expound vb. (eks POUND) to explain in detail. The
astronomer liked to visit schools and expound on the universe to students.
extol vb. (eks TOHL) to praise; to laud. The coach liked to extol the virtues of his team, even when they had a losing season.
extortion n. (ex TOR shun) the forcing of one to pay money by means of intimidation, blackmail, or other illegal means. The gang member was convicted of extortion after threatening to burn down the home of anyone who refused to give him money.
extraneous adj. (ek STRAY nee us) unnecessary; superfluous. The key to powerful writing is to cut all extraneous words.
extrapolate vb. (ek STRAP uh layt) to make assumptions or draw conclusions from what is known. With the universe populated with millions of worlds, scientists extrapolate that aliens not only may exist but may be common.
extrovert adj. (EKS truh vurt) one who is sociable and outgoing. An introvert often prefers her own company, but an extrovert more often seeks out company.
exultant adj. (eg ZULT unt) jubilant. The employees were absolutely exultant over their raises.
facade n. (fuh SAHD) a front or mask; that which covers up something. He acted perfectly happy when he was told he wouldn't get a bonus, but I think that was only a facade.
facetious adj. (fah SEE shus) tongue-in-cheek; in a joking manner. She thought I was serious when I said I was going to run for president, but I was just being facetious.
facilitate vb. (fuh SIL uh tayt) to make easier; to simplify. The facilitate mailing, please include your zip code.
faction n. (FAK shun) a group with a common bond that has split off from a larger group. A right-wing faction claimed responsibility for the bombing.
fait accompli n. (FAY tuh kom PLEE) an irrevocable or irreversible act or deed. Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor was the fait accompli that pulled America into World War II.
fallacious adj. (fuh LAY shus) false; erroneous. You have no facts or statistics to back up your statements, so I suspect your argument is completely fallacious.
fallacy n. (FAL uh see) a popularly held belief that isn't true. That the Sun orbits the Earth instead of the other way around is a popular fallacy.
fallible adj. (FAL uh bul) capable of making errors; imperfect. Human beings are not computers; we are fallible.
fanatical adj. (fuh NAT uh kul) devoted and passionate; zealous; extreme. My best friend is fanatical about basketball and watches at least six college games every weekend.
farcical adj. (FARS i kul) absurd; ludicrous. Our attempts to put on a serious show turned farcical as the PA system broke and a spotlight came crashing down on the stage.
fastidious adj. (fah STID ee us) meticulous; needing and arranging things just so. He was a fastidious man who never seemed to have a single hair out of place.
faux pas n. (foh PAH) a social blunder. Forgetting the names of people you have just been introduced to is a common faux pas.
fawn vb. (FAWN) to try desperately to please someone by flattery and servile behavior. We watch in disgust as the underlings all fawn over the president.
feign vb. (FAYN) to fake or invent. Students and employees alike tend to feign illness most often on Mondays.
felonious adj. (fel OHN ee us) criminal; evil. His intentions of withdrawing money from the bank were purely felonious.
fervent adj. (FUR vunt) passionate; heated. She had a fervent desire to play in a professional soccer league.
fickle adj. (FIK ul) changing or likely to change often; capricious. Some teenagers are fickle and may have a crush on somebody new every month.
fidelity n. (fi DEL uh tee) loyalty; faithfulness. If your husband stayed out last night until 4 a.m., I would have to question his fidelity.
figurative adj. (FIG yur uh tiv) not literal; metaphorical. He claimed he would "die" if he didn't get an ice cream cone, but his statement was figurative; people can survive indefinitely without ice cream.
figurehead n. (FIG yur HED) one who appears to be in charge and have the power but in fact does not. Some presidents are just figureheads; it's their spouses who may have the real power.
finagle vb. (fin AY gul) to manipulate, maneuver, and pull strings to get something. My agent tried to finagle a deal in which I would play the lead in a new movie with the Muppets.
finesse n. (fin ESS) delicate skill. Some pitchers throw only fastballs, but others throw lots of different curves, relying more on finesse to strike batters out.
finite adj. (FIY NITE) limited. The earth contains only a finite amount of oil, and thus someday we'll be forced to develop an alternate energy source.
fission n. (FISH un) the splitting of the atom; a nuclear reaction. Fission is what makes an atomic bomb explode.
fixation n. (fix AY shun) a neurotic preoccupation or obsession. Some men have a fixation with blonds, while others go gaga over brunets.
flagrant adj. (FLAY grunt) glaring and outrageous. The star player was ejected from the game after committing another flagrant foul.
flamboyant adj. (flam BOY unt) ostentatious; loud; showy. The flamboyant hostess caught everyone's attention the moment she entered a room.
fledgling n. (FLEJ ling) a beginner; a neophyte. She fell off her skates seventeen times, but she was, after all, just a fledgling.
flippant adj. (FLIP unt) disrespectful, irreverent. Any more flippant remarks from you and I'll ask you to leave.
flux n. (FLUKS) flow; constant flow or change. To keep production in flux, the assembly line must never be allowed to shut down.