˈneɪʃən/noun
Intermediate

A statement or account that makes something clear; the reason given for something.

“The teacher provided a clear explanation of the concept.”

Synonyms: clarification, description, account, interpretation

Antonyms: confusion, mystery

extended

/ɪkˈstendɪd/adjective/verb
Intermediate

Made longer or larger; stretched out; lasting longer than usual.

“She took an extended leave of absence from work.”

Synonyms: prolonged, lengthened, stretched, expanded

Antonyms: shortened, brief, contracted

exterior

/ɪkˈstɪəriə/noun/adjective
Intermediate

The outer surface or part of something; situated on the outside.

“The exterior of the building was painted white.”

Synonyms: outside, outer, external, surface

Antonyms: interior, inside, internal

extinction

/ɪkˈstɪŋkʃən/noun
Intermediate

The state of no longer existing; the dying out of a species.

“Many species are facing extinction due to habitat loss.”

Synonyms: dying out, disappearance, annihilation, eradication

Antonyms: survival, preservation, continuation

extract

/ɪkˈstrækt/verb/noun
Intermediate

To remove or take out something; a passage taken from a text or a substance drawn out.

“Dentists sometimes need to extract teeth.”

Synonyms: remove, withdraw, passage, excerpt

Antonyms: insert, add, introduce

extremely

/ɪkˈstriːmli/adverb
Intermediate

To a very great degree; exceedingly.

“The exam was extremely difficult.”

Synonyms: very, exceedingly, exceptionally, immensely

Antonyms: slightly, somewhat, moderately

← Words starting with DWords starting with F →

Turn these 38 words into marks

The interactive word list adds British audio pronunciation, memory tips and progress tracking for every word — and our 6 free vocabulary games turn revision into play.

Open the Interactive Word ListPlay Vocabulary Games

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