used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Its aim is to present a complete picture of a man; its effect is usually to make an impenetrable mystery of him.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
actsnounUS /ækts/
a New Testament book describing the development of the early church from Christ's Ascension to Paul's sojourn at Rome
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
aimverbUS /eɪm/
point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading Its aim is to present a complete picture of a man; its effect is usually to make an impenetrable mystery of him.
(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 The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Its aim is to present a complete picture of a man; its effect is usually to make an impenetrable mystery of him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ Biography fails, like psychology, because it so often mistakes complexity for illumination
for the reason that
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ Biography fails, like psychology, because it so often mistakes complexity for illumination
biographernounUS /baɪˈɑːɡrəfər/
someone who writes an account of a person's life
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
BiographynounUS /baɪˈɑːɡrəfi/
an account of the series of events making up a person's life
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ Biography fails, like psychology, because it so often mistakes complexity for illumination
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The result is a wax dummy, as smooth as glass but as unalive as a dill pickle.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It is by no such process of exhaustion that we get our notions of the people we really know.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
coherencenounUS /koʊˈhɪrəns/
the state of cohering or sticking together
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading Its aim is to present a complete picture of a man; its effect is usually to make an impenetrable mystery of him.
complexitynounUS /kəmˈpleksəti/
the quality of being intricate and compounded
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ Biography fails, like psychology, because it so often mistakes complexity for illumination
detailnounUS /dɪˈteɪl/
an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
dillnounUS /dɪl/
aromatic Old World herb having aromatic threadlike foliage and seeds used as seasoning
From this reading The result is a wax dummy, as smooth as glass but as unalive as a dill pickle.
displayedverbUS /dɪˈspleɪd/
past form of “display” — to show, make visible or apparent
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ Biography fails, like psychology, because it so often mistakes complexity for illumination
dummynounUS /ˈdʌmi/
a person who does not talk
From this reading The result is a wax dummy, as smooth as glass but as unalive as a dill pickle.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading Its aim is to present a complete picture of a man; its effect is usually to make an impenetrable mystery of him.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
exhaustionnounUS /ɪɡˈzɔːstʃən/
extreme fatigue
From this reading It is by no such process of exhaustion that we get our notions of the people we really know.
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
failsverbUS /feɪlz/
third-person singular of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ Biography fails, like psychology, because it so often mistakes complexity for illumination
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ Biography fails, like psychology, because it so often mistakes complexity for illumination
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading It is by no such process of exhaustion that we get our notions of the people we really know.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading The result is a wax dummy, as smooth as glass but as unalive as a dill pickle.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Its aim is to present a complete picture of a man; its effect is usually to make an impenetrable mystery of him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
illuminationnounUS /ˌɪluːməˈneɪʃən/
a condition of spiritual awareness; divine illumination
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ Biography fails, like psychology, because it so often mistakes complexity for illumination
impenetrableadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpenətrəbəl/
not admitting of penetration or passage into or through
From this reading Its aim is to present a complete picture of a man; its effect is usually to make an impenetrable mystery of him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Its aim is to present a complete picture of a man; its effect is usually to make an impenetrable mystery of him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ Biography fails, like psychology, because it so often mistakes complexity for illumination
ItalicnounUS /aɪˈtælɪk/
a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ Biography fails, like psychology, because it so often mistakes complexity for illumination
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Its aim is to present a complete picture of a man; its effect is usually to make an impenetrable mystery of him.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading It is by no such process of exhaustion that we get our notions of the people we really know.
plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ Biography fails, like psychology, because it so often mistakes complexity for illumination
engage in
From this reading Its aim is to present a complete picture of a man; its effect is usually to make an impenetrable mystery of him.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Its aim is to present a complete picture of a man; its effect is usually to make an impenetrable mystery of him.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
mistakesnounUS /mɪˈsteɪks/
plural of “mistake” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ Biography fails, like psychology, because it so often mistakes complexity for illumination
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading Its aim is to present a complete picture of a man; its effect is usually to make an impenetrable mystery of him.
not any; not one
From this reading It is by no such process of exhaustion that we get our notions of the people we really know.
notionsnounUS /ˈnoʊʃənz/
plural of “notion” — a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading It is by no such process of exhaustion that we get our notions of the people we really know.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Its aim is to present a complete picture of a man; its effect is usually to make an impenetrable mystery of him.
many times at short intervals
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ Biography fails, like psychology, because it so often mistakes complexity for illumination
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading It is by no such process of exhaustion that we get our notions of the people we really know.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading It is by no such process of exhaustion that we get our notions of the people we really know.
picklenounUS /ˈpɪkəl/
vegetables (especially cucumbers) preserved in brine or vinegar
From this reading The result is a wax dummy, as smooth as glass but as unalive as a dill pickle.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading Its aim is to present a complete picture of a man; its effect is usually to make an impenetrable mystery of him.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Its aim is to present a complete picture of a man; its effect is usually to make an impenetrable mystery of him.
processverbUS /ˈprɑːses/
subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition
From this reading It is by no such process of exhaustion that we get our notions of the people we really know.
psychologynounUS /saɪˈkɑːlədʒi/
the science of mental life
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ Biography fails, like psychology, because it so often mistakes complexity for illumination
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading It is by no such process of exhaustion that we get our notions of the people we really know.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading The result is a wax dummy, as smooth as glass but as unalive as a dill pickle.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading The result is a wax dummy, as smooth as glass but as unalive as a dill pickle.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ Biography fails, like psychology, because it so often mistakes complexity for illumination
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading It is by no such process of exhaustion that we get our notions of the people we really know.
textnounUS /tekst/
the words of something written
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ Biography fails, like psychology, because it so often mistakes complexity for illumination
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Its aim is to present a complete picture of a man; its effect is usually to make an impenetrable mystery of him.
triesnounUS /traɪz/
plural of “try” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
unalive
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The result is a wax dummy, as smooth as glass but as unalive as a dill pickle.
unbrokenadjectiveUS /ənˈbroʊkən/
marked by continuous or uninterrupted extension in space or time or sequence
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
under normal conditions
From this reading Its aim is to present a complete picture of a man; its effect is usually to make an impenetrable mystery of him.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading The cause of this, it seems to me, lies in the fact that the biographer always tries to explain him utterly, to account for him in every detail, to give an unbroken coherence to all his acts and ideas.
waxverbUS /wæks/
cover with wax
From this reading The result is a wax dummy, as smooth as glass but as unalive as a dill pickle.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading It is by no such process of exhaustion that we get our notions of the people we really know.
