used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading In the books of such a man as William Dean Howells it is difficult to find a single line that is typically and exclusively masculine.
Agnes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One could easily imagine Edith Wharton, or Mrs. Watts, or even Agnes Repplier, writing all of them.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading One could easily imagine Edith Wharton, or Mrs. Watts, or even Agnes Repplier, writing all of them.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The art of fiction among us, as Henry James once said, "is almost exclusively feminine."
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading When a first-rate novelist emerges from obscurity it is almost always by some fortuitous plucking of the dexter string.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading The art of fiction among us, as Henry James once said, "is almost exclusively feminine."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
artauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/
an old form of “are”, used with “thou”
From this reading The art of fiction among us, as Henry James once said, "is almost exclusively feminine."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The art of fiction among us, as Henry James once said, "is almost exclusively feminine."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading In the books of such a man as William Dean Howells it is difficult to find a single line that is typically and exclusively masculine.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading One could easily imagine Edith Wharton, or Mrs. Watts, or even Agnes Repplier, writing all of them.
criticaladjectiveUS /ˈkrɪtɪkəl/
marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
DeannounUS /diːn/
an administrator in charge of a division of a university or college
From this reading In the books of such a man as William Dean Howells it is difficult to find a single line that is typically and exclusively masculine.
dexteradjectiveUS /ˈdekstər/
on or starting from the wearer's right
From this reading When a first-rate novelist emerges from obscurity it is almost always by some fortuitous plucking of the dexter string.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading In the books of such a man as William Dean Howells it is difficult to find a single line that is typically and exclusively masculine.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading One could easily imagine Edith Wharton, or Mrs. Watts, or even Agnes Repplier, writing all of them.
Edith
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One could easily imagine Edith Wharton, or Mrs. Watts, or even Agnes Repplier, writing all of them.
emergesverbUS /ɪˈmɜːrdʒɪz/
third-person singular of “emerge” — come out into view, as from concealment
From this reading When a first-rate novelist emerges from obscurity it is almost always by some fortuitous plucking of the dexter string.
divisible by two
From this reading One could easily imagine Edith Wharton, or Mrs. Watts, or even Agnes Repplier, writing all of them.
exclusivelyadverbUS /ɪkˈskluːsɪvli/
without any others being included or involved
From this reading The art of fiction among us, as Henry James once said, "is almost exclusively feminine."
being the sex (of plant or animal) that produces fertilizable gametes (ova) from which offspring develop
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
feminineadjectiveUS /ˈfemənən/
associated with women and not with men
From this reading The art of fiction among us, as Henry James once said, "is almost exclusively feminine."
fictionnounUS /ˈfɪkʃən/
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading The art of fiction among us, as Henry James once said, "is almost exclusively feminine."
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading In the books of such a man as William Dean Howells it is difficult to find a single line that is typically and exclusively masculine.
first-rateadjectiveUS /ˌfɜːrˈstreɪt/
of the highest quality
From this reading When a first-rate novelist emerges from obscurity it is almost always by some fortuitous plucking of the dexter string.
fortuitousadjectiveUS /fɔːrˈtuːɪtəs/
having no cause or apparent cause
From this reading When a first-rate novelist emerges from obscurity it is almost always by some fortuitous plucking of the dexter string.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading When a first-rate novelist emerges from obscurity it is almost always by some fortuitous plucking of the dexter string.
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading The art of fiction among us, as Henry James once said, "is almost exclusively feminine."
HowellsnounUS /ˈhaʊəlz/
United States writer and editor (1837-1920)
From this reading In the books of such a man as William Dean Howells it is difficult to find a single line that is typically and exclusively masculine.
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading One could easily imagine Edith Wharton, or Mrs. Watts, or even Agnes Repplier, writing all of them.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The art of fiction among us, as Henry James once said, "is almost exclusively feminine."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading In the books of such a man as William Dean Howells it is difficult to find a single line that is typically and exclusively masculine.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading The art of fiction among us, as Henry James once said, "is almost exclusively feminine."
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading In the books of such a man as William Dean Howells it is difficult to find a single line that is typically and exclusively masculine.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
majoritiesnounUS /məˈdʒɔːrɪtiz/
plural of “majority” — the property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
malenounUS /meɪl/
an animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading In the books of such a man as William Dean Howells it is difficult to find a single line that is typically and exclusively masculine.
masculineadjectiveUS /ˈmæskjələn/
of grammatical gender
From this reading In the books of such a man as William Dean Howells it is difficult to find a single line that is typically and exclusively masculine.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading One could easily imagine Edith Wharton, or Mrs. Watts, or even Agnes Repplier, writing all of them.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
novelistnounUS /ˈnɑːvələst/
one who writes novels
From this reading When a first-rate novelist emerges from obscurity it is almost always by some fortuitous plucking of the dexter string.
novelistsnounUS /ˈnɑːvələsts/
plural of “novelist” — one who writes novels
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
obscuritynounUS /əbsˈkjʊrəti/
the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand
From this reading When a first-rate novelist emerges from obscurity it is almost always by some fortuitous plucking of the dexter string.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The art of fiction among us, as Henry James once said, "is almost exclusively feminine."
on one occasion
From this reading The art of fiction among us, as Henry James once said, "is almost exclusively feminine."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One could easily imagine Edith Wharton, or Mrs. Watts, or even Agnes Repplier, writing all of them.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading One could easily imagine Edith Wharton, or Mrs. Watts, or even Agnes Repplier, writing all of them.
pluckingverbUS /ˈplʌkɪŋ/
-ing form of “pluck” — pull or pull out sharply
From this reading When a first-rate novelist emerges from obscurity it is almost always by some fortuitous plucking of the dexter string.
Repplier
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One could easily imagine Edith Wharton, or Mrs. Watts, or even Agnes Repplier, writing all of them.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The art of fiction among us, as Henry James once said, "is almost exclusively feminine."
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading In the books of such a man as William Dean Howells it is difficult to find a single line that is typically and exclusively masculine.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading When a first-rate novelist emerges from obscurity it is almost always by some fortuitous plucking of the dexter string.
plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
stringnounUS /strɪŋ/
a lightweight cord
From this reading When a first-rate novelist emerges from obscurity it is almost always by some fortuitous plucking of the dexter string.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading In the books of such a man as William Dean Howells it is difficult to find a single line that is typically and exclusively masculine.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In the books of such a man as William Dean Howells it is difficult to find a single line that is typically and exclusively masculine.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading One could easily imagine Edith Wharton, or Mrs. Watts, or even Agnes Repplier, writing all of them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In the books of such a man as William Dean Howells it is difficult to find a single line that is typically and exclusively masculine.
typicallyadverbUS /ˈtɪpɪkli/
in a typical manner
From this reading In the books of such a man as William Dean Howells it is difficult to find a single line that is typically and exclusively masculine.
UnitedadjectiveUS /juːˈnaɪtɪd/
characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
unmadeadjectiveUS /ənˈmeɪd/
(of a bed) not having the sheets and blankets set in order
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The art of fiction among us, as Henry James once said, "is almost exclusively feminine."
WattsnounUS /wɑːts/
English poet and theologian (1674-1748)
From this reading One could easily imagine Edith Wharton, or Mrs. Watts, or even Agnes Repplier, writing all of them.
WhartonnounUS /ˈwɔːrtən/
United States novelist (1862-1937)
From this reading One could easily imagine Edith Wharton, or Mrs. Watts, or even Agnes Repplier, writing all of them.
at the time that
From this reading When a first-rate novelist emerges from obscurity it is almost always by some fortuitous plucking of the dexter string.
William
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the books of such a man as William Dean Howells it is difficult to find a single line that is typically and exclusively masculine.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading In the United States, at least, novelists are made and unmade, not by critical majorities, but by women, male and female.
the act of creating written works
From this reading One could easily imagine Edith Wharton, or Mrs. Watts, or even Agnes Repplier, writing all of them.
