dissonant

adj. (opp.:harmonious) discordant; lacking harmony; inconsistent; disagreeing: dissonance, n.

The protesters were a dissonant factor in the weekends ceremonies.

elicit

v. to draw out or call forth; evoke:

His denial of guilt elicited angry protests from the victim.

eloquent

adj. smooth, effective, and persuasive, as a speaker or speech: eloquence, n.

The lawyer made an eloquent appeal for justice.

elucidate

v. to make clear or explain; clarify:

He elucidated how the complex physics problem could be solved.

emaciated

adj. (opp.: obese, corpulent) extremely thin, as from starvation or disease:

I was overcome with sadness when I stepped off of the plane and saw the emaciated bodies in the famine-stricken land.

enmity

n. a feeling of hatred; hostility; antagonism:

Loving the same man caused enmity between the sisters.

ensconce

v. to position (oneself) firmly or comfortably, or to cover or hide for protection:

She was ensconced on the lounge for the evening.

epitaph

n. a message on a person's gravestone; a brief writing in praise of one who has died. 

The epitaph on his tomb read, "His spirit of fellowship with those of the Creek nation helped Americans found the city of Columbus.

epitomize

v. to represent purely and fully or to summarize briefly: epitome, n.

His life epitomized selfishness.

equivocate

v. to purposely express indirectly or ambiguously to deceive:

Not sure what to say, Derrick equivocated when asked about his plans.

erudite

adj. having a high level of scholarly knowledge; learned: erudition, n.

Kristin thought that she was fortunate to have such an erudite calculus instructor.

eschew

v. to avoid or refuse; shun:

Someone on a diet eschews candy.

esoteric

adj. know only by a few who have special training or interests:

Brian went into the esoteric field of gene splicing.

espouse

v. to take up, or commit oneself to:

They espoused the environmental cause of cleaning up our oceans.

ethereal

adj. extremely light, delicate; beyond the worldly; celestial:

The ethereal music coming out of the speaker made the listeners feel as if they were floating in a dream.

eulogy

a tribute, esp. to honor a dead person; high praise: eulogize v.

The book included eulogies for several poets.

euphemism

n. a milder, more pleasant expression substituted for a more offensive one: euphemistic, adj.

"Put to sleep" is a euphemism for "kill."

evanescent

adj. tending to disappear like vapor; fleeting: evanescence, n.

By the time her fortieth reunion arrived, she only had an evanescent memory of her youthful days.

exacerbate

v. (opp.: alleviate) to increase the pain or severity of; aggravate, or make bitter; irritate:

To know that he was responsible exacerbated the pain of his son's death.

excerpt

v., n. (to select and use) a short passage from a writing, film, or other media

The instructor read excerpts of her best dialogues.

exhume

v. (opp.: inter) to dig out, as from a grave; restore to prominence, esp. following obscurity: exhumation, n.

Feeling nostalgic for his glory days, he exhumed all his old athletic trophies and other memorabilia.

exigency

n. urgency, demands, or needs relating to a condition or situation: exigent, adj.

The new parents were unprepared for the exigencies of having small children.

fathom

v. to understand completely; get to the bottom of: fathomable, fathomless, adj.

Her illustrations helped him fathom the physics principles.

fatuous

adj. smugly foolish or stupid: fatuity, fatuousness, n.

His fatuous expression showed he felt no regret for his misbehavior.

foible

n. a minor flaw or weakness, as in personality or character

Constantly saying "uh" is a foible of his.