enumerate

Enumerate means to name or list things one by one.

Enumerate is typically used as a more formal alternative to the verb list. It emphasizes the fact that things are being specifically identified and listed one at a time.

Less commonly, enumerate simply means to count. In Canada, it has a much more specific use: it means to enter names in an area’s voting list.

Example: I welcome constructive criticism, but you don’t have to enumerate every single one of my mistakes in front of the rest of the people at the meeting.

The first records of enumerate come from the 1600s. It derives from the Latin verb ēnumerāre, which is based on the Latin numer(us), meaning “number.” (This root is also the basis of the word number.)

Enumerate implies a very deliberate listing of things, especially with the intention of specifying each one in order to emphasize them collectively. A politician might enumerate the ways their opponent failed to deliver on their promises. Your friend might enumerate all the reasons you should date their cousin. In both cases, the intention is for a list of specific things to be more memorable or impactful than a summary. Enumerate is essentially interchangeable with the verb list, but list might not imply the same level of deliberateness. (The phrasal verb list out is closer in meaning.)

Enumerate is also the name of a function in various programming languages and computer programs that involves managing elements in a set.

What are some other forms related to enumerate?

• enumeration (noun)
• enumerable (adjective)
• enumerative (adjective)
• enumerator (noun)
• nonenumerated (adjective)
• nonenumerative (adjective)

What are some synonyms for enumerate?

• list out
• itemize
• list

What are some words that share a root or word element with enumerate? 

• number

What are some words that often get used in discussing enumerate?

• specify
• separate
• every
• every single one
• set
• element
• factor

What are some words enumerate may be commonly confused with?

• innumerable

Enumerate is a more formal way of saying list that emphasizes the specification of individual things. It’s often used in negative contexts, such as the listing of mistakes or flaws.

The point of documentation is to not enumerate every single feature, it's to help the user find what they need as quickly as possible

— Max Lynch (@maxlynch) December 15, 2016

Reminder, gentle readers, that disliking a book is absolutely your right. So is reviewing that book & saying what you want about it. But tagging an author in negative reviews or emailing them to enumerate all the ways you think their book is crap? Uncool. Plain & simple.

— Ashley Herring Blake (@ashleyhblake) April 2, 2020

An odd feeling to enumerate the ten plagues during the Seder and feel like you're teasing the 11 pm news

— Bill McKibben (@billmckibben) April 8, 2020

Is enumerate used correctly in the following sentence?

In my family, the holidays end up being a time when everyone enumerates each other’s failures.