used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was, originally, no more than the effort of a man of action to be certain, from head to toe, of the adequacy and correctness of his bearing.
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading It was, originally, no more than the effort of a man of action to be certain, from head to toe, of the adequacy and correctness of his bearing.
adequacynounUS /ˈædəkwəsi/
the quality of being able to meet a need satisfactorily: "he questioned the adequacy of the usual sentimental interpretation of the Golden Rule"
From this reading It was, originally, no more than the effort of a man of action to be certain, from head to toe, of the adequacy and correctness of his bearing.
matters of personal concern
From this reading He was overwhelmed by public and private affairs.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It was, originally, no more than the effort of a man of action to be certain, from head to toe, of the adequacy and correctness of his bearing.
relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading It was, originally, no more than the effort of a man of action to be certain, from head to toe, of the adequacy and correctness of his bearing.
the lower side of anything
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
Buddenbrook's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
capacitiesnounUS /kəˈpæsətiz/
plural of “capacity” — capability to perform or produce
From this reading But the demands made by himself and by others upon his talents and his capacities were constantly increased.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
conditionedadjectiveUS /kənˈdɪʃənd/
established by conditioning or learning
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
without variation or change, in every case
From this reading But the demands made by himself and by others upon his talents and his capacities were constantly increased.
correctnessnounUS /kərˈektnəs/
conformity to fact or truth
From this reading It was, originally, no more than the effort of a man of action to be certain, from head to toe, of the adequacy and correctness of his bearing.
defineverbUS /dɪˈfaɪn/
determine the essential quality of
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
demandsnounUS /dɪˈmændz/
plural of “demand” — an urgent or peremptory request
From this reading But the demands made by himself and by others upon his talents and his capacities were constantly increased.
desiresnounUS /dɪˈzaɪərz/
plural of “desire” — the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
dressingnounUS /ˈdresɪŋ/
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading It was, originally, no more than the effort of a man of action to be certain, from head to toe, of the adequacy and correctness of his bearing.
else
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
extravagantadjectiveUS /ekˈstrævəɡənt/
unrestrained, especially with regard to feelings
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It was, originally, no more than the effort of a man of action to be certain, from head to toe, of the adequacy and correctness of his bearing.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was overwhelmed by public and private affairs.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading It was, originally, no more than the effort of a man of action to be certain, from head to toe, of the adequacy and correctness of his bearing.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading But the demands made by himself and by others upon his talents and his capacities were constantly increased.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
made greater in size or amount or degree
From this reading But the demands made by himself and by others upon his talents and his capacities were constantly increased.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was, originally, no more than the effort of a man of action to be certain, from head to toe, of the adequacy and correctness of his bearing.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading But the demands made by himself and by others upon his talents and his capacities were constantly increased.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading It was, originally, no more than the effort of a man of action to be certain, from head to toe, of the adequacy and correctness of his bearing.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It was, originally, no more than the effort of a man of action to be certain, from head to toe, of the adequacy and correctness of his bearing.
in such a manner as could not be otherwise
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
easily agitated
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
not any; not one
From this reading It was, originally, no more than the effort of a man of action to be certain, from head to toe, of the adequacy and correctness of his bearing.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
originallyadverbUS /ərˈɪdʒənəli/
in an original manner
From this reading It was, originally, no more than the effort of a man of action to be certain, from head to toe, of the adequacy and correctness of his bearing.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But the demands made by himself and by others upon his talents and his capacities were constantly increased.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
overwhelmedverbUS /ˌoʊvərˈwelmd/
past form of “overwhelm” — overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
From this reading He was overwhelmed by public and private affairs.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
performancenounUS /pərˈfɔːrməns/
a dramatic or musical entertainment
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
concerning or affecting a particular person or his or her private life and personality
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading He was overwhelmed by public and private affairs.
people in general considered as a whole
From this reading He was overwhelmed by public and private affairs.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
systemsnounUS /ˈsɪstəmz/
plural of “system” — instrumentality that combines interrelated interacting artifacts designed to work as a coherent entity
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
talentsnounUS /ˈtælənts/
plural of “talent” — natural abilities or qualities
From this reading But the demands made by himself and by others upon his talents and his capacities were constantly increased.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It was, originally, no more than the effort of a man of action to be certain, from head to toe, of the adequacy and correctness of his bearing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was, originally, no more than the effort of a man of action to be certain, from head to toe, of the adequacy and correctness of his bearing.
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
toenounUS /toʊ/
one of the digits of the foot
From this reading It was, originally, no more than the effort of a man of action to be certain, from head to toe, of the adequacy and correctness of his bearing.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading But the demands made by himself and by others upon his talents and his capacities were constantly increased.
vanitynounUS /ˈvænəti/
feelings of excessive pride
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
precisely as stated
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But the demands made by himself and by others upon his talents and his capacities were constantly increased.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What people called Thomas Buddenbrook’s “vanity”--his care for his personal appearance, his extravagant dressing--was at bottom not vanity but something else entirely.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Our desires and our performance are conditioned by certain needs of our nervous systems which are very hard to define in words.
