
eager | eager: adj. avid, zealous, ardent, earnest, keen, enthusiastic, hot, hungry, fervent, fervid, passionate, spirited, inspirited, energetic, energized, vehement, animated, excited, vitalized, stimulated; desirous, yearning, desiring, craving, wanting, longing, itchy, impatient; anxious; Colloq dying, Slang US hot to trot: We were particularly eager to spend our holiday in Spain.
eagerness | eagerness: n. 1 avidity, zeal, earnestness, keenness, enthusiasm, fervour, hunger, vehemence, animation, vitality, appetite, zest, relish, spirit, spiritedness, gusto, verve, dash, �lan, vim, vigour, energy, Colloq get-up-and-go, zip, go: Such eagerness for learning is rare. In his eagerness to please everyone he satisfies no one. 2 desire, longing, wishing, yearning: He observed the eagerness, the open hunger, with which she now waited for Mr Browning.
eagle-eyed | eagle-eyed: adj. sharp-eyed, sharp-sighted, keen-eyed, keen-sighted, lynx-eyed, hawk-eyed; perceptive, perspicacious, discerning, sharp, watchful, alert: It would be impossible to deceive our eagle-eyed supervisor.
ear | ear: n. 1 attention, heed, notice, regard, consideration: See if you can get his ear for a moment between meetings. 2 sensitivity, appreciation, taste, discrimination: She has an excellent ear for the right expression.
early | early: adv. 1 beforehand, ahead (of time), prematurely: I arrived too early and had to wait. 2 anciently, initially, originally, at or near the start or beginning: Plants appeared early in the development of life forms on earth. 3 betimes, at cock crow or cock''s-crow, at (the crack or break of) dawn, at daybreak: You''re up early this morning! --adj. 4 untimely, premature; inopportune, inappropriate: The early fruit isn''t as sweet. 5 initial, beginning, original, first, pioneer, advanced: He was one of the earliest writers on the subject. 6 primeval, primitive, primordial, ancient, old, prehistoric, antediluvian, original; antique, antiquated: The Olduvai Gorge has yielded up many early humanoid fossils.
earn | earn: v. 1 merit, deserve, be worthy of, be entitled to, win, warrant, rate, qualify for, have a claim or right to: Peter has earned everyone''s respect. 2 make, pocket, gross, net, clear, realize, receive, get, procure, collect, reap, bring in, take home; draw, Colloq US pull down: It is still the case that most men earn more than their wives.
earnest | earnest: adj. 1 serious, solemn, grave, sober, intense, steady, resolute, resolved, firm, determined, assiduous, sincere, dedicated, committed, devoted, thoughtful: He made an earnest promise to do his best. 2 zealous, ardent, diligent, assiduous, industrious, hard-working, devoted, eager, conscientious, keen, fervent, fervid, enthusiastic, passionate: Burbridge is an earnest pupil. 3 earnest-money. deposit, down payment, binder, handsel, guarantee, security, pledge: The company paid �10,000 earnest-money to secure the bid. --n. 4 in earnest. serious, sincere: She said she would come, but I doubt whether she was in earnest.
earnings | earnings: n.pl. wages, salary, income, compensation, pay, stipend, emolument, proceeds, return, revenue, yield, takings, Slang take: The interest from tax-free bonds was not included in my earnings.
earth | earth: n. 1 globe, mother earth, planet, world, blue planet, Terra: Ozone depletion in the upper atmosphere may be threatening life on earth. 2 soil, dirt, loam, sod, clay, turf, ground, mould: Pack the earth firmly around the roots.
earthly | earthly: adj. 1 terrestrial, terrene, telluric: Extraterrestrial beings might be unable to survive in our earthly atmosphere. 2 worldly, mundane, material, materialistic, physical, non-spiritual, sensual, carnal, fleshly, corporeal, base, natural: He has forsaken earthly pleasures in favour of spiritual pursuits. 3 human, temporal, secular, profane, mortal, physical, non-spiritual, material: His earthly remains were committed to the sea. 4 conceivable, imaginable, feasible, possible: What earthly reason could she have had for kissing me?
earthy | earthy: adj. ribald, bawdy, unrefined, coarse, crude, shameless, wanton, uninhibited, abandoned, vulgar, lusty, rough, dirty, indecent, obscene: She found Henry Miller''s books a bit too earthy for her tastes.
ease | ease: n. 1 comfort, repose, well-being, relaxation, leisure, rest, contentment, calmness, tranquillity, serenity, peacefulness, peace, peace and quiet: After 50 years of hard work, she felt entitled to a few years of ease. 2 easiness, simplicity, facility, effortlessness, adeptness: He passed the other runners with ease. 3 affluence, wealth, prosperity, luxury, opulence, abundance, plenty: He has always led a life of ease, never having had to work. 4 naturalness, informality, unaffectedness, ingenuousness, casualness, artlessness, insouciance, nonchalance, aplomb; unconcern: I admire the ease with which she converses with complete strangers. --v. 5 comfort, relax, calm, tranquillize, quieten, still, pacify, soothe, disburden: It eased his mind to learn that there was a reserve budget for emergencies. 6 lessen, diminish, abate, mitigate, reduce, decrease, allay, alleviate, assuage, mollify, appease, palliate, quiet, relieve: Her anxiety was considerably eased by the news that John would not need an operation after all. 7 manoeuvre, manipulate, inch, guide, steer, slip: The helmsman eased the ship into dock. 8 facilitate, expedite, simplify, smooth, further, clear, assist, aid, advance, forward, help: Having a wealthy father eased her way in life.
easily | easily: adv. 1 smoothly, effortlessly, readily, simply, handily, without a hitch, hands down, without even trying, comfortably, with no or without difficulty, Colloq easy as pie: You can easily tackle the job yourself. 2 by far, beyond or without doubt or question, indisputably, indubitably, undoubtedly, doubtless(ly), unquestionably, clearly, far and away, definitely, definitively, conclusively, certainly, surely, undeniably, obviously, patently: He is easily the best lawyer in the firm. 3 probably, most or very likely, well, almost certainly: We may easily be the first in Hampton to have plaster flamingos on the lawn.
easy | easy: adj. 1 simple, effortless, plain, clear, straightforward, hands down, uncomplicated, elementary, foolproof; easy as pie, easy as can be: Feeding goldfish is an easy job that children can undertake for themselves. 2 carefree, easygoing, casual, lenient, undemanding, relaxed, quiet, serene, restful, tranquil, peaceful, untroubled, undisturbed, unoppressive, gentle, mild, calm, comfortable, cosy, unhurried, leisurely: He has a pretty easy life now that he''s retired. 3 light, lenient, undemanding, mild, flexible, indulgent, tolerant: You really should be easy on him after what he''s been through. 4 tractable, pliant, docile, compliant, submissive, acquiescent, amenable, accommodating, soft, suggestible, credulous, trusting, weak, easygoing: He was an easy victim for confidence tricksters. She has the reputation of being a woman of easy virtue. 5 unstrained, gentle, moderate, unhurried, leisurely, even, steady, undemanding, comfortable, unexacting: They kept up an easy pace of about five miles a hour. 6 affable, friendly, amiable, amicable, agreeable, outgoing, informal, unceremonious, down-to-earth, unreserved, relaxing, natural, relaxed, easygoing: We found them easy to be with. --adv. 7 effortlessly; calmly, unexcitedly, temperately, peacefully, tranquilly, serenely, nonchalantly, casually: Take it easy and don''t get so worked up about things.
easygoing | easygoing: adj. relaxed, casual, mellow, carefree, undemanding, easy, even-tempered, forbearing, lenient, tolerant, permissive, over-tolerant, over-permissive, lax, weak, Colloq wishy-washy, laid-back: He''s an easygoing sort of person.
eat | eat: v. dine, lunch, breakfast, sup, break bread, snack, have a bite; consume, devour, take (in) nourishment, Colloq put or pack away, Slang nosh, put or tie on the nosebag or US and Canadian feed-bag: I''m not hungry, thank you: I''ve already eaten.
eavesdrop | eavesdrop: v. listen in, tap, overhear, snoop; spy, pry: They were eavesdropping on our conversation, that''s how they knew about Martha.
