used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For a while this was acute and painful.
actionsnounUS /ˈækʃənz/
plural of “action” — something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
acuteadjectiveUS /əˈkjuːt/
having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
From this reading For a while this was acute and painful.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
(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 "I must watch myself all the time--because I am naturally a liar!"
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am naturally a liar," she told herself solemnly.
analyzingverbUS /ˈænəlaɪzɪŋ/
-ing form of “analyze” — consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For a while this was acute and painful.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
for the reason that
From this reading "I must watch myself all the time--because I am naturally a liar!"
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading The moment when Sheila had that terrifying inward vision of her own inconsistencies marked the beginning of her self-consciousness.
motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
seemingly without interruption
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
dishonestynounUS /dɪˈsɑːnəsti/
the quality of being dishonest
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
plural of “emotion” — any strong feeling
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a while this was acute and painful.
guilelessadjectiveUS /ˈɡaɪlləs/
free of deceit
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The moment when Sheila had that terrifying inward vision of her own inconsistencies marked the beginning of her self-consciousness.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The moment when Sheila had that terrifying inward vision of her own inconsistencies marked the beginning of her self-consciousness.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am naturally a liar," she told herself solemnly.
impulsesnounUS /ˈɪmpəlsɪz/
plural of “impulse” — an instinctive motive
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
inconsistenciesnounUS /ˌɪŋˈkɑːnsɪstensiz/
plural of “inconsistency” — the relation between propositions that cannot both be true at the same time
From this reading The moment when Sheila had that terrifying inward vision of her own inconsistencies marked the beginning of her self-consciousness.
involvedadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈvɑːlvd/
connected by participation or association or use
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
inwardadjectiveUS /ˈɪnwərd/
relating to or existing in the mind or thoughts
From this reading The moment when Sheila had that terrifying inward vision of her own inconsistencies marked the beginning of her self-consciousness.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
labyrinthnounUS /ˈlæbərɪnθ/
complex system of paths or tunnels in which it is easy to get lost
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
liarnounUS /ˈlaɪər/
a person who has lied or who lies repeatedly
From this reading "I am naturally a liar," she told herself solemnly.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading The moment when Sheila had that terrifying inward vision of her own inconsistencies marked the beginning of her self-consciousness.
a particular point in time
From this reading The moment when Sheila had that terrifying inward vision of her own inconsistencies marked the beginning of her self-consciousness.
used to form the superlative
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "I must watch myself all the time--because I am naturally a liar!"
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "I must watch myself all the time--because I am naturally a liar!"
as might be expected
From this reading "I am naturally a liar," she told herself solemnly.
held or filled or in use
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The moment when Sheila had that terrifying inward vision of her own inconsistencies marked the beginning of her self-consciousness.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading The moment when Sheila had that terrifying inward vision of her own inconsistencies marked the beginning of her self-consciousness.
causing physical or psychological pain
From this reading For a while this was acute and painful.
passionatelyadverbUS /ˈpæʃənətli/
with passion
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
detected by instinct or inference rather than by recognized perceptual cues
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
rejectedadjectiveUS /rɪˈdʒektɪd/
rebuffed (by a lover) without warning
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
self-consciousnessnounUS /ˌselfˈkɑːnʃəsnəs/
embarrassment deriving from the feeling that others are critically aware of you
From this reading The moment when Sheila had that terrifying inward vision of her own inconsistencies marked the beginning of her self-consciousness.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
Sheila
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The moment when Sheila had that terrifying inward vision of her own inconsistencies marked the beginning of her self-consciousness.
simplestadjectiveUS /ˈsɪmpləst/
superlative of “simple” — having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
solemnlyadverbUS /ˈsɔːləmli/
in a grave and sedate manner
From this reading "I am naturally a liar," she told herself solemnly.
terrifyingadjectiveUS /ˈterəfaɪɪŋ/
causing extreme terror
From this reading The moment when Sheila had that terrifying inward vision of her own inconsistencies marked the beginning of her self-consciousness.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The moment when Sheila had that terrifying inward vision of her own inconsistencies marked the beginning of her self-consciousness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The moment when Sheila had that terrifying inward vision of her own inconsistencies marked the beginning of her self-consciousness.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading For a while this was acute and painful.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "I must watch myself all the time--because I am naturally a liar!"
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "I am naturally a liar," she told herself solemnly.
unintentionallyadverbUS /ˌʌnɪnˈtenʃənəli/
without intention; in an unintentional manner
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
untruthnounUS /ənˈtruːθ/
a false statement
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
a vivid mental image
From this reading The moment when Sheila had that terrifying inward vision of her own inconsistencies marked the beginning of her self-consciousness.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For a while this was acute and painful.
look attentively
From this reading "I must watch myself all the time--because I am naturally a liar!"
at the time that
From this reading The moment when Sheila had that terrifying inward vision of her own inconsistencies marked the beginning of her self-consciousness.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She was always afraid of finding herself, quite unintentionally, involved in a labyrinth of untruth, and her conscience, which passionately rejected any dishonesty that it perceived, was continually occupied in analyzing her emotions and impulses, her most guileless thoughts and her simplest actions.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading For a while this was acute and painful.
