used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As soon as Deborah came out of college she made fresh literary attempts; she was not successful.
attemptsnounUS /əˈtempts/
plural of “attempt” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading As soon as Deborah came out of college she made fresh literary attempts; she was not successful.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She had tried tragedy, comedy, mixtures, satires, ghost stories, and myths, and everything had failed and been returned.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading However, she was beginning to feel dispirited.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading As soon as Deborah came out of college she made fresh literary attempts; she was not successful.
the body of faculty and students of a college
From this reading As soon as Deborah came out of college she made fresh literary attempts; she was not successful.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
comedynounUS /ˈkɑːmədi/
light and humorous drama with a happy ending
From this reading She had tried tragedy, comedy, mixtures, satires, ghost stories, and myths, and everything had failed and been returned.
continuousadjectiveUS /kənˈtɪnjuːəs/
continuing in time or space without interruption
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
Deborah
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As soon as Deborah came out of college she made fresh literary attempts; she was not successful.
depressingadjectiveUS /dɪˈpresɪŋ/
causing sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
dispiritedadjectiveUS /dɪˈspɪrətɪd/
marked by low spirits; showing no enthusiasm
From this reading However, she was beginning to feel dispirited.
dispiritingadjectiveUS /dɪˈspɪrɪtɪŋ/
destructive of morale and self-reliance
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading She had tried tragedy, comedy, mixtures, satires, ghost stories, and myths, and everything had failed and been returned.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading She had tried tragedy, comedy, mixtures, satires, ghost stories, and myths, and everything had failed and been returned.
failuresnounUS /ˈfeɪljərz/
plural of “failure” — an act that fails
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading However, she was beginning to feel dispirited.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
frequentverbUS /ˈfriːkwənt/
do one's shopping at; do business with; be a customer or client of
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading As soon as Deborah came out of college she made fresh literary attempts; she was not successful.
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading She had tried tragedy, comedy, mixtures, satires, ghost stories, and myths, and everything had failed and been returned.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had tried tragedy, comedy, mixtures, satires, ghost stories, and myths, and everything had failed and been returned.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading However, she was beginning to feel dispirited.
the act of departing
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
of or relating to or characteristic of literature
From this reading As soon as Deborah came out of college she made fresh literary attempts; she was not successful.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading As soon as Deborah came out of college she made fresh literary attempts; she was not successful.
mixturesnounUS /ˈmɪkstʃərz/
plural of “mixture” — (chemistry) a substance consisting of two or more substances mixed together (not in fixed proportions and not with chemical bonding)
From this reading She had tried tragedy, comedy, mixtures, satires, ghost stories, and myths, and everything had failed and been returned.
mythsnounUS /mɪθs/
plural of “myth” — a traditional story accepted as history; serves to explain the world view of a people
From this reading She had tried tragedy, comedy, mixtures, satires, ghost stories, and myths, and everything had failed and been returned.
not one, and not any
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading As soon as Deborah came out of college she made fresh literary attempts; she was not successful.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As soon as Deborah came out of college she made fresh literary attempts; she was not successful.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
and nothing more
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading As soon as Deborah came out of college she made fresh literary attempts; she was not successful.
by chance
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
rejectionnounUS /rɪˈdʒekʃən/
the act of rejecting something
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading She had tried tragedy, comedy, mixtures, satires, ghost stories, and myths, and everything had failed and been returned.
Identical; not different.
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
satiresnounUS /ˈsætaɪərz/
plural of “satire” — witty language used to convey insults or scorn
From this reading She had tried tragedy, comedy, mixtures, satires, ghost stories, and myths, and everything had failed and been returned.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As soon as Deborah came out of college she made fresh literary attempts; she was not successful.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
in the near future
From this reading As soon as Deborah came out of college she made fresh literary attempts; she was not successful.
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading She had tried tragedy, comedy, mixtures, satires, ghost stories, and myths, and everything had failed and been returned.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome
From this reading As soon as Deborah came out of college she made fresh literary attempts; she was not successful.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
thumpverbUS /θʌmp/
move rhythmically
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading However, she was beginning to feel dispirited.
the upper part of anything
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading She had tried tragedy, comedy, mixtures, satires, ghost stories, and myths, and everything had failed and been returned.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading She had tried tragedy, comedy, mixtures, satires, ghost stories, and myths, and everything had failed and been returned.
unfitadjectiveUS /ənˈfɪt/
below the required standards for a purpose
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
under normal conditions
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As soon as Deborah came out of college she made fresh literary attempts; she was not successful.
weedingverbUS /ˈwiːdɪŋ/
-ing form of “weed” — clear of weeds
From this reading Now, frequent and continuous failures are depressing, but they usually have the good effect of weeding out the unfit and leaving only the strong.
a late time of life
From this reading Each rejection had come like a dull thump on the top of her heart, but none perhaps for some years had had quite the same dispiriting effect as the first.
