used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The widow murmured acquiescence, and stole a look at the prosaic figure of the latter gentleman which was full of scornful curiosity.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading With some diffidence she invited the admiral to stay to supper, and was obviously delighted when he accepted.
acquiescencenounUS /ˌækwiˈesəns/
acceptance without protest
From this reading The widow murmured acquiescence, and stole a look at the prosaic figure of the latter gentleman which was full of scornful curiosity.
admiralnounUS /ˈædmərəl/
the supreme commander of a fleet; ranks above a vice admiral and below a fleet admiral
From this reading With some diffidence she invited the admiral to stay to supper, and was obviously delighted when he accepted.
(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 "I oughtn't to have mentioned the subject at all.
amazinglyadverbUS /əˈmeɪzɪŋli/
in an amazing manner; to everyone's surprise
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The widow murmured acquiescence, and stole a look at the prosaic figure of the latter gentleman which was full of scornful curiosity.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I oughtn't to have mentioned the subject at all.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
BurtonnounUS /ˈbɜːrtən/
English explorer who with John Speke was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika (1821-1890)
From this reading Burton had the good sense not to."
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading The widow murmured acquiescence, and stole a look at the prosaic figure of the latter gentleman which was full of scornful curiosity.
greatly pleased
From this reading With some diffidence she invited the admiral to stay to supper, and was obviously delighted when he accepted.
diffidencenoun
lack of self-confidence
From this reading With some diffidence she invited the admiral to stay to supper, and was obviously delighted when he accepted.
discriminatingadjectiveUS /dɪˈskrɪməneɪtɪŋ/
showing or indicating careful judgment and discernment especially in matters of taste
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
past form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading The widow murmured acquiescence, and stole a look at the prosaic figure of the latter gentleman which was full of scornful curiosity.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading The widow murmured acquiescence, and stole a look at the prosaic figure of the latter gentleman which was full of scornful curiosity.
a man of refinement
From this reading The widow murmured acquiescence, and stole a look at the prosaic figure of the latter gentleman which was full of scornful curiosity.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Burton had the good sense not to."
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Burton had the good sense not to."
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I oughtn't to have mentioned the subject at all.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With some diffidence she invited the admiral to stay to supper, and was obviously delighted when he accepted.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I oughtn't to have mentioned the subject at all.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of
From this reading With some diffidence she invited the admiral to stay to supper, and was obviously delighted when he accepted.
referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)
From this reading The widow murmured acquiescence, and stole a look at the prosaic figure of the latter gentleman which was full of scornful curiosity.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The widow murmured acquiescence, and stole a look at the prosaic figure of the latter gentleman which was full of scornful curiosity.
managernounUS /ˈmænədʒər/
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading "I oughtn't to have mentioned the subject at all.
a form of address for a man
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading The widow murmured acquiescence, and stole a look at the prosaic figure of the latter gentleman which was full of scornful curiosity.
not any; not one
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Burton had the good sense not to."
obviouslyadverbUS /ˈɑːbviəsli/
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading With some diffidence she invited the admiral to stay to supper, and was obviously delighted when he accepted.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The widow murmured acquiescence, and stole a look at the prosaic figure of the latter gentleman which was full of scornful curiosity.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
oughtn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I oughtn't to have mentioned the subject at all.
performancenounUS /pərˈfɔːrməns/
a dramatic or musical entertainment
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
prosaicadjectiveUS /proʊˈzeɪɪk/
not fanciful or imaginative
From this reading The widow murmured acquiescence, and stole a look at the prosaic figure of the latter gentleman which was full of scornful curiosity.
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
scornfuladjectiveUS /ˈskɔːrnfəl/
expressing extreme contempt
From this reading The widow murmured acquiescence, and stole a look at the prosaic figure of the latter gentleman which was full of scornful curiosity.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading Burton had the good sense not to."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With some diffidence she invited the admiral to stay to supper, and was obviously delighted when he accepted.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading With some diffidence she invited the admiral to stay to supper, and was obviously delighted when he accepted.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading With some diffidence she invited the admiral to stay to supper, and was obviously delighted when he accepted.
StilesnounUS /staɪlz/
plural of “stile” — an upright that is a member in a door or window frame
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
From this reading The widow murmured acquiescence, and stole a look at the prosaic figure of the latter gentleman which was full of scornful curiosity.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading "I oughtn't to have mentioned the subject at all.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading With some diffidence she invited the admiral to stay to supper, and was obviously delighted when he accepted.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I oughtn't to have mentioned the subject at all.
theatricaladjectiveUS /θiˈætrɪkəl/
of or relating to the theater
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I oughtn't to have mentioned the subject at all.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The widow murmured acquiescence, and stole a look at the prosaic figure of the latter gentleman which was full of scornful curiosity.
at the time that
From this reading With some diffidence she invited the admiral to stay to supper, and was obviously delighted when he accepted.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The widow murmured acquiescence, and stole a look at the prosaic figure of the latter gentleman which was full of scornful curiosity.
a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
From this reading The widow murmured acquiescence, and stole a look at the prosaic figure of the latter gentleman which was full of scornful curiosity.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With some diffidence she invited the admiral to stay to supper, and was obviously delighted when he accepted.
someone who sees an event and reports what happened
From this reading In the character of admiral Mr. Stiles enjoyed himself amazingly, his one regret being that no discriminating theatrical manager was present to witness his performance.
