ENCROACH (en KROHCH) v to make gradual or stealthy inroads into; to trespass
- As the city grew, it encroached on the countryside surrounding it.
- With an encroaching sense of dread, I slowly pushed open the blood-spattered door.
- My neighbor encroached on my yard by building his new stockade fence a few feet on my
side of the property line.
EQUANIMITY (ek wuh NIM uh tee) n composure; calm
- The entire apartment building was crumbling, but Rachel faced the disaster with
equanimity. She ducked out of the way of a falling beam and continued searching for an
exit. - John’s mother looked at the broken glass on the floor with equanimity; at least he didn’t
hurt himself when he knocked over the vase.
EQUITABLE (EK wuh tuh bul) adj fair
- The pirates distributed the loot equitably among themselves, so that each pirate received
the same share as every other pirate. - The divorce settlement was quite equitable. Sheila got the right half of the house, and
Tom got the left half.
Equity is fairness; inequity is unfairness. Iniquity and inequity both mean unfair, but iniquity
implies wickedness as well. By the way, equity is also a finance term used to refer to how
much something (usually property or a business) is worth after subtracting what is owed on it,
i.e., home equity.
EQUIVOCAL (ih KWIV uh kul) adj ambiguous; intentionally confusing; capable of being
interpreted in more than one way To be equivocal is to be intentionally ambiguous or unclear.
- Joe’s response was equivocal; we couldn’t tell whether he meant yes or no, which is
precisely what Joe wanted. - Dr. Festen’s equivocal diagnosis made us think that he had no idea what Mrs. Johnson
had.
To be equivocal is to equivocate. To equivocate is to mislead by saying confusing or
ambiguous things:
- When we asked Harold whether that was his car that was parked in the middle of the
hardware store, he equivocated and asked, “In which aisle?”
EVOKE (i VOHK) v to summon forth; to draw forth; to awaken; to produce or suggest
- The car trip with our children evoked many memories of similar car trips I had taken with my
own parents when I was a child. - Professor Herman tried repeatedly but was unable to evoke any but the most meager
response from his students.