essayed
Made an attempt
Essayed is the past tense of essay as a verb, meaning attempted or tried—particularly something difficult or uncertain: He essayed a smile despite his grief.
The verb essay is more literary than everyday, carrying a sense of testing or venturing: She essayed the difficult climb.
It shares roots with the noun essay, both connected to the idea of a trial or attempt.
Tried but unconfirmed success
- endeavoredTried with determination
- venturedUndertook despite uncertainty
- undertookBegan or assumed responsibility
- triedMade an attempt
strove · tackled · experimented · explored · tested · sampled · pioneered · dared
attempted
Tried but unconfirmed success
- endeavoredTried with determination
- venturedUndertook despite uncertainty
- undertookBegan or assumed responsibility
tried · strove · tackled · experimented · explored · tested · sampled · pioneered · dared · risked
penned
Wrote or confined
authored · scripted · formulated · articulated · expressed · rendered · crafted · inscribed · worded · phrased
analyzed
Studied methodically for meaning
- examinedLooked at closely
- critiquedFormally assessed strengths, weaknesses
- evaluatedDetermined worth or quality
assessed · interpreted · discussed · reviewed · appraised · explicated · commented · dissected · expounded · argued
essayedabandoned
Left behind completely
gave up · quit · relinquished · forsook · stopped
- personal essaysNonfiction exploring the author's life
- essay questionQuery requiring written argument
- college essayApplicant's autobiographical submission
- essay writingProducing structured arguments
- application essaysAdmissions writing submissions
- photo essaysImage-driven storytelling pieces