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Webster’s Dictionary (1828)



282 words match “BECOMING”

DAUGHTERLY a.
Becoming a daughter; filial. Sir Thomas liked her natural and dear daughterly affection towards him. Cavendish.
DEAD a.
a citizen; deprived of the power of enjoying the rights of property; as, one banished or becoming a monk is civilly dead.
DECENCY n. 2 definitions
The quality or state of being decent, suitable, or becoming, in words or behavior; propriety of form in social intercourse, in actions, or in discourse; proper formality; becoming ceremony; seemliness; hence, freedom from obscenity or indecorum; modesty. Observances of time, place, and of decency in general. Burke. Imm…
DECENT a.
Suitable in words, behavior, dress, or ceremony; becoming; fit; decorous; proper; seemly; as, decent conduct; decent language. Shak. Before his decent steps. Milton.
DECORATE v.
To deck with that which is becoming, ornamental, or honorary; to adorn; to beautify; to embellish; as, to decorate the person; to decorate an edifice; to decorate a lawn with flowers; to decorate the mind with moral beauties; to decorate a hero with honors. Her fat neck was ornamented with jewels, rich bracelets decora…
DECOROUS a.
Suitable to a character, or to the time, place, and occasion; marked with decorum; becoming; proper; seemly; befitting; as, a decorous speech; decorous behavior; a decorous dress for a judge. A decorous pretext the war. Motley. -- De*co"rous*ly, adv. -- De*co"rous*ness, n.
DECREASE n.
A becoming less; gradual diminution; decay; as, a decrease of revenue or of strength.
DECREASING a.
Becoming less and less; diminishing. -- De*creas"ing*ly, adv. Decreasing series (Math.), a series in which each term is numerically smaller than the preceding term.
DECREMENT n.
The state of becoming gradually less; decrease; diminution; waste; loss. Twit me with the decrements of my pendants. Ford. Rocks, mountains, and the other elevations of the earth suffer a continual decrement. Woodward.
DECRESCENT a.
Becoming less by gradual diminution; decreasing; as, a decrescent moon.
DEDECOROUS a.
Disgraceful; unbecoming. [R.] Bailey.
DEGENERACY n.
The act of becoming degenerate; a growing worse. Willful degeneracy from goodness. Tillotson.
DELIQUESCENT a.
iquefying by contact with the air; capable of attracting moisture from the atmosphere and becoming liquid; as, deliquescent salts.
DESPERATION n.
The act of despairing or becoming desperate; a giving up of hope. This desperation of success chills all our industry. Hammond.
DIMINUTION n.
The act of diminishing, or of making or becoming less; state of being diminished; reduction in size, quantity, or degree; -- opposed to augmentation or increase.
DISDAIN v.
To think unworthy; to deem unsuitable or unbecoming; as, to disdain to do a mean act. Disdaining . . . that any should bear the armor of the best knight living. Sir P. Sidney.
DISGRACEFUL a.
Bringing disgrace; causing shame; shameful; dishonorable; unbecoming; as, profaneness is disgraceful to a man. -- Dis*grace"ful*fy, adv. -- Dis*grace"ful*ness, n. The Senate have cast you forth disgracefully. B. Jonson.
DISINGENUOUS a.
Not noble; unbecoming true honor or dignity; mean; unworthy; as, disingenuous conduct or schemes.
DIURNATION n.
The condition of sleeping or becoming dormant by day, as is the case of the bats.
DRYING a.
Having the quality of rapidly becoming dry. Drying oil, an oil which, either naturally or after boiling with oxide of lead, absorbs oxygen from the air and dries up rapidly. Drying oils are used as the bases of many paints and varnishes.
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