in actual fact
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
speak to
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
aloofadjectiveUS /əˈluːf/
remote in manner
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There was an inexplicable change, too, in his manner toward herself.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
avoidingverbUS /əˈvɔɪdɪŋ/
-ing form of “avoid” — stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
Aylwinne
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For two or three days Florence could not resist secretly watching Mr. Aylwinne.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading There was an inexplicable change, too, in his manner toward herself.
the process of giving careful thought to something
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading For two or three days Florence could not resist secretly watching Mr. Aylwinne.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading For two or three days Florence could not resist secretly watching Mr. Aylwinne.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
FlorencenounUS /ˈflɔːrəns/
a city in central Italy on the Arno; provincial capital of Tuscany; center of the Italian Renaissance from 14th to 16th centuries
From this reading For two or three days Florence could not resist secretly watching Mr. Aylwinne.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For two or three days Florence could not resist secretly watching Mr. Aylwinne.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading There was an inexplicable change, too, in his manner toward herself.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading There was an inexplicable change, too, in his manner toward herself.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
restless or short-tempered under delay or opposition
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was an inexplicable change, too, in his manner toward herself.
made greater in size or amount or degree
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
inexplicableadjectiveUS /ˌɪnəkˈsplɪsəbəl/
incapable of being explained or accounted for
From this reading There was an inexplicable change, too, in his manner toward herself.
the literary culture
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading There was an inexplicable change, too, in his manner toward herself.
a form of address for a man
From this reading For two or three days Florence could not resist secretly watching Mr. Aylwinne.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading For two or three days Florence could not resist secretly watching Mr. Aylwinne.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading For two or three days Florence could not resist secretly watching Mr. Aylwinne.
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
resistverbUS /rɪˈzɪst/
elude, especially in a baffling way
From this reading For two or three days Florence could not resist secretly watching Mr. Aylwinne.
(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
secretlyadverbUS /ˈsiːkrɪtli/
in secrecy; not openly
From this reading For two or three days Florence could not resist secretly watching Mr. Aylwinne.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
strivingnounUS /ˈstraɪvɪŋ/
an effortful attempt to attain a goal
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
SUSPENSEnounUS /səˈspens/
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading SUSPENSE.
an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was an inexplicable change, too, in his manner toward herself.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading For two or three days Florence could not resist secretly watching Mr. Aylwinne.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading There was an inexplicable change, too, in his manner toward herself.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading There was an inexplicable change, too, in his manner toward herself.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading For two or three days Florence could not resist secretly watching Mr. Aylwinne.
unusuallyadverbUS /əˈnjuːʒuːəli/
to a remarkable degree or extent
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was an inexplicable change, too, in his manner toward herself.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading For two or three days Florence could not resist secretly watching Mr. Aylwinne.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Without actually avoiding her, he seemed to hold himself aloof, to address her with increased respect and consideration, and to lower his tones as if some great sympathy for her were striving within him.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading He did not go to town, as she had expected he would, but he wrote several letters, and seemed unusually impatient for the arrival of the post.
