aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading Between these two certainties he balanced in secret torture, one factor alone constant--that his sense of security was shaken to the foundations.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Belief in his own value had never been thus assailed before; that he was indispensable had been an ultimate assurance.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His vanity and self-esteem now toppled ominously.
assailedverbUS /əˈseɪld/
past form of “assail” — attack someone physically or emotionally
From this reading Belief in his own value had never been thus assailed before; that he was indispensable had been an ultimate assurance.
assurancenounUS /əˈʃʊrəns/
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading Belief in his own value had never been thus assailed before; that he was indispensable had been an ultimate assurance.
balancedadjectiveUS /ˈbælənst/
being in a state of proper equilibrium
From this reading Between these two certainties he balanced in secret torture, one factor alone constant--that his sense of security was shaken to the foundations.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Belief in his own value had never been thus assailed before; that he was indispensable had been an ultimate assurance.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Belief in his own value had never been thus assailed before; that he was indispensable had been an ultimate assurance.
any cognitive content held as true
From this reading Belief in his own value had never been thus assailed before; that he was indispensable had been an ultimate assurance.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Between these two certainties he balanced in secret torture, one factor alone constant--that his sense of security was shaken to the foundations.
certaintiesnounUS /ˈsɜːrtəntiz/
plural of “certainty” — the state of being certain
From this reading Between these two certainties he balanced in secret torture, one factor alone constant--that his sense of security was shaken to the foundations.
rid of obstructions
From this reading One minute he felt sure of Lettice, the next the opposite was clear.
conflictnounUS /ˈkɑːnflɪkt/
an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals)
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
unvarying in nature
From this reading Between these two certainties he balanced in secret torture, one factor alone constant--that his sense of security was shaken to the foundations.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
edgesnounUS /ˈedʒəz/
plural of “edge” — the boundary of a surface
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
factornounUS /ˈfæktər/
anything that contributes causally to a result
From this reading Between these two certainties he balanced in secret torture, one factor alone constant--that his sense of security was shaken to the foundations.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading One minute he felt sure of Lettice, the next the opposite was clear.
foundationsnounUS /faʊnˈdeɪʃənz/
plural of “foundation” — the basis on which something is grounded
From this reading Between these two certainties he balanced in secret torture, one factor alone constant--that his sense of security was shaken to the foundations.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Belief in his own value had never been thus assailed before; that he was indispensable had been an ultimate assurance.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Between these two certainties he balanced in secret torture, one factor alone constant--that his sense of security was shaken to the foundations.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
indispensableadjectiveUS /ˌɪndɪˈspensəbəl/
not to be dispensed with; essential
From this reading Belief in his own value had never been thus assailed before; that he was indispensable had been an ultimate assurance.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
Lettice
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One minute he felt sure of Lettice, the next the opposite was clear.
mercilesslyadverbUS /ˈmɜːrsələsli/
without pity; in a merciless manner
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading One minute he felt sure of Lettice, the next the opposite was clear.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Belief in his own value had never been thus assailed before; that he was indispensable had been an ultimate assurance.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading One minute he felt sure of Lettice, the next the opposite was clear.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading His vanity and self-esteem now toppled ominously.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One minute he felt sure of Lettice, the next the opposite was clear.
ominouslyadverbUS /ˈɑːmənəsli/
in an ominous manner
From this reading His vanity and self-esteem now toppled ominously.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One minute he felt sure of Lettice, the next the opposite was clear.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading One minute he felt sure of Lettice, the next the opposite was clear.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Belief in his own value had never been thus assailed before; that he was indispensable had been an ultimate assurance.
filled with bewilderment
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading Between these two certainties he balanced in secret torture, one factor alone constant--that his sense of security was shaken to the foundations.
securitynounUS /sɪˈkjʊrəti/
the state of being free from danger or injury
From this reading Between these two certainties he balanced in secret torture, one factor alone constant--that his sense of security was shaken to the foundations.
self-esteemnoun
a feeling of pride in yourself
From this reading His vanity and self-esteem now toppled ominously.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading Between these two certainties he balanced in secret torture, one factor alone constant--that his sense of security was shaken to the foundations.
shakenadjectiveUS /ˈʃeɪkən/
disturbed psychologically as if by a physical jolt or shock
From this reading Between these two certainties he balanced in secret torture, one factor alone constant--that his sense of security was shaken to the foundations.
sharpenedadjectiveUS /ˈʃɑːrpənd/
having the point made sharp
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading One minute he felt sure of Lettice, the next the opposite was clear.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Between these two certainties he balanced in secret torture, one factor alone constant--that his sense of security was shaken to the foundations.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading Belief in his own value had never been thus assailed before; that he was indispensable had been an ultimate assurance.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Between these two certainties he balanced in secret torture, one factor alone constant--that his sense of security was shaken to the foundations.
Tom'snounUS /tɑːmz/
possessive form of “tom” — male cat
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
toppledverbUS /ˈtɑːpəld/
past form of “topple” — fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading His vanity and self-esteem now toppled ominously.
tortureverbUS /ˈtɔːrtʃər/
torment emotionally or mentally
From this reading Between these two certainties he balanced in secret torture, one factor alone constant--that his sense of security was shaken to the foundations.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Between these two certainties he balanced in secret torture, one factor alone constant--that his sense of security was shaken to the foundations.
ultimateadjectiveUS /ˈʌltəmət/
furthest or highest in degree or order; utmost or extreme
From this reading Belief in his own value had never been thus assailed before; that he was indispensable had been an ultimate assurance.
a numerical quantity measured or assigned or computed
From this reading Belief in his own value had never been thus assailed before; that he was indispensable had been an ultimate assurance.
vanitynounUS /ˈvænəti/
feelings of excessive pride
From this reading His vanity and self-esteem now toppled ominously.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One minute he felt sure of Lettice, the next the opposite was clear.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
whicheverdeterminerUS /wɪˈtʃevər/
any one of a set, it does not matter which
From this reading The conflict in Tom's puzzled heart sharpened that evening into dreadful edges that cut him mercilessly whichever way he turned.
