Standard Lemma guide

examen

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ɪɡˈzeɪ.mən/

1

noun

Meaning 1

examination; inquiry

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

Examples

  • July 11, 1780, William Cowper, letter to the Rev. William Unwin For this reason I decline answering the question with which you concluded your last, and cannot persuade myself to enter into a critical examen of the two pieces upon Lord Mansfield's loss [...]

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a critical study (as of a writer's work)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: criticism, critique

3

noun

Meaning 3

a detailed inspection of your conscience (as done daily by Jesuits)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: examination

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: introspection, self-contemplation, self-examination

History

Etymology

From Latin exāmen (“the tongue of a balance, examination”), for exagmen, from exigere (“to weigh accurately, to treat”): compare French examen. See exact.