used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The term became a byword for nursery terror.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading Not quite all gamma-men accepted this half-life allotted to them.
accidentsnounUS /ˈæksədənts/
plural of “accident” — an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
in actual fact
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
adaptationnounUS /ˌædəpˈteɪʃən/
a written work (as a novel) that has been recast in a new form
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading Nothing genuinely monstrous occurred, but enough friction developed to keep alive and add to the public dread of gamma-men.
aliveadjectiveUS /əˈlaɪv/
possessing life
From this reading Nothing genuinely monstrous occurred, but enough friction developed to keep alive and add to the public dread of gamma-men.
(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 Not quite all gamma-men accepted this half-life allotted to them.
allottedadjectiveUS /əˈlɑːtɪd/
given as a task
From this reading Not quite all gamma-men accepted this half-life allotted to them.
amuckadverbUS /əˈmʌk/
wildly; without self-control
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There were sports, avatars, occasional throwbacks who rebelled and went "off reservation."
avatarsnounUS /ˈævətɑːrz/
plural of “avatar” — a new personification of a familiar idea
From this reading There were sports, avatars, occasional throwbacks who rebelled and went "off reservation."
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading The term became a byword for nursery terror.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
bywordnounUS /ˈbaɪwɜːrd/
a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people
From this reading The term became a byword for nursery terror.
developedadjectiveUS /dɪˈveləpt/
being changed over time so as to be e.g. stronger or more complete or more useful
From this reading Nothing genuinely monstrous occurred, but enough friction developed to keep alive and add to the public dread of gamma-men.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
fearful expectation or anticipation
From this reading Nothing genuinely monstrous occurred, but enough friction developed to keep alive and add to the public dread of gamma-men.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Nothing genuinely monstrous occurred, but enough friction developed to keep alive and add to the public dread of gamma-men.
fear-conditioning
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The term became a byword for nursery terror.
frictionnounUS /ˈfrɪkʃən/
a state of conflict between persons
From this reading Nothing genuinely monstrous occurred, but enough friction developed to keep alive and add to the public dread of gamma-men.
gamma-men
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not quite all gamma-men accepted this half-life allotted to them.
genuinelyadverbUS /ˈdʒenjəwənli/
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading Nothing genuinely monstrous occurred, but enough friction developed to keep alive and add to the public dread of gamma-men.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
half-lifenoun
the time required for something to fall to half its initial value (in particular, the time for half the atoms in a radioactive substance to disintegrate)
From this reading Not quite all gamma-men accepted this half-life allotted to them.
incidentsnounUS /ˈɪnsədənts/
plural of “incident” — a single distinct event
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Nothing genuinely monstrous occurred, but enough friction developed to keep alive and add to the public dread of gamma-men.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
monstrousadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːnstrəs/
abnormally large
From this reading Nothing genuinely monstrous occurred, but enough friction developed to keep alive and add to the public dread of gamma-men.
not one, and not any
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not quite all gamma-men accepted this half-life allotted to them.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing genuinely monstrous occurred, but enough friction developed to keep alive and add to the public dread of gamma-men.
nurserynounUS /ˈnɜːrsəri/
a child's room for a baby
From this reading The term became a byword for nursery terror.
occasionaladjectiveUS /əˈkeɪʒənəl/
occurring from time to time
From this reading There were sports, avatars, occasional throwbacks who rebelled and went "off reservation."
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading Nothing genuinely monstrous occurred, but enough friction developed to keep alive and add to the public dread of gamma-men.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading There were sports, avatars, occasional throwbacks who rebelled and went "off reservation."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
a judge of a probate court
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
causing physical or psychological pain
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
people in general considered as a whole
From this reading Nothing genuinely monstrous occurred, but enough friction developed to keep alive and add to the public dread of gamma-men.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Not quite all gamma-men accepted this half-life allotted to them.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
rebelledverbUS /rɪˈbeld/
inflected form of “rebel” — take part in a rebellion; renounce a former allegiance
From this reading There were sports, avatars, occasional throwbacks who rebelled and went "off reservation."
reservationnounUS /ˌrezərˈveɪʃən/
a district that is reserved for particular purpose
From this reading There were sports, avatars, occasional throwbacks who rebelled and went "off reservation."
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
sportsnounUS /spɔːrts/
plural of “sport” — an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition
From this reading There were sports, avatars, occasional throwbacks who rebelled and went "off reservation."
a word or expression used for some particular thing
From this reading The term became a byword for nursery terror.
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading The term became a byword for nursery terror.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Not quite all gamma-men accepted this half-life allotted to them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were sports, avatars, occasional throwbacks who rebelled and went "off reservation."
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Not quite all gamma-men accepted this half-life allotted to them.
throwbacks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were sports, avatars, occasional throwbacks who rebelled and went "off reservation."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Not quite all gamma-men accepted this half-life allotted to them.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading None of these actually ran amuck, but so great was the fear-conditioning on one side, and so difficult the adaptation to ordinary living on the other that there were painful accidents and incidents.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading There were sports, avatars, occasional throwbacks who rebelled and went "off reservation."
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were sports, avatars, occasional throwbacks who rebelled and went "off reservation."
which person or people
From this reading There were sports, avatars, occasional throwbacks who rebelled and went "off reservation."
