Engender

mediumNeutral tone

en-JEN-der

verb

Definition

To cause or give rise to; to produce or bring about

Memory hook

EN-GENDER: to GENERATE something new — to cause or give rise to.

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Word roots

inin(Latin)
generareto beget/produce(Latin)

Learning roots unlocks whole word families. Study common GRE root words.

Examples

The new policy engendered heated debate among the committee members.
His reckless behavior engendered distrust among his colleagues.

Test yourself

Fill in the blank with the right word:

The new policy ______ heated debate among the committee members.
Show answer

engendered

Synonyms

generateproducebegetfoster

Antonyms

suppressstiflequashextinguish

Categories

View all Cause words

GRE Tip

Engender is a medium-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "generate" or "produce" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "suppress".

Read: How to Memorize GRE Words That Actually Stick

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