used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The attitude of reproach which this delicate and altogether lovely young blossom of a thing had adopted towards him filled him with dismay and a ludicrous sense of guilt.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The boy did not perplex him quite so much--he did not think so much about him--but the girl, the pure and sweet unreason of her proceedings, was beyond his mental grasp.
adoptedadjectiveUS /əˈdɑːptɪd/
acquired as your own by free choice
From this reading The attitude of reproach which this delicate and altogether lovely young blossom of a thing had adopted towards him filled him with dismay and a ludicrous sense of guilt.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Anderson, after they were gone, sat staring out of the window at the green spray of the spring boughs.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading The attitude of reproach which this delicate and altogether lovely young blossom of a thing had adopted towards him filled him with dismay and a ludicrous sense of guilt.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This problem of feminity and childhood which he had confronted was too much for him.
AndersonnounUS /ˈændərsən/
United States author whose works were frequently autobiographical (1876-1941)
From this reading Anderson, after they were gone, sat staring out of the window at the green spray of the spring boughs.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Anderson, after they were gone, sat staring out of the window at the green spray of the spring boughs.
a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading The attitude of reproach which this delicate and altogether lovely young blossom of a thing had adopted towards him filled him with dismay and a ludicrous sense of guilt.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading The boy did not perplex him quite so much--he did not think so much about him--but the girl, the pure and sweet unreason of her proceedings, was beyond his mental grasp.
blossomverbUS /ˈblɑːsəm/
produce or yield flowers
From this reading The attitude of reproach which this delicate and altogether lovely young blossom of a thing had adopted towards him filled him with dismay and a ludicrous sense of guilt.
boughsnounUS /baʊz/
plural of “bough” — any of the larger branches of a tree
From this reading Anderson, after they were gone, sat staring out of the window at the green spray of the spring boughs.
a youthful male person
From this reading The boy did not perplex him quite so much--he did not think so much about him--but the girl, the pure and sweet unreason of her proceedings, was beyond his mental grasp.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading His mouth was twitching, but his forehead was contracted.
the time of person's life when they are a child
From this reading This problem of feminity and childhood which he had confronted was too much for him.
confrontedverbUS /kənˈfrʌntəd/
past form of “confront” — oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading This problem of feminity and childhood which he had confronted was too much for him.
contractedadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːntræktəd/
reduced in size or pulled together
From this reading His mouth was twitching, but his forehead was contracted.
exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury
From this reading The attitude of reproach which this delicate and altogether lovely young blossom of a thing had adopted towards him filled him with dismay and a ludicrous sense of guilt.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The boy did not perplex him quite so much--he did not think so much about him--but the girl, the pure and sweet unreason of her proceedings, was beyond his mental grasp.
dismaynounUS /dɪˈsmeɪ/
the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
From this reading The attitude of reproach which this delicate and altogether lovely young blossom of a thing had adopted towards him filled him with dismay and a ludicrous sense of guilt.
feminity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This problem of feminity and childhood which he had confronted was too much for him.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading The attitude of reproach which this delicate and altogether lovely young blossom of a thing had adopted towards him filled him with dismay and a ludicrous sense of guilt.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading This problem of feminity and childhood which he had confronted was too much for him.
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading His mouth was twitching, but his forehead was contracted.
a young female
From this reading The boy did not perplex him quite so much--he did not think so much about him--but the girl, the pure and sweet unreason of her proceedings, was beyond his mental grasp.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Anderson, after they were gone, sat staring out of the window at the green spray of the spring boughs.
hold firmly
From this reading The boy did not perplex him quite so much--he did not think so much about him--but the girl, the pure and sweet unreason of her proceedings, was beyond his mental grasp.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading Anderson, after they were gone, sat staring out of the window at the green spray of the spring boughs.
guiltnounUS /ɡɪlt/
the state of having committed an offense
From this reading The attitude of reproach which this delicate and altogether lovely young blossom of a thing had adopted towards him filled him with dismay and a ludicrous sense of guilt.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading This problem of feminity and childhood which he had confronted was too much for him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading This problem of feminity and childhood which he had confronted was too much for him.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The boy did not perplex him quite so much--he did not think so much about him--but the girl, the pure and sweet unreason of her proceedings, was beyond his mental grasp.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading This problem of feminity and childhood which he had confronted was too much for him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His mouth was twitching, but his forehead was contracted.
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading The attitude of reproach which this delicate and altogether lovely young blossom of a thing had adopted towards him filled him with dismay and a ludicrous sense of guilt.
ludicrousadjectiveUS /ˈluːdəkrəs/
broadly or extravagantly humorous; resembling farce
From this reading The attitude of reproach which this delicate and altogether lovely young blossom of a thing had adopted towards him filled him with dismay and a ludicrous sense of guilt.
involving the mind or an intellectual process
From this reading The boy did not perplex him quite so much--he did not think so much about him--but the girl, the pure and sweet unreason of her proceedings, was beyond his mental grasp.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading His mouth was twitching, but his forehead was contracted.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading This problem of feminity and childhood which he had confronted was too much for him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The boy did not perplex him quite so much--he did not think so much about him--but the girl, the pure and sweet unreason of her proceedings, was beyond his mental grasp.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Anderson, after they were gone, sat staring out of the window at the green spray of the spring boughs.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Anderson, after they were gone, sat staring out of the window at the green spray of the spring boughs.
perplexverbUS /pərˈpleks/
be a mystery or bewildering to
From this reading The boy did not perplex him quite so much--he did not think so much about him--but the girl, the pure and sweet unreason of her proceedings, was beyond his mental grasp.
problemnounUS /ˈprɑːbləm/
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading This problem of feminity and childhood which he had confronted was too much for him.
proceedingsnounUS /proʊˈsiːdɪŋz/
(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
From this reading The boy did not perplex him quite so much--he did not think so much about him--but the girl, the pure and sweet unreason of her proceedings, was beyond his mental grasp.
free of extraneous elements of any kind
From this reading The boy did not perplex him quite so much--he did not think so much about him--but the girl, the pure and sweet unreason of her proceedings, was beyond his mental grasp.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading The boy did not perplex him quite so much--he did not think so much about him--but the girl, the pure and sweet unreason of her proceedings, was beyond his mental grasp.
reproachnounUS /riˈproʊtʃ/
a mild rebuke or criticism
From this reading The attitude of reproach which this delicate and altogether lovely young blossom of a thing had adopted towards him filled him with dismay and a ludicrous sense of guilt.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Anderson, after they were gone, sat staring out of the window at the green spray of the spring boughs.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading The attitude of reproach which this delicate and altogether lovely young blossom of a thing had adopted towards him filled him with dismay and a ludicrous sense of guilt.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The boy did not perplex him quite so much--he did not think so much about him--but the girl, the pure and sweet unreason of her proceedings, was beyond his mental grasp.
spraynounUS /spreɪ/
a pesticide in suspension or solution; intended for spraying
From this reading Anderson, after they were gone, sat staring out of the window at the green spray of the spring boughs.
the season of growth
From this reading Anderson, after they were gone, sat staring out of the window at the green spray of the spring boughs.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading Anderson, after they were gone, sat staring out of the window at the green spray of the spring boughs.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading The boy did not perplex him quite so much--he did not think so much about him--but the girl, the pure and sweet unreason of her proceedings, was beyond his mental grasp.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Anderson, after they were gone, sat staring out of the window at the green spray of the spring boughs.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Anderson, after they were gone, sat staring out of the window at the green spray of the spring boughs.
a special situation
From this reading The attitude of reproach which this delicate and altogether lovely young blossom of a thing had adopted towards him filled him with dismay and a ludicrous sense of guilt.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading The boy did not perplex him quite so much--he did not think so much about him--but the girl, the pure and sweet unreason of her proceedings, was beyond his mental grasp.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This problem of feminity and childhood which he had confronted was too much for him.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading This problem of feminity and childhood which he had confronted was too much for him.
in the direction of
From this reading The attitude of reproach which this delicate and altogether lovely young blossom of a thing had adopted towards him filled him with dismay and a ludicrous sense of guilt.
twitchingnounUS /ˈtwɪtʃɪŋ/
a sudden muscle spasm; especially one caused by a nervous condition
From this reading His mouth was twitching, but his forehead was contracted.
unreasonnoun
the state of being irrational; lacking powers of understanding
From this reading The boy did not perplex him quite so much--he did not think so much about him--but the girl, the pure and sweet unreason of her proceedings, was beyond his mental grasp.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His mouth was twitching, but his forehead was contracted.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Anderson, after they were gone, sat staring out of the window at the green spray of the spring boughs.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading This problem of feminity and childhood which he had confronted was too much for him.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Anderson, after they were gone, sat staring out of the window at the green spray of the spring boughs.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The attitude of reproach which this delicate and altogether lovely young blossom of a thing had adopted towards him filled him with dismay and a ludicrous sense of guilt.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The attitude of reproach which this delicate and altogether lovely young blossom of a thing had adopted towards him filled him with dismay and a ludicrous sense of guilt.
