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  1. animadversion love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. Strong criticism.
  2. n. A critical or censorious remark: "entertained serious animadversions concerning the U.S.S.R. and its behavior on the international scene” ( Adam B. Ulam).

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. The act or faculty of observing or noticing; observation; perception.
  2. n. The act of criticizing; criticism; censure; reproof.
  3. n. Synonyms Remark, comment, reprobation, reprehension.

Wiktionary

  1. n. countable A criticism, a critical remark.
  2. n. uncountable The state or characteristic of being animadversive.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. obsolete The act or power of perceiving or taking notice; direct or simple perception.
  2. n. obsolete Monition; warning.
  3. n. Remarks by way of criticism and usually of censure; adverse criticism; reproof; blame.
  4. n. Archaic Judicial cognizance of an offense; chastisement; punishment.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. harsh criticism or disapproval

Etymologies

  1. Latin animadversiō, animadversiōn-, from animadversus, past participle of animadvertere, to turn the mind toward; see animadvert. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “The steps for accelerating the Catholic emancipation passed without animadversion from the English Ministry; but the dismissal of Mr. Beresford, and his adherents, gave great of - fence to the Cabinet of London.”

    Internet Archive: Peerage of England, genealogical, biographical, and historical

  • “For centuries, women writers were sweepingly dismissed on the basis of gender, as in Nathaniel Hawthorne's notorious animadversion against the "damned mob of scribbling women" robbing him of the sales he felt he deserved.”

    Sarah Churchwell praises Elaine Showalter's judicious study of American women authors

  • “Of late, however, as the Protestant doctrines gained ground, he had found it convenient to live in close retirement, and to avoid, as much as possible, drawing upon himself observation or animadversion.”

    The Abbot

  • “Reyberts, cut dead by the handsome Estelle, found themselves the objects of so much animadversion on the part of the adherents of the Moreaus that their position at Presles would not have been endurable without the thought of vengeance which had, so far, supported them.”

    A Start in Life

  • “Even his comparison of St. Ignatius to Cæsar, and Xavier to Alexander, passed without animadversion; it was tolerated as a flower of rhetoric.”

    A Philosophical Dictionary

  • “The story of Jaddus would be entitled to our respect — it would be beyond the reach of animadversion — were even any shadow of it to be found in the sacred writings; but as they do not make the slightest mention of it, we are quite at liberty to see that it is ridiculous.”

    A Philosophical Dictionary

  • “I am contented with my fortunes, spectator e longinquo, and love Neptunum procul a terra spectare furentem: he is ambitious, and not satisfied with his: but what [3944] gets he by it? to have all his life laid open, his reproaches seen: not one of a thousand but he hath done more worthy of dispraise and animadversion than commendation; no better means to help this than to be private.”

    Anatomy of Melancholy

  • “That Charles the Fifth5 was crowned upon the day of his nativity, it being in his own power so to order it, makes no singular animadversion: but that he should also take King Francis6 prisoner upon that day, was an unexpected coincidence, which made the same remarkable.”

    Letter to a Friend

  • “But, affecting as my own circumstances are, I cannot pass by, without animadversion, the reflection I need not repeat in words.”

    Clarissa Harlowe

  • “I put them to mark the places which call for vengeance upon the vixen writer, or which require animadversion.”

    Clarissa Harlowe

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synonyms (10)

Words with the same meaning

  1. reproof
  2. stricture
  1. censure
  2. comment
  1. criticism
  2. blame
  1. monition
  2. warning
  1. chastisement
  2. punishment

hypernyms (2)

Words that are more generic or abstract

  1. disapprobation
  1. condemnation

hyponyms (1)

Words that are more specific

  1. interdict

same context (25)

Words that are found in similar contexts

  1. reprehension
  2. reprobation
  3. confutation
  4. disapprobation
  5. although
  1. snub
  2. syncopation
  3. disquietness
  4. disparagement
  5. grumpiness
  1. berate
  2. cavil
  3. everyone
  4. gladiatorship
  5. reprehend
  1. discontentment
  2. piteousness
  3. seuere
  4. dysarthria
  5. cross-examination
  1. constitutionalism
  2. scornfulness
  3. encephalomyelitis
  4. scourging
  5. convener

reverse dictionary (5)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. criticism
  1. show-up
  1. dispraise
  1. censure
  1. touch

tags (1)

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  1. ppwp_shouldknow

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Comments

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  • jmjarmstrong JM is adamant in his aversion to all versions of animadversion Dec 10, 2010

  • bilby "The paper took the view that it was just too much harping on the same string; in fact I was very well aware that my future as a columnist depended principally on my ability to entertain the couple under the Habitat duvet on a Sunday morning, and so I had interspersed my more bitter animadversions with frivolous columns about moped riding going knickerless. These, of course, were the only ones anyone ever remembered. 'Does Miss Greer's mind ever rise above her navel?' they used to ask. Such flightiness produced the now fixed idea that I was an architect of the permissive society."
    - 'The Madwoman's Underclothes', Germaine Greer. Mar 26, 2008

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‘animadversion’ has been looked up 3886 times, loved by 13 people, added to 78 lists, commented on 2 times, and has a Scrabble score of 19.