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Definition of essay

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Definition of essay  (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

• composition

attempt , try , endeavor , essay , strive mean to make an effort to accomplish an end.

attempt stresses the initiation or beginning of an effort.

try is often close to attempt but may stress effort or experiment made in the hope of testing or proving something.

endeavor heightens the implications of exertion and difficulty.

essay implies difficulty but also suggests tentative trying or experimenting.

strive implies great exertion against great difficulty and specifically suggests persistent effort.

Examples of essay in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'essay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Middle French essai , ultimately from Late Latin exagium act of weighing, from Latin ex- + agere to drive — more at agent

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing essay

• essay question
• photo - essay

Articles Related to essay

To 'Essay' or 'Assay'?

You'll know the difference if you give it the old college essay

Dictionary Entries Near essay

Cite this entry.

“Essay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/essay. Accessed 25 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of essay.

Kids Definition of essay  (Entry 2 of 2)

More from Merriam-Webster on essay

Nglish: Translation of essay for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of essay for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about essay

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[ noun es -ey es -ey , e- sey verb e- sey ]

• a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.

a picture essay.

• an effort to perform or accomplish something; attempt.
• Philately. a design for a proposed stamp differing in any way from the design of the stamp as issued.
• Obsolete. a tentative effort; trial; assay.

verb (used with object)

• to try; attempt.
• to put to the test; make trial of.
• a short literary composition dealing with a subject analytically or speculatively
• an attempt or endeavour; effort
• a test or trial
• to attempt or endeavour; try
• to test or try out
• A short piece of writing on one subject, usually presenting the author's own views. Michel de Montaigne , Francis Bacon (see also Bacon ), and Ralph Waldo Emerson are celebrated for their essays.

Other Words From

• es·sayer noun
• prees·say verb (used without object)
• unes·sayed adjective
• well-es·sayed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of essay 1

Example Sentences

As several of my colleagues commented, the result is good enough that it could pass for an essay written by a first-year undergraduate, and even get a pretty decent grade.

GPT-3 also raises concerns about the future of essay writing in the education system.

This little essay helps focus on self-knowledge in what you’re best at, and how you should prioritize your time.

As Steven Feldstein argues in the opening essay, technonationalism plays a part in the strengthening of other autocracies too.

He’s written a collection of essays on civil engineering life titled Bridginess, and to this day he and Lauren go on “bridge dates,” where they enjoy a meal and admire the view of a nearby span.

I think a certain kind of compelling essay has a piece of that.

The current attack on the Jews,” he wrote in a 1937 essay, “targets not just this people of 15 million but mankind as such.

The impulse to interpret seems to me what makes personal essay writing compelling.

To be honest, I think a lot of good essay writing comes out of that.

Someone recently sent me an old Joan Didion essay on self-respect that appeared in Vogue.

There is more of the uplifted forefinger and the reiterated point than I should have allowed myself in an essay.

Consequently he was able to turn in a clear essay upon the subject, which, upon examination, the king found to be free from error.

It is no part of the present essay to attempt to detail the particulars of a code of social legislation.

But angels and ministers of grace defend us from ministers of religion who essay art criticism!

It is fit that the imagination, which is free to go through all things, should essay such excursions.

Related Words

• dissertation

Look up a word, learn it forever.

Other forms: essays; essayed; essaying

A composition that is usually short and has a literary theme is called an essay . You should probably start writing your essay on "To Kill a Mockingbird" sometime before the bus ride to school the day it is due.

As a noun, an essay is also an attempt, especially a tentative initial one. Your essay to make friends at your new school would probably work better if you actually spoke to other students. As a verb, to essay is to make an attempt. If you essay to run for student council, you might lose to the girl who promises more recess, longer lunches, and less homework.

• noun an analytic or interpretive literary composition see more see less types: show 5 types... hide 5 types... composition , paper , report , theme an essay (especially one written as an assignment) disquisition an elaborate analytical or explanatory essay or discussion memoir an essay on a scientific or scholarly topic thanatopsis an essay expressing a view on the subject of death term paper a composition intended to indicate a student's progress during a school term type of: piece of writing , writing , written material the work of a writer; anything expressed in letters of the alphabet (especially when considered from the point of view of style and effect)
• verb make an effort or attempt “The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps” synonyms: assay , attempt , seek , try see more see less types: show 17 types... hide 17 types... pick up the gauntlet , take a dare be dared to do something and attempt it fight , struggle make a strenuous or labored effort give it a try , have a go make an attempt at something grope search blindly or uncertainly endeavor , endeavour , strive attempt by employing effort give it a try , give it a whirl try adventure , chance , gamble , hazard , risk , run a risk , take a chance , take chances take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome lay on the line , put on the line , risk expose to a chance of loss or damage strive , struggle exert strenuous effort against opposition drive , labor , labour , push , tug strive and make an effort to reach a goal flounder behave awkwardly; have difficulties be at pains , take pains try very hard to do something buck to strive with determination go for broke risk everything in one big effort luck it , luck through act by relying on one's luck adventure , hazard , jeopardize , stake , venture put at risk bell the cat take a risk; perform a daring act type of: act , move perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
• noun a tentative attempt see more see less type of: attempt , effort , endeavor , endeavour , try earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
• verb put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to synonyms: examine , prove , test , try , try out see more see less types: control , verify check or regulate (a scientific experiment) by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard float circulate or discuss tentatively; test the waters with field-test test something under the conditions under which it will actually be used type of: evaluate , judge , pass judgment form a critical opinion of

Vocabulary lists containing essay

Before you can answer a question on the PARCC English Language Arts/Literacy section, you first need to know what the question is asking. Learn this list of 45 words that we extracted from a PARCC practice test's directions, question stems, and answer options.

A thorough survey of various textbooks, assignments, content area standards, and examinations yields the following list of words compiled by Jim Burke . You cannot expect to succeed on assignments if you do not understand the directions.

To improve your fluency in English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR), learn this academic vocabulary list that includes words selected from the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) state standards.

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How do you spell the Spanish slang - "essay" - meaning person?

used like, "what did you say essay?"

Hi and welcome to the forum.

It's " ese " and it means something like homeboy.

Ese is also like a thug. I wouldn't use it unless you knew the person really well.

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The Essay: History and Definition

Attempts at Defining Slippery Literary Form

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

"One damned thing after another" is how Aldous Huxley described the essay: "a literary device for saying almost everything about almost anything."

As definitions go, Huxley's is no more or less exact than Francis Bacon's "dispersed meditations," Samuel Johnson's "loose sally of the mind" or Edward Hoagland's "greased pig."

Since Montaigne adopted the term "essay" in the 16th century to describe his "attempts" at self-portrayal in prose , this slippery form has resisted any sort of precise, universal definition. But that won't an attempt to define the term in this brief article.

In the broadest sense, the term "essay" can refer to just about any short piece of nonfiction  -- an editorial, feature story, critical study, even an excerpt from a book. However, literary definitions of a genre are usually a bit fussier.

One way to start is to draw a distinction between articles , which are read primarily for the information they contain, and essays, in which the pleasure of reading takes precedence over the information in the text . Although handy, this loose division points chiefly to kinds of reading rather than to kinds of texts. So here are some other ways that the essay might be defined.

Standard definitions often stress the loose structure or apparent shapelessness of the essay. Johnson, for example, called the essay "an irregular, indigested piece, not a regular and orderly performance."

True, the writings of several well-known essayists ( William Hazlitt and Ralph Waldo Emerson , for instance, after the fashion of Montaigne) can be recognized by the casual nature of their explorations -- or "ramblings." But that's not to say that anything goes. Each of these essayists follows certain organizing principles of his own.

Oddly enough, critics haven't paid much attention to the principles of design actually employed by successful essayists. These principles are rarely formal patterns of organization , that is, the "modes of exposition" found in many composition textbooks. Instead, they might be described as patterns of thought -- progressions of a mind working out an idea.

Unfortunately, the customary divisions of the essay into opposing types --  formal and informal, impersonal and familiar  -- are also troublesome. Consider this suspiciously neat dividing line drawn by Michele Richman:

Post-Montaigne, the essay split into two distinct modalities: One remained informal, personal, intimate, relaxed, conversational and often humorous; the other, dogmatic, impersonal, systematic and expository .

The terms used here to qualify the term "essay" are convenient as a kind of critical shorthand, but they're imprecise at best and potentially contradictory. Informal can describe either the shape or the tone of the work -- or both. Personal refers to the stance of the essayist, conversational to the language of the piece, and expository to its content and aim. When the writings of particular essayists are studied carefully, Richman's "distinct modalities" grow increasingly vague.

But as fuzzy as these terms might be, the qualities of shape and personality, form and voice, are clearly integral to an understanding of the essay as an artful literary kind. 

Many of the terms used to characterize the essay -- personal, familiar, intimate, subjective, friendly, conversational -- represent efforts to identify the genre's most powerful organizing force: the rhetorical voice or projected character (or persona ) of the essayist.

In his study of Charles Lamb , Fred Randel observes that the "principal declared allegiance" of the essay is to "the experience of the essayistic voice." Similarly, British author Virginia Woolf has described this textual quality of personality or voice as "the essayist's most proper but most dangerous and delicate tool."

Similarly, at the beginning of "Walden, "  Henry David Thoreau reminds the reader that "it is ... always the first person that is speaking." Whether expressed directly or not, there's always an "I" in the essay -- a voice shaping the text and fashioning a role for the reader.

Fictional Qualities

The terms "voice" and "persona" are often used interchangeably to suggest the rhetorical nature of the essayist himself on the page. At times an author may consciously strike a pose or play a role. He can, as E.B. White confirms in his preface to "The Essays," "be any sort of person, according to his mood or his subject matter." 

In "What I Think, What I Am," essayist Edward Hoagland points out that "the artful 'I' of an essay can be as chameleon as any narrator in fiction." Similar considerations of voice and persona lead Carl H. Klaus to conclude that the essay is "profoundly fictive":

It seems to convey the sense of human presence that is indisputably related to its author's deepest sense of self, but that is also a complex illusion of that self -- an enactment of it as if it were both in the process of thought and in the process of sharing the outcome of that thought with others.

But to acknowledge the fictional qualities of the essay isn't to deny its special status as nonfiction.

Reader's Role

A basic aspect of the relationship between a writer (or a writer's persona) and a reader (the implied audience ) is the presumption that what the essayist says is literally true. The difference between a short story, say, and an autobiographical essay  lies less in the narrative structure or the nature of the material than in the narrator's implied contract with the reader about the kind of truth being offered.

Under the terms of this contract, the essayist presents experience as it actually occurred -- as it occurred, that is, in the version by the essayist. The narrator of an essay, the editor George Dillon says, "attempts to convince the reader that its model of experience of the world is valid." 

In other words, the reader of an essay is called on to join in the making of meaning. And it's up to the reader to decide whether to play along. Viewed in this way, the drama of an essay might lie in the conflict between the conceptions of self and world that the reader brings to a text and the conceptions that the essayist tries to arouse.

At Last, a Definition—of Sorts

With these thoughts in mind, the essay might be defined as a short work of nonfiction, often artfully disordered and highly polished, in which an authorial voice invites an implied reader to accept as authentic a certain textual mode of experience.

Sure. But it's still a greased pig.

Sometimes the best way to learn exactly what an essay is -- is to read some great ones. You'll find more than 300 of them in this collection of  Classic British and American Essays and Speeches .

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Definition of essay noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

Join our community to access the latest language learning and assessment tips from Oxford University Press!

• 3 essay (in something) ( formal ) an attempt to do something His first essay in politics was a complete disaster.

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What does the noun essay mean?

There are 12 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun essay , nine of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

essay has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

How common is the noun essay ?

How is the noun essay pronounced?

British english, u.s. english, where does the noun essay come from.

Earliest known use

The earliest known use of the noun essay is in the late 1500s.

OED's earliest evidence for essay is from 1597, in the writing of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor, politician, and philosopher.

essay is a borrowing from French .

Etymons: French essai .

Nearby entries

• esrache, v. 1477
• esraj, n. 1921–
• ESRO, n. 1961–
• ess, n. 1540–
• -ess, suffix¹
• -ess, suffix²
• essamplerie, n. 1393
• essart, n. 1656–
• essart, v. 1675–
• essarting, n. a1821–
• essay, n. 1597–
• essay, v. 1483–
• essayal, n. 1837–
• essayer, n. 1611–
• essayette, n. 1877–
• essayfy, v. 1815–
• essay-hatch, n. 1721–
• essayical, adj. 1860–
• essaying, n. 1861–
• essaying, adj. 1641–
• essayish, adj. 1863–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for essay, n..

essay, n. was first published in 1891; not yet revised.

essay, n. was last modified in June 2024.

Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:

• corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into essay, n. in June 2024.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1891)

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• Knowledge Base

The Beginner's Guide to Writing an Essay | Steps & Examples

An academic essay is a focused piece of writing that develops an idea or argument using evidence, analysis, and interpretation.

There are many types of essays you might write as a student. The content and length of an essay depends on your level, subject of study, and course requirements. However, most essays at university level are argumentative — they aim to persuade the reader of a particular position or perspective on a topic.

The essay writing process consists of three main stages:

• Preparation: Decide on your topic, do your research, and create an essay outline.
• Writing : Set out your argument in the introduction, develop it with evidence in the main body, and wrap it up with a conclusion.
• Revision:  Check your essay on the content, organization, grammar, spelling, and formatting of your essay.

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Table of contents

Essay writing process, preparation for writing an essay, writing the introduction, writing the main body, writing the conclusion, essay checklist, lecture slides, frequently asked questions about writing an essay.

The writing process of preparation, writing, and revisions applies to every essay or paper, but the time and effort spent on each stage depends on the type of essay .

For example, if you’ve been assigned a five-paragraph expository essay for a high school class, you’ll probably spend the most time on the writing stage; for a college-level argumentative essay , on the other hand, you’ll need to spend more time researching your topic and developing an original argument before you start writing.

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Before you start writing, you should make sure you have a clear idea of what you want to say and how you’re going to say it. There are a few key steps you can follow to make sure you’re prepared:

• Understand your assignment: What is the goal of this essay? What is the length and deadline of the assignment? Is there anything you need to clarify with your teacher or professor?
• Define a topic: If you’re allowed to choose your own topic , try to pick something that you already know a bit about and that will hold your interest.
• Do your research: Read  primary and secondary sources and take notes to help you work out your position and angle on the topic. You’ll use these as evidence for your points.
• Come up with a thesis:  The thesis is the central point or argument that you want to make. A clear thesis is essential for a focused essay—you should keep referring back to it as you write.
• Create an outline: Map out the rough structure of your essay in an outline . This makes it easier to start writing and keeps you on track as you go.

Once you’ve got a clear idea of what you want to discuss, in what order, and what evidence you’ll use, you’re ready to start writing.

The introduction sets the tone for your essay. It should grab the reader’s interest and inform them of what to expect. The introduction generally comprises 10–20% of the text.

1. Hook your reader

The first sentence of the introduction should pique your reader’s interest and curiosity. This sentence is sometimes called the hook. It might be an intriguing question, a surprising fact, or a bold statement emphasizing the relevance of the topic.

Let’s say we’re writing an essay about the development of Braille (the raised-dot reading and writing system used by visually impaired people). Our hook can make a strong statement about the topic:

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability.

2. Provide background on your topic

Next, it’s important to give context that will help your reader understand your argument. This might involve providing background information, giving an overview of important academic work or debates on the topic, and explaining difficult terms. Don’t provide too much detail in the introduction—you can elaborate in the body of your essay.

3. Present the thesis statement

Next, you should formulate your thesis statement— the central argument you’re going to make. The thesis statement provides focus and signals your position on the topic. It is usually one or two sentences long. The thesis statement for our essay on Braille could look like this:

As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness.

4. Map the structure

In longer essays, you can end the introduction by briefly describing what will be covered in each part of the essay. This guides the reader through your structure and gives a preview of how your argument will develop.

The invention of Braille marked a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by blind and visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

Write your essay introduction

The body of your essay is where you make arguments supporting your thesis, provide evidence, and develop your ideas. Its purpose is to present, interpret, and analyze the information and sources you have gathered to support your argument.

Length of the body text

The length of the body depends on the type of essay. On average, the body comprises 60–80% of your essay. For a high school essay, this could be just three paragraphs, but for a graduate school essay of 6,000 words, the body could take up 8–10 pages.

Paragraph structure

To give your essay a clear structure , it is important to organize it into paragraphs . Each paragraph should be centered around one main point or idea.

That idea is introduced in a  topic sentence . The topic sentence should generally lead on from the previous paragraph and introduce the point to be made in this paragraph. Transition words can be used to create clear connections between sentences.

After the topic sentence, present evidence such as data, examples, or quotes from relevant sources. Be sure to interpret and explain the evidence, and show how it helps develop your overall argument.

Lack of access to reading and writing put blind people at a serious disadvantage in nineteenth-century society. Text was one of the primary methods through which people engaged with culture, communicated with others, and accessed information; without a well-developed reading system that did not rely on sight, blind people were excluded from social participation (Weygand, 2009). While disabled people in general suffered from discrimination, blindness was widely viewed as the worst disability, and it was commonly believed that blind people were incapable of pursuing a profession or improving themselves through culture (Weygand, 2009). This demonstrates the importance of reading and writing to social status at the time: without access to text, it was considered impossible to fully participate in society. Blind people were excluded from the sighted world, but also entirely dependent on sighted people for information and education.

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The conclusion is the final paragraph of an essay. It should generally take up no more than 10–15% of the text . A strong essay conclusion :

• Returns to your thesis
• Ties together your main points
• Shows why your argument matters

A great conclusion should finish with a memorable or impactful sentence that leaves the reader with a strong final impression.

What not to include in a conclusion

To make your essay’s conclusion as strong as possible, there are a few things you should avoid. The most common mistakes are:

• Including new arguments or evidence
• Undermining your arguments (e.g. “This is just one approach of many”)
• Using concluding phrases like “To sum up…” or “In conclusion…”

Braille paved the way for dramatic cultural changes in the way blind people were treated and the opportunities available to them. Louis Braille’s innovation was to reimagine existing reading systems from a blind perspective, and the success of this invention required sighted teachers to adapt to their students’ reality instead of the other way around. In this sense, Braille helped drive broader social changes in the status of blindness. New accessibility tools provide practical advantages to those who need them, but they can also change the perspectives and attitudes of those who do not.

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Checklist: Essay

My essay follows the requirements of the assignment (topic and length ).

My introduction sparks the reader’s interest and provides any necessary background information on the topic.

My introduction contains a thesis statement that states the focus and position of the essay.

I use paragraphs to structure the essay.

I use topic sentences to introduce each paragraph.

Each paragraph has a single focus and a clear connection to the thesis statement.

I make clear transitions between paragraphs and ideas.

My conclusion doesn’t just repeat my points, but draws connections between arguments.

I don’t introduce new arguments or evidence in the conclusion.

I have given an in-text citation for every quote or piece of information I got from another source.

I have included a reference page at the end of my essay, listing full details of all my sources.

My citations and references are correctly formatted according to the required citation style .

My essay has an interesting and informative title.

I have followed all formatting guidelines (e.g. font, page numbers, line spacing).

Your essay meets all the most important requirements. Our editors can give it a final check to help you submit with confidence.

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An essay is a focused piece of writing that explains, argues, describes, or narrates.

In high school, you may have to write many different types of essays to develop your writing skills.

Academic essays at college level are usually argumentative : you develop a clear thesis about your topic and make a case for your position using evidence, analysis and interpretation.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

• An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
• Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
• A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

A topic sentence is a sentence that expresses the main point of a paragraph . Everything else in the paragraph should relate to the topic sentence.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

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What Does Blush Mean to You?

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Y ou’re blushing! my sister cries with delight. We’re playing on the front steps of our London house and have just heard skateboard wheels approaching. I am 13 and in love with the skateboard’s owner, a boy who lives up the street whom I’ve never actually spoken to. He has long sandy hair and an American accent. Basically, he’s Kurt Cobain. It’s magical and mortifying and a secret —except it’s not, because it’s written all over my face.

If the eyes are the window to the soul, then our cheeks are the back door. What other part of the body so readily reveals our hidden emotions? Embarrassment, exuberance, delight, desire, all instantly communicated with a rush of blood. It’s no wonder that blush has been a mainstay of makeup bags for decades: Ancient Egyptians used ground ochre to heighten their color; Queen Elizabeth I dabbed her cheeks with red dye and mercuric sulfide (which, combined with the vinegar and lead concoction she used to achieve her ivory pallor, is believed to have given her blood poisoning); flappers applied blush in dramatic circles to achieve a doll-like complexion, even adding it to their knees to draw attention to their shorter hemlines.

Can something so classic become new again? In the latest take on blush—seen everywhere from the fall runways of Chanel and Dior to the red-carpet looks of Gigi Hadid and Ayo Edebiri—rouge is no longer relegated to the cheekbones, but worn expansively across the face, or even across the bridge of your nose. The new blush is dynamic, constitutionally opposed to the idea of contouring: You’re not trying to fix your face in 3D, emphasizing your sphinx-like planes and angles; you’re signaling to the world that something has happened to you—emotion, exertion, or some combination of the two.

However, the line between rosy and rosacea is undeniably thin, and so before I endeavor to re-create any of these looks, I solicit the advice of experts. “I always apply blush as the last step in my beauty routine,” Peter Philips, creative and image director of Christian Dior makeup, advises. “And I like to build it up slowly to avoid any regret.” When asked about his inspiration, Philips says, rather poetically, “Everywhere men and women are immortalized in great light” and inadvertently gives me the directive I will, for the rest of my life, use when asking someone to take my photo. Armed with this catchphrase, I attempt my first dialed-up blush look with Dior Rouge Blush Colour & Glow in Riviera, a subtle peachy pink—it’s feminine and fresh but not hugely audacious. I add extra layers to build an expansive bloom, then add some to my chin and forehead. Next I dare myself to try Dior’s Rosy Glow in Pink, a hue so electric I cannot find an apt point of comparison. Peonies? A tropical sunset? The color it most reminds me of is Lil’ Kim’s iconic pink hair from the ’90s. Blush is daring, I tell myself, then start powdering.

My first stop is my living room, where my husband (a fellow Brit) is rapturously watching England play soccer with our eight-month-old son bouncing on his lap. I wait until halftime before looming my face in his direction.

“How do I look?” I ask, tilting my cheeks from side to side.

“Pretty!” he says confidently.

He falters.

“...Pink?” he hazards.

He’s not wrong, sweet man, but I’m seeking a more specific endorsement.

“It’s giving Kirsten Dunst in Marie Antoinette, ” says a friend I meet for lunch. “You look like you just ran a marathon,” declares another.

For my next attempt, Violette, Guer­lain’s creative director of makeup, talks me through her process. She recommends sfumato, the technique perfected by Leonardo da Vinci of creating imperceptible transitions between light and shade. “Applying blush where blood flows enhances a healthy and natural appearance,” she says, “unlike applying it to just the cheekbone, which can look structured or unnatural.” I start with Guerlain’s Terracotta Blush in Light Nude, then add accents with the Deep Nude hue from the same collection. Somehow I look like I just slept 12 hours. Blush is rest, I think.

After a few days of the sfumato look, which I also re-create with Chanel’s sumptuous Cream-to-Powder blushes, I pivot from powder to its playful little sisters, lip and cheek stains. There are lots of good options in this category: Milk Makeup’s Cooling Water Jelly Tints and Clinique’s Pop Lip + Cheek Oil in Black Honey, but I find myself returning most often to Benefit’s Benetint, the cult-followed crimson stain, created in 1976, and the first item of makeup I ever bought.

As I rub the familiar solution into my cheeks, I’m transported to being 13 again, waiting for the sound of skateboard wheels. Because how could I have forgotten? Blush is youth. Both a connection to it and a re-creation of it. But what is underneath our desire for youth, for health, for passion—all the many things blush represents?

For me, the answer became clear when my son was born. He was two months premature and not very well; one of the first hopeful signs of his progress was when his cheeks turned from pallid to pink. By the time he finally came home, his face had the same glow as the cherry blossoms on our street. Only then did I feel he was safe. Of course, I think, adding yet another layer of crimson to my already rosy cheeks. No wonder we want more of it, as much as we can get. Blush is life.

Joues Contraste Powder Blush

Milk Makeup

Cooling Water Jelly Tint

Terracotta Powder Blush

NEIMAN MARCUS

Luminous Matte Beauty Blush

Huda Beauty

Lip Blush Cream Lip & Cheek Stain

HUDA BEAUTY

Clé de Peau

Beauté Cream Blush

SAKS FIFTH AVENUE

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Understanding instruction words in academic essay titles

Posted in: essay-writing

Instruction or command words indicate what your tutor wants you to do in your written assignment. It's vital that you understand exactly what these instruction words mean so you can answer all parts of the essay question and provide a complete response.

Here's a list of some of the most common instruction/command words you'll see in essay questions (and examination questions as well), together with an explanation of what they mean.

Describe: Give a detailed account of…

Outline: Give the main features/general principles; don't include minor details.

Explain, account for, interpret: Describe the facts but also give causes and reasons for them. Depending on the context, these words may also suggest that you need to make the possible implications clear as well. For example: 'Explain X and its importance for Y'.

Comment on, criticise, evaluate, critically evaluate, assess: Judge the value of something. But first, analyse, describe and explain. Then go through the arguments for and against, laying out the arguments neutrally until the section where you make your judgement clear. Judgements should be backed by reasons and evidence.

Discuss, consider: The least specific of the instruction words. Decide, first of all, what the main issues are. Then follow the same procedures for Comment on, Criticise, Evaluate, Critically Evaluate and Assess.

Analyse: Break down into component parts. Examine critically or closely.

How far, how true, to what extent: These suggest there are various views on and various aspects to the subject. Outline some of them, evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, explore alternatives and then give your judgement.

Justify: Explain, with evidence, why something is the case, answering the main objections to your view as you go along.

Refute: Give evidence to prove why something is not the case.

Compare, contrast, distinguish, differentiate, relate: All require that you discuss how things are related to each other.  Compare suggests you concentrate on similarities, which may lead to a stated preference, the justification of which should be made clear. These words suggest that two situations or ideas can be compared in a number of different ways, or from a variety of viewpoints. Contrast suggests you concentrate on differences.

Define: Write down the precise meaning of a word or phrase. Sometimes several co-existing definitions may be used and, possibly, evaluated.

Illustrate: Make clear and explicit; usually requires the use of carefully chosen examples.

State: Give a concise, clear explanation or account of…

Summarise: Give a concise, clear explanation or account of… presenting the main factors and excluding minor detail or examples (see also Outline).

Trace: Outline or follow the development of something from its initiation or point of origin.

Devise: Think up, work out a plan, solve a problem etc.

Apply (to): Put something to use, show how something can be used in a particular situation.

Identify: Put a name to, list something.

Indicate: Point out. This does not usually involve giving too much detail.

List: Make a list of a number of things. This usually involves simply remembering or finding out a number of things and putting them down one after the other.

Plan: Think about how something is to be done, made, organised, etc.

Report on: Describe what you have seen or done.

Review: Write a report on something.

Specify: Give the details of something.

Work out: Find a solution to a problem.

Adapted from: Coles, M. (1995), A Student’s Guide to Coursework Writing,   University of Stirling, Stirling 

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Write a response

So wonderful can anyone get the information

Thanks Josphat!

This is a life saver, do you have a youtube channel where you talk about all this stuff? If so I would love to know about it 🙂 Rachelle

Thanks for your comment. We don't have a YouTube channel but stay tuned for more posts. You will also find additional self-directed learning resources in MySkills .

Quite helpful. I would definitely check this before my next essay.

Thank you, Dan.

Very helpful now I understand how construct my assignments and how to answer exam questions

I have understood it clearly;)

it is very useful for us to understand many instruction word and what we need to write down

There are some define of some words,and I find that there do have many common things for some words,but not all the same.Such as compare, contrast, distinguish, differentiate, relate,they all need people to compare but foucs on different ways.

Very helpful. Listed most of the words that might be misunderstood by foreign students. Now I know why my score of writing IELTS test is always 6, I even didn't get the point of what I was supposed to write!

I have already read all of this. And it gave me a brief instruction.

There are varied instruction words in essay questions. It's a good chance for me to have a overview of these main command words because I could response to requirements of questions precisely and without the risk of wandering off the topic.

When i encounter with an essay title with these instruction words above,I should understand exactly what these words mean so that i could know what my tutor would like me to do in the assignments.Also,these words may help me make an outline and read academic articles with percific purposes.

These words are accurate and appropriate. It is really helpful for me to response some assignment questions and I can know the orientation of my answers . I can also use these words to make an outline of my essay. However, in my view, for some instruction words which are confusing and hard to understand, it is better to give an example to help us understand.

It's the first time for me to recognise these instruction words , some of them are really similar with each other.

it is very helpful to my future study. it will be better to have some examples with it.

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PolitiFact FL: Florida's Amendment 4 on abortion is short. Does a lack of definitions mean no rules?

WLRN has partnered with PolitiFact to fact-check Florida politicians. The Pulitzer Prize-winning team seeks to present the true facts, unaffected by agenda or biases.

Florida’s Amendment 4 aims to expand abortion rights. It is very short — a single paragraph. And in a recent ad, its opponents said that’s a "dangerous" thing.

"Unlike other amendments, Amendment 4 has no definitions," the narrator said in a Vote No on 4 ad that aired during the Sept. 10 presidential debate. "Without definitions these words can mean almost anything."

The ad highlighted the words, "viability," "patient’s health" and "health care provider" as its problematically undefined terms.

"Unlike other amendments, Amendment 4 has no definitions," the narrator said. "Without definitions, these words can mean almost anything."

The ad highlighted the words "viability," "patient’s health" and "health care provider."

Is Amendment 4’s brevity really "unlike other amendments," and can those words mean anything without being defined in the ballot measure?

The ad’s claim is misleading.

It’s not unusual for ballot measures to lack definitions, and Florida’s law doesn’t require it. Voters will consider six initiatives on the Florida ballot this year, and five don’t offer definitions. The state Legislature wrote four of them, Floridians led Amendment 4.

Another citizen-led proposal to legalize recreational marijuana, Amendment 3, includes multiple definitions.

How certain words in Amendment 4 will ultimately be defined is unclear. But that’s also not unusual for ballot measures, and some of the words the ad pointed to as examples have established state interpretations.

READ MORE: Judge will hear a Florida abortion amendment dispute

"There is a legitimate argument that greater precision would be better," said Ilya Somin, a George Mason University law professor. "But the lack of listed definitions is not a reason to think Amendment 4 is infinitely flexible or has no limits to the scope of rights it creates."

Any perceived ambiguity could raise legal challenges that leave the final say with courts. Judges base interpretations on existing legal definitions or, absent that, their ordinary English meaning, experts said, unless an unusual technical meaning was intended.

"Most laws have no built-in definitions. That doesn’t mean the words they use have no limitation," Somin said. "Words like ‘abortion,’ ‘health care provider,’ and so on all have understood meanings in ordinary usage, so they are not infinitely flexible."

What may be up for interpretation in Amendment 4?

Amendment 4’s formal title is "Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion." Its 49-word summary reads:

"No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion."

The amendment would replace Florida’s six-week ban by essentially reinstating the restrictions of Roe v. Wade, the now-overturned 1973 Supreme Court ruling that provided federally protected abortion access until a fetus is viable.

Vote No on 4 spokesperson Taryn Fenske told PolitiFact that the line "no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay or restrict abortion" would hamstring Florida lawmakers from clarifying the measure. And without spelling out "viability," "patient’s health" and "healthcare provider," the words could mean almost anything, Fenske said.

Mo Jazil, a constitutional lawyer based in Tallahassee and counsel to the Vote No on 4 campaign, said courts will be "gatekeepers and they will have a lot of leeway."

"My concern is there's no language — there's nothing to tether their analysis to," he said. "You have these vague terms with no tethers, no guideposts. So, if you draw the right judge, you can get to the conclusion that the ad is suggesting, or you can get to an unexpected conclusion."

Keisha Mulfort, American Civil Liberties Union of Florida senior communications strategist, said the language reflects terms that are well-defined in state law and widely understood. Yes on 4 is a coalition of groups, including Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Florida, trying to expand abortion access.

"It’s important to understand that constitutional amendments are meant to set broad principles within the state constitution, not provide detailed legal regulations," Mulfort said. "That's what statutory laws are for."

Amendment 4 is "no different" from other measures that "trusted the legal system to apply existing definitions and standards in a reasonable and measured way," she said. More definitions could have opened the door to more legal challenges, she said.

What is the precedent for definitions?

Vote No on 4 sent seven examples of ballot measures with definitions, including this year’s marijuana amendment and measures from the 1990s, early 2000s, 2016 and 2018.

"Many recent amendments have had extensive definitions: gambling, gill nets, medical marijuana, minimum wage, recreational marijuana, smoking, etc," said Bob Jarvis, a Nova Southeastern University law professor.

PolitiFact reviewed past Florida ballot initiatives over several cycles and found many contained definitions, but others didn’t.

Definitions are not required in state constitutional amendments, as long as the amendments are clear to voters; the Florida Supreme Court ruled Amendment 4 was. Many of Florida's 144 constitutional amendments do not include definitions.

The Legislature and courts can shape an amendment’s scope without embedded definitions.

After Florida voters approved a 2018 ballot measure to restore voting rights to felons, for instance, the Republican-led Legislature passed a law requiring felons pay off all court fines and fees before they could vote, which undermined the effort .

Courts often play a role. For example, a citizen-led initiative in 2004 provided patients the right to know about adverse medical incidents. The measure, which voters approved — included definitions — but faced legal challenges and ended up at the Florida Supreme Court .

Experts weigh what’s clear, what’s not

Legal experts agreed that courts will likely have a central role in applying the amendment if it passes, but they were mixed on how that could play out.

Lacking definitions leaves some things unclear, such as who is considered a health care provider and what would count as protecting a "patient’s health," said Kermit Roosevelt, a University of Pennsylvania law professor. But courts would resolve those questions, he said.

"It would not lead to an anything-goes situation," Roosevelt said. "It would lead to the same situation as if the terms were defined; we just don’t know what the definitions will be before that happens."

Jarvis, from Nova Southeastern, was less sure.

"I think the lack of definitions was a deliberate strategy on the part of the proponents to make the amendment mean whatever the voter wanted it to mean, thereby increasing its chances of passing," he said. "Personally, although I am pro-choice, I think it was a mistake, because it opens the door to all sorts of mischief by the courts and the Legislature."

Eugene Volokh, a University of California, Los Angeles, law professor, said some terms are broad but seem reasonably understandable.

"The term ‘health care provider’ would likely include doctors and nurses and perhaps some others, as other existing statutes already define it," Volokh said. "There might be some uncertainty about the edges, but on balance it should be pretty clear."

The term "viability" is defined in Florida Statutes as "the stage of fetal development when the life of a fetus is sustainable outside the womb through standard medical measures." Fetal viability is widely considered to be around 24 weeks of pregnancy by doctors and health institutions . Neonatal survival rates around this point vary depending on the fetus’s size and health, the pregnant woman’s health and the health care facility.

Although the amendment doesn’t define "healthcare provider," legal experts have told PolitiFact that it wouldn’t allow unlicensed people to determine whether a patient qualifies for a health risk exception after viability, and said such claims ignore Florida’s health and medicine rules. Florida doctors are regulated by the state’s Board of Medicine, and must follow medical ethics and standards of practice. Reproductive health physicians told us they wouldn’t provide an abortion after fetal viability until they assessed the patient personally.

Fenske, from Vote No on 4, said the amendment’s lack of definition for the "patient’s health" exception could lead to "undefined" health care providers determining whether a particular health concern or complaint can justify an abortion during any month of pregnancy, "regardless of the nature or severity of the condition."

"There is little doubt that a result of Amendment 4 would be abortion clinics and others who assert themselves as the patient’s ‘health care provider,’" Fenske said.

Dr. Cecilia Grande, an OB-GYN in Miami, said it’s disheartening to see advertisements that say the amendment would allow medical malpractice.

"For 51 years, we had the exact same law. So, it's not true to say that the amendment will open the door to anything irresponsible in the medical field," Grande said in a Sept. 18 press call in support of Amendment 4. "Each provider of each specialty has a scope of practice, and if we practice outside that scope, we can lose our license."

An anti-Amendment 4 ad in Florida says, "Unlike other amendments, Amendment 4 has no definitions. … Without definitions these words can mean almost anything."

The amendment is one of five initiatives on the state’s ballot that doesn’t include definitions. Even though many initiatives in recent years have added definitions, Florida law doesn’t require it.

Legal experts agreed that courts would likely clarify some terms should the amendment pass. Some said this could lead to broad interpretations of what a "healthcare provider" or a "patient’s health" is, while other legal experts said these are well-defined already.

The ad makes it appear that the amendment’s wording would result in the terms to mean "almost anything." But many of these terms will have a starting point in definitions already existing in Florida law, and courts will ultimately decide any definition’s parameters.

We rate this ad Mostly False.

Our Sources

• YouTube, No on 4, "Warning Signs," Sept. 10, 2024
• Florida Division of Elections, Amendment 4 text
• Florida Division of Elections, Initiatives / Amendments / Revisions Database , Accessed Sept. 18, 2024
• Florida Legislature, Chapter 390 TERMINATION OF PREGNANCIES , Accessed Sept. 18, 2024
• Florida Legislature, The Florida Constitution , Accessed Sept. 18, 2024
• PolitiFact, No, a Florida ballot measure wouldn’t ‘mandate abortion up to birth,’ as Gov. Ron DeSantis said , April 30, 2024
• PolitiFact, If Florida’s abortion rights amendment passes, courts will weigh parental consent question , May 1, 2024
• PolitiFact, Florida abortion amendment wouldn’t let tattoo artists, receptionists decide health risk exceptions , May 10, 2024
• CBS News, Florida Supreme Court clears the way for abortion ballot initiative while upholding 15-week abortion ban , April 1, 2024
• The New York Times, How Republicans Undermined Ex-Felon Voting Rights in Florida , Updated April 30, 2021
• State University System of Florida, Risk Rx The Florida Supreme Court Rules on Amendment 7 , 2008
• Email and Phone interview, Taryn Fenske, spokesperson for No on 4 campaign, Sept. 16-18, 2024
• Email interview, Keisha Mulfort, senior communications strategist at the ACLU of Florida, Sept. 18, 2024
• Email interview, Bob Jarvis, Nova Southeastern University law professor, Sept. 17, 2024
• Email interview, Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, professor of law at Stetson University, Sept. 18, 2024
• Email interview, Ilya Somin, law professor at George Mason University, Sept. 18, 2024
• Email interview, Kermit Roosevelt, University of Pennsylvania law professor, Sept. 18, 2024
• Email interview, Eugene Volokh, law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, Sept. 18, 2024
• Phone interview, Mo Jazil, constitutional lawyer in Tallahassee, Sept. 19, 2024

Advertisement

What to Know About Hezbollah, the Lebanese Militant Group

A series of attacks has drawn attention to the Iran-backed militia. Here’s what to know about the organization.

• Share full article

By Ephrat Livni

• Sept. 24, 2024

Hezbollah militants in Lebanon have been exchanging fire with the Israeli military for nearly a year, but now the long-simmering conflict is approaching a boiling point .

Israel bombed more than 1,000 sites in southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday. Lebanon’s health minister said the strikes killed 558 people, with another 1,800 injured, making it the country’s deadliest day since a civil war that ended in 1990. The airstrikes continued on Tuesday.

Lebanon was already reeling from a string of Israeli attacks last week . But Hezbollah has not backed down. The armed group has launched more than 100 missiles, rockets and drones into Israel since Sunday, most of which were intercepted. There were no deaths or serious injuries reported in Israel.

World leaders, meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, fear the conflict could quickly escalate even further and draw in bigger, more powerful players, like Hezbollah’s patron, Iran.

Here’s what to know.

What is Hezbollah?

Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim militant group formed in the 1980s during the chaos of Lebanon’s long civil war. It was created, with Iranian guidance, to fight the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon, which ended in 2000. The name Hezbollah (pronounced hez-bo-llah) is Arabic for “Party of God.”

Hezbollah has grown into a powerful political and fighting force in Lebanon, and has expanded its operations into Syria, Iraq, Yemen and elsewhere in the Middle East. It has an extensive infrastructure in Lebanon to support its mission, including offices dedicated to social services, communications and internal security.

Israeli airstrikes reported on Monday

Mediterranean

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Ellen DeGeneres addresses ‘mean’ behavior, workplace toxicity scandal in Netflix special: Here’s what she said

The comedian got personal with her audience in what she said was her final stand-up show..

Ellen DeGeneres makes her toxic-workplace scandal a punch line in her new Netflix special.

The comedian, whose popular eponymous daytime talk show ended in 2022 after employee allegations of racism and intimidation, used her final stand-up special ( ever , she says), Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval, to get the last word.   In it, she riffed on getting “kicked out of show business” and the rumors that she’s “mean.”

DeGeneres told the crowd at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis that she didn’t think she’d ever do another special — or “anything ever again after the show” — because “I didn't think I'd ever find the funny in it.” However, during the hour-plus special, she said it was “beyond healing to say the words” she had kept in and to “say goodbye on my terms.”

What does DeGeneres say about being 'kicked out of showbiz' and her 'mean' reputation?

A 2020 BuzzFeed exposé saw current and past Ellen DeGeneres Show employees make accusations of racism, intimidation and sexual harassment behind the scenes. DeGeneres wasn’t the target of the claims, which were investigated by WarnerMedia, but faced criticism for allowing that environment to fester. While the show continued until 2022, DeGeneres’s reputation took a hit. Social media was flooded with stories claiming the host known for telling people to “be kind” was actually the so-called queen of mean.

“I got kicked out of show business,” DeGeneres said in the special. “Yeah, because I’m mean. You can’t be mean and be in show business. They’ll kick you out. No mean people in show business.”

She also says she was kicked out of showbiz previously after she came out in 1997 .

“No gay people in show business,” she joked. “They kick you out. Can’t be gay and be in show business. Eventually, they’re going to kick me out a third time for being old — mean, old and gay — the triple crown.”

DeGeneres said “the problem” was, “I’m a comedian who got a talk show and I ended the show every day by saying, ‘Be kind to one another.’ Yeah, I know, it seemed like a good idea. Here's the downside. I can never do anything unkind, ever, now.”

She added, “Had I ended my show by saying, ‘Go f*** yourselves,’ people would have been pleasantly surprised to find out I’m kind.”

DeGeneres also called out the ensuing headlines and how she became “the most hated person in America.”

“I didn’t see the other names on the ballot, but it’s an impressive title,” she quipped. “It really is. It’s a horrible thing to say about somebody.”

DeGeneres said that she had been “in therapy” to “deal with all the hatred” being flung her way and that it impacted her mental health.

What does she say about her talk show?

“I loved everything about that show,” DeGeneres said. “It was a family.”

However, she acknowledged, “I was a very immature boss,” with jokes and pranks, including having snakes that dropped from her office ceiling with the press of a button. She said it’s “because I didn't want to be a boss. I didn't go to business school.”

While her name was on the show, “I don't think that meant that I should be in charge,” she said. “Like I don't think that Ronald McDonald’s the CEO of McDonald's.”

She talked about being raised as a “people pleaser” and about how female bosses especially were made to tread lightly in the workplace.

“We have all these unwritten rules based on gender, of acceptable behavior, of who we're allowed to be and how we're allowed to act, and if we don't follow those rules, it makes people uncomfortable,” she said.

“And when people get uncomfortable, there are consequences for those of you keeping score,” she added, referring to her Ellen sitcom being canceled in 1998 after she came out.

What else does DeGeneres joke about?

She used comedy to talk about other serious topics, which included sharing that she has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit disorder (ADD).

DeGeneres also spoke about her mother, Betty, having dementia, which she called “horrible.” Now 94, Betty is living in a care facility.

There was a lot of lighter stuff too. DeGeneres delivered observations about cars, chickens, dry cleaning, gardening, pigeons, butterflies, bone-density tests, climate change and sweatpants. She also said she hasn’t gotten Botox or fillers since she signed off TV.

Does Portia de Rossi make a cameo?

Yes, her actress wife came onstage at the end to a roar of applause. DeGeneres noted it was their 16th wedding anniversary.

As far as other celebrity name-checks, DeGeneres also mentioned that she declined an invitation to a party for Mick Jagger because she didn’t want to change out of her sweats, and she arrived so early to Usher’s Grammy party that she helped set up.

DeGeneres also talked about watching more Wheel of Fortune in her free time and getting excited seeing which gown Vanna White would be wearing in each episode.

What were her parting words?

During the curtain call, DeGeneres told the crowd that she’s “proud” of who she is.

As a public figure, “I've spent an entire lifetime trying to make people happy, and I've cared far too much what other people think of me,” she said. “So the thought of anyone thinking that I’m mean was devastating to me, and it consumed me for a long time. … So after a lifetime of caring, I just can't anymore. So I don't.”

She said she “has a choice of people remembering me as someone who was mean or someone who was beloved,” and she chooses the latter.

DeGeneres ended by telling the crowd, who gave her a standing ovation, that she “had no intention of doing a special. I had no intention of doing anything ever again after the show. I didn't think I'd ever find the funny in it.” However, traveling for her “Ellen’s Last Stand … Up” comedy tour allowed her to “see the love and support that is still there for me, which I didn't know I had,” which has been “beyond healing.”

“I'm so glad I got to do this,” she said. “I'm so glad I got to say goodbye on my terms, and I can't thank you enough.”

Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval is streaming on Netflix.