used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading But all at once he stopped short, enlightened by a sudden reflection.
acknowledgingverbUS /ækˈnɑːlɪdʒɪŋ/
-ing form of “acknowledge” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
a proposal for an appropriate course of action
From this reading The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
(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 But all at once he stopped short, enlightened by a sudden reflection.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him.
argueverbUS /ˈɑːrɡjuː/
present reasons and arguments
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But all at once he stopped short, enlightened by a sudden reflection.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
lacking funds
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But all at once he stopped short, enlightened by a sudden reflection.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading But all at once he stopped short, enlightened by a sudden reflection.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading When he left Mrs. Fontaine’s presence, he did so with lagging steps.
divergentadjectiveUS /daɪˈvɜːrdʒənt/
diverging from another or from a standard
From this reading The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him.
enlightenedadjectiveUS /ˌenˈlaɪtənd/
having knowledge and spiritual insight
From this reading But all at once he stopped short, enlightened by a sudden reflection.
Fontaine's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When he left Mrs. Fontaine’s presence, he did so with lagging steps.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When he left Mrs. Fontaine’s presence, he did so with lagging steps.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If what they say is true ... why did they all marry?"
deeply or markedly affected or influenced
From this reading The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him.
insightnounUS /ˈɪnsaɪt/
clear or deep perception of a situation
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
irritatedadjectiveUS /ˈɪrəteɪtəd/
aroused to impatience or anger
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "If what they say is true ... why did they all marry?"
laggingnounUS /ˈlæɡɪŋ/
insulation used to wrap around pipes or boilers or laid in attics to prevent loss of heat
From this reading When he left Mrs. Fontaine’s presence, he did so with lagging steps.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading When he left Mrs. Fontaine’s presence, he did so with lagging steps.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him.
take in marriage
From this reading "If what they say is true ... why did they all marry?"
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading When he left Mrs. Fontaine’s presence, he did so with lagging steps.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
on one occasion
From this reading But all at once he stopped short, enlightened by a sudden reflection.
plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading When he left Mrs. Fontaine’s presence, he did so with lagging steps.
processverbUS /ˈprɑːses/
subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
profoundlyadverbUS /proʊˈfaʊndli/
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him.
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading But all at once he stopped short, enlightened by a sudden reflection.
express in words
From this reading "If what they say is true ... why did they all marry?"
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading But all at once he stopped short, enlightened by a sudden reflection.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading When he left Mrs. Fontaine’s presence, he did so with lagging steps.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading When he left Mrs. Fontaine’s presence, he did so with lagging steps.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading But all at once he stopped short, enlightened by a sudden reflection.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading But all at once he stopped short, enlightened by a sudden reflection.
of high or superior quality or performance
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "If what they say is true ... why did they all marry?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading "If what they say is true ... why did they all marry?"
of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity
From this reading The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him.
viewingnounUS /ˈvjuːɪŋ/
the display of a motion picture
From this reading The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He tried to argue against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight.
at the time that
From this reading When he left Mrs. Fontaine’s presence, he did so with lagging steps.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "If what they say is true ... why did they all marry?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading When he left Mrs. Fontaine’s presence, he did so with lagging steps.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him.
