used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The girl's word was like a blow in the face.
personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading Probably others, all those people whose acquaintance he valued, had a like contempt for him, which they refrained, conventionally, from expressing.
(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 Probably others, all those people whose acquaintance he valued, had a like contempt for him, which they refrained, conventionally, from expressing.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading So little that a girl whom he had always treated with jovial condescension might insult him, unprovoked?
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading It toppled over any self-complacency that had survived these last disintegrating months.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Was he as mean a thing as that?
exhale hard
From this reading The girl's word was like a blow in the face.
condescensionnounUS /ˌkɑːndəˈsenʃən/
the trait of displaying arrogance by patronizing those considered inferior
From this reading So little that a girl whom he had always treated with jovial condescension might insult him, unprovoked?
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading Probably others, all those people whose acquaintance he valued, had a like contempt for him, which they refrained, conventionally, from expressing.
conventionallyadverbUS /kənˈvenʃənəli/
in a conventional manner
From this reading Probably others, all those people whose acquaintance he valued, had a like contempt for him, which they refrained, conventionally, from expressing.
disintegratingverbUS /dɪˈsɪntəɡreɪtɪŋ/
-ing form of “disintegrate” — break into parts or components or lose cohesion or unity
From this reading It toppled over any self-complacency that had survived these last disintegrating months.
expressingverbUS /ɪkˈspresɪŋ/
-ing form of “express” — give expression to
From this reading Probably others, all those people whose acquaintance he valued, had a like contempt for him, which they refrained, conventionally, from expressing.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The girl's word was like a blow in the face.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Probably others, all those people whose acquaintance he valued, had a like contempt for him, which they refrained, conventionally, from expressing.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Probably others, all those people whose acquaintance he valued, had a like contempt for him, which they refrained, conventionally, from expressing.
a young female
From this reading So little that a girl whom he had always treated with jovial condescension might insult him, unprovoked?
girl'snounUS /ɡɜːrlz/
possessive form of “girl” — a young female
From this reading The girl's word was like a blow in the face.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It toppled over any self-complacency that had survived these last disintegrating months.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Was he as mean a thing as that?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading So little that a girl whom he had always treated with jovial condescension might insult him, unprovoked?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The girl's word was like a blow in the face.
insultnounUS /ˌɪnˈsʌlt/
a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
From this reading So little that a girl whom he had always treated with jovial condescension might insult him, unprovoked?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It toppled over any self-complacency that had survived these last disintegrating months.
jovialadjectiveUS /ˈdʒoʊviəl/
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading So little that a girl whom he had always treated with jovial condescension might insult him, unprovoked?
immediately past
From this reading It toppled over any self-complacency that had survived these last disintegrating months.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The girl's word was like a blow in the face.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading So little that a girl whom he had always treated with jovial condescension might insult him, unprovoked?
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading Was he as mean a thing as that?
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading So little that a girl whom he had always treated with jovial condescension might insult him, unprovoked?
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading It toppled over any self-complacency that had survived these last disintegrating months.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Probably others, all those people whose acquaintance he valued, had a like contempt for him, which they refrained, conventionally, from expressing.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading It toppled over any self-complacency that had survived these last disintegrating months.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Probably others, all those people whose acquaintance he valued, had a like contempt for him, which they refrained, conventionally, from expressing.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading Probably others, all those people whose acquaintance he valued, had a like contempt for him, which they refrained, conventionally, from expressing.
refrainedverbUS /rɪˈfreɪnd/
past form of “refrain” — resist doing something
From this reading Probably others, all those people whose acquaintance he valued, had a like contempt for him, which they refrained, conventionally, from expressing.
self-complacencynoun
the feeling you have when you are satisfied with yourself
From this reading It toppled over any self-complacency that had survived these last disintegrating months.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So little that a girl whom he had always treated with jovial condescension might insult him, unprovoked?
survivedverbUS /sərˈvaɪvd/
past form of “survive” — continue to live and avoid dying
From this reading It toppled over any self-complacency that had survived these last disintegrating months.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It toppled over any self-complacency that had survived these last disintegrating months.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The girl's word was like a blow in the face.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading It toppled over any self-complacency that had survived these last disintegrating months.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Probably others, all those people whose acquaintance he valued, had a like contempt for him, which they refrained, conventionally, from expressing.
a special situation
From this reading Was he as mean a thing as that?
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Probably others, all those people whose acquaintance he valued, had a like contempt for him, which they refrained, conventionally, from expressing.
toppledverbUS /ˈtɑːpəld/
past form of “topple” — fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading It toppled over any self-complacency that had survived these last disintegrating months.
subjected to a physical (or chemical) treatment or action or agent
From this reading So little that a girl whom he had always treated with jovial condescension might insult him, unprovoked?
unprovokedadjectiveUS /ˌʌnprəˈvoʊkt/
occurring without motivation or provocation
From this reading So little that a girl whom he had always treated with jovial condescension might insult him, unprovoked?
valuedadjectiveUS /ˈvæljuːd/
(usually used in combination) having value of a specified kind
From this reading Probably others, all those people whose acquaintance he valued, had a like contempt for him, which they refrained, conventionally, from expressing.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The girl's word was like a blow in the face.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Probably others, all those people whose acquaintance he valued, had a like contempt for him, which they refrained, conventionally, from expressing.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading So little that a girl whom he had always treated with jovial condescension might insult him, unprovoked?
belonging to which person
From this reading Probably others, all those people whose acquaintance he valued, had a like contempt for him, which they refrained, conventionally, from expressing.
in the company of; together with
From this reading So little that a girl whom he had always treated with jovial condescension might insult him, unprovoked?
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading The girl's word was like a blow in the face.
