used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
anew
From this reading And then again he rebuked himself for being, perhaps, a homesick young idiot, overgiven to morbid speculation.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
(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 To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading He could scarcely believe that the flippancy of these men was serious with them; their talk, their point of view astonished and horrified him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading And then again he rebuked himself for being, perhaps, a homesick young idiot, overgiven to morbid speculation.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading He could scarcely believe that the flippancy of these men was serious with them; their talk, their point of view astonished and horrified him.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
bubbleverbUS /ˈbʌbəl/
form, produce, or emit bubbles
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could scarcely believe that the flippancy of these men was serious with them; their talk, their point of view astonished and horrified him.
someone who is a detective
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
flippancynoun
inappropriate levity
From this reading He could scarcely believe that the flippancy of these men was serious with them; their talk, their point of view astonished and horrified him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
gaudyadjectiveUS /ˈɡɔːdi/
tastelessly showy
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He could scarcely believe that the flippancy of these men was serious with them; their talk, their point of view astonished and horrified him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He could scarcely believe that the flippancy of these men was serious with them; their talk, their point of view astonished and horrified him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading And then again he rebuked himself for being, perhaps, a homesick young idiot, overgiven to morbid speculation.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
homesickadjectiveUS /ˈhoʊmsɪk/
longing to return home
From this reading And then again he rebuked himself for being, perhaps, a homesick young idiot, overgiven to morbid speculation.
horrifiedadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːrəfaɪd/
stricken with horror
From this reading He could scarcely believe that the flippancy of these men was serious with them; their talk, their point of view astonished and horrified him.
idiotnounUS /ˈɪdiːət/
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading And then again he rebuked himself for being, perhaps, a homesick young idiot, overgiven to morbid speculation.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
intentionsnounUS /ˌɪnˈtentʃənz/
plural of “intention” — an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
LancasternounUS /ˈlænkæstər/
a city in northwestern England
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
the force of workers available
From this reading He could scarcely believe that the flippancy of these men was serious with them; their talk, their point of view astonished and horrified him.
moraladjectiveUS /ˈmɔːrəl/
concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
morbidadjectiveUS /ˈmɔːrbəd/
suggesting an unhealthy mental state
From this reading And then again he rebuked himself for being, perhaps, a homesick young idiot, overgiven to morbid speculation.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
not any; not one
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
and nothing more
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
overgiven
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And then again he rebuked himself for being, perhaps, a homesick young idiot, overgiven to morbid speculation.
by chance
From this reading And then again he rebuked himself for being, perhaps, a homesick young idiot, overgiven to morbid speculation.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading He could scarcely believe that the flippancy of these men was serious with them; their talk, their point of view astonished and horrified him.
prattleverbUS /ˈprætəl/
speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
pretensenounUS /priˈtens/
the act of giving a false appearance
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
prevailedverbUS /prɪˈveɪld/
past form of “prevail” — be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
rebukedverbUS /rɪˈbjuːkt/
past form of “rebuke” — censure severely or angrily
From this reading And then again he rebuked himself for being, perhaps, a homesick young idiot, overgiven to morbid speculation.
repugnantadjectiveUS /rɪˈpʌɡnənt/
offensive to the mind
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
only a very short time before
From this reading He could scarcely believe that the flippancy of these men was serious with them; their talk, their point of view astonished and horrified him.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading He could scarcely believe that the flippancy of these men was serious with them; their talk, their point of view astonished and horrified him.
shamnounUS /ʃæm/
something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
skimmingnounUS /ˈskɪmɪŋ/
the act of removing floating material from the surface of a liquid
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
speculationnounUS /ˌspekjəˈleɪʃən/
a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
From this reading And then again he rebuked himself for being, perhaps, a homesick young idiot, overgiven to morbid speculation.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
express a supposition
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
surfacesnounUS /ˈsɜːrfəsəz/
plural of “surface” — the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading He could scarcely believe that the flippancy of these men was serious with them; their talk, their point of view astonished and horrified him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading He could scarcely believe that the flippancy of these men was serious with them; their talk, their point of view astonished and horrified him.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He could scarcely believe that the flippancy of these men was serious with them; their talk, their point of view astonished and horrified him.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then again he rebuked himself for being, perhaps, a homesick young idiot, overgiven to morbid speculation.
in or at that place or location
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading He could scarcely believe that the flippancy of these men was serious with them; their talk, their point of view astonished and horrified him.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
a special situation
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
thirstnounUS /θɜːrst/
a physiological need to drink
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
TorchnounUS /tɔːrtʃ/
a light usually carried in the hand; consists of some flammable substance
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
unevenadjectiveUS /əˈniːvən/
not even or uniform as e.g. in shape or texture
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading To one of his bringing up, his earnest intentions, his thirst for real things, it seemed that all this was very like a gaudy sham, a bubble of pretense, of surface prattle.
precisely as stated
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading He could scarcely believe that the flippancy of these men was serious with them; their talk, their point of view astonished and horrified him.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In the very air and life that prevailed in the office of the _Torch_ there was, as one may suppose, something strange, and at first repugnant to Dick Lancaster.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading If they were to be believed, life was nothing but a skimming of more or less uneven surfaces; the only thing to be tried for was pleasure, and there was no moral line at all.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He could scarcely believe that the flippancy of these men was serious with them; their talk, their point of view astonished and horrified him.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading And then again he rebuked himself for being, perhaps, a homesick young idiot, overgiven to morbid speculation.
