used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
animatedadjectiveUS /ˈænəmeɪtɪd/
having life or vigor or spirit
From this reading With her masses of fair hair dressed high, and her face slightly animated, I realized what I had not done before--that she was the wreck of a very beautiful woman.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading With her masses of fair hair dressed high, and her face slightly animated, I realized what I had not done before--that she was the wreck of a very beautiful woman.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading With her masses of fair hair dressed high, and her face slightly animated, I realized what I had not done before--that she was the wreck of a very beautiful woman.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading She had beautiful eyebrows, nearly black and perfectly penciled; they were almost incongruous in her colorless face.
ButlernounUS /ˈbʌtlər/
a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading FIND THE WOMAN Mrs. Butler came down to dinner that night.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading FIND THE WOMAN Mrs. Butler came down to dinner that night.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
colorlessadjectiveUS /ˈkʌlərləs/
lacking in variety and interest
From this reading She had beautiful eyebrows, nearly black and perfectly penciled; they were almost incongruous in her colorless face.
depressingadjectiveUS /dɪˈpresɪŋ/
causing sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading FIND THE WOMAN Mrs. Butler came down to dinner that night.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading With her masses of fair hair dressed high, and her face slightly animated, I realized what I had not done before--that she was the wreck of a very beautiful woman.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading FIND THE WOMAN Mrs. Butler came down to dinner that night.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading With her masses of fair hair dressed high, and her face slightly animated, I realized what I had not done before--that she was the wreck of a very beautiful woman.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
eyebrowsnounUS /ˈaɪbraʊz/
plural of “eyebrow” — the arch of hair above each eye
From this reading She had beautiful eyebrows, nearly black and perfectly penciled; they were almost incongruous in her colorless face.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading With her masses of fair hair dressed high, and her face slightly animated, I realized what I had not done before--that she was the wreck of a very beautiful woman.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading With her masses of fair hair dressed high, and her face slightly animated, I realized what I had not done before--that she was the wreck of a very beautiful woman.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading FIND THE WOMAN Mrs. Butler came down to dinner that night.
referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
FrailadjectiveUS /freɪl/
physically weak
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
garmentsnounUS /ˈɡɑːrmənts/
plural of “garment” — an article of clothing
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading With her masses of fair hair dressed high, and her face slightly animated, I realized what I had not done before--that she was the wreck of a very beautiful woman.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading With her masses of fair hair dressed high, and her face slightly animated, I realized what I had not done before--that she was the wreck of a very beautiful woman.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
incongruousadjectiveUS /ˌɪŋˈkɔːŋruːəs/
lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness
From this reading She had beautiful eyebrows, nearly black and perfectly penciled; they were almost incongruous in her colorless face.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
massesnounUS /ˈmæsəz/
the common people generally
From this reading With her masses of fair hair dressed high, and her face slightly animated, I realized what I had not done before--that she was the wreck of a very beautiful woman.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
mournfuladjectiveUS /ˈmɔːrnfəl/
expressing sorrow
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading FIND THE WOMAN Mrs. Butler came down to dinner that night.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading She had beautiful eyebrows, nearly black and perfectly penciled; they were almost incongruous in her colorless face.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading FIND THE WOMAN Mrs. Butler came down to dinner that night.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading With her masses of fair hair dressed high, and her face slightly animated, I realized what I had not done before--that she was the wreck of a very beautiful woman.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading With her masses of fair hair dressed high, and her face slightly animated, I realized what I had not done before--that she was the wreck of a very beautiful woman.
penciledadjectiveUS /ˈpensəld/
drawn or written with a pencil
From this reading She had beautiful eyebrows, nearly black and perfectly penciled; they were almost incongruous in her colorless face.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading She had beautiful eyebrows, nearly black and perfectly penciled; they were almost incongruous in her colorless face.
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading With her masses of fair hair dressed high, and her face slightly animated, I realized what I had not done before--that she was the wreck of a very beautiful woman.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
shrinkingly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading With her masses of fair hair dressed high, and her face slightly animated, I realized what I had not done before--that she was the wreck of a very beautiful woman.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
statelinessnoun
an elaborate manner of doing something
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading FIND THE WOMAN Mrs. Butler came down to dinner that night.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FIND THE WOMAN Mrs. Butler came down to dinner that night.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had beautiful eyebrows, nearly black and perfectly penciled; they were almost incongruous in her colorless face.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
timidadjectiveUS /ˈtɪmɪd/
showing fear and lack of confidence
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading FIND THE WOMAN Mrs. Butler came down to dinner that night.
a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
precisely as stated
From this reading With her masses of fair hair dressed high, and her face slightly animated, I realized what I had not done before--that she was the wreck of a very beautiful woman.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading With her masses of fair hair dressed high, and her face slightly animated, I realized what I had not done before--that she was the wreck of a very beautiful woman.
at the time that
From this reading Frail as she was, almost shrinkingly timid in her manner, there were times when she drew up her tall figure in something like its former stateliness.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With her masses of fair hair dressed high, and her face slightly animated, I realized what I had not done before--that she was the wreck of a very beautiful woman.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading FIND THE WOMAN Mrs. Butler came down to dinner that night.
wrecknounUS /rek/
something or someone that has suffered ruin or dilapidation
From this reading With her masses of fair hair dressed high, and her face slightly animated, I realized what I had not done before--that she was the wreck of a very beautiful woman.
but in spite of that
From this reading She was more cheerful than I had yet seen her, and she had changed her mournful garments to something a trifle less depressing.
