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spirit
has definitions from the field of religion
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[ noun ] (religion) the vital principle or animating force within living things
Used in print (Charles Wharton Stork, "Verner von Heidenstam"...)He saw Sweden as a country of smug and narrow provincialism , indifferent to the heroic spirit of its former glory . Related terms |
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[ noun ] the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people
Examples "the feel of the city excited him" "a clergyman improved the tone of the meeting" "it had the smell of treason" Used in print (Booton Herndon, "From Custer to Korea, The 7th Cavalry"...)He was filled with the spirit of the Fighting_Seventh . It was Bob_Carroll , who had suddenly found himself imbued with the spirit of Garryowen . (Gibson Winter, The Suburban Captivity of the...)The vulnerability of Protestant congregations to social differences has often been attributed to the `` folksy spirit '' of Protestant religious life ; in_fact , a contrast is often drawn in this regard with the `` impersonal '' Roman_Catholic parish . We have seen that the folksy spirit is confined to economic peers ; consequently , the vulnerability to social difference should not be attributed to the stress on personal community in Protestant congregations ; actually , there is little evidence of such personal community in Protestant congregations , as we shall see in another connection . (Randall Stewart, "A Little History, a Little Honesty: A...)At the present_time , the counter-attack takes the line that there 's no more of the true spirit of `` integration '' in the North than in the South . |
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[ noun ] a fundamental emotional and activating principle determining one's character
Used in print (St. Louis Post-Dispatch,...)Mrs._Benington admired Gordon 's spirit and did what she could to persuade her husband that the boy might help the team . (John Michael Ray, "Rhode Island's Reactions...)Resolved that , while we most decidedly disapprove the methods he adopted to accomplish his objects , yet in his willingness to die in aid of the great cause of human freedom , we still recognize the qualities of a noble nature and the exercise of a spirit which true men have always admired and which history never fails to honor . (James Thurber, "The Future, If Any, of Comedy,"...)`` They require , for existence , a brave spirit and a high heart , and where do you find these ? |
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[ noun ] any incorporeal supernatural being that can become visible (or audible) to human beings
Synonyms Used in print (William G. Pollard, Physicist and Christian....)Just a_few centuries ago the world of spirits was as populous and real as the world of material entities . In such a world the words `` matter '' and `` spirit '' both referred to directly known realities in the common experience of all . Better minds than Hale 's were - and still are - convinced that there is a society of spirits beyond our ken '' . (James Thurber, "The Future, If Any, of Comedy,"...)Forty years ago an English writer , W._L._George , dealt with this subject in Eddies_of_the_Day , and said , as an example , that ' Saint_George for Merry_England ' would not start a spirit half so quickly as ' Strike frog eating Frenchmen dead '' ' ! Related terms spiritual_being banshee apparition presence genie sylvan numen familiar peri evil_spirit thunderbird zombi python control |
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[ noun ] the state of a person's emotions (especially with regard to pleasure or dejection)
Synonyms Examples "his emotional state depended on her opinion" "he was in good spirits" "his spirit rose" Used in print (Bell I. Wiley, "Home Letters of Johnny Reb and Billy...)Another reported that his comrades were `` in fine spirits pitching around like a blind dog in a meat_house '' . (Irving Fineman, Woman of Valor: The Life of Henrietta...)Sadie , like Beth_March , suffered ill_health - got rheumatic_fever and had to be careful of her heart - but that never dampened her spirits . Related terms emotion gratification ecstasy happiness state embarrassment unhappiness |
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[ noun ] the intended meaning of a communication
Used in print (J. H. Hexter, "Thomas More: On the Margins...)To derive Utopian communism from the Jerusalem Christian community of the apostolic age or from its medieval successors in spirit , the monastic communities , is with an appropriate shift of adjectives , misleading in the same way as to derive it from Plato 's Republic : |
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[ noun ] animation and energy in action or expression
Synonyms Examples "it was a heavy play and the actors tried in vain to give life to it" Used in print (The Providence Journal...)And little Zeme_North , a Dora with real spirit and verve , was fascinating whether she was singing of her love for Floyd , the cop who becomes sewer commissioner and then is promoted into garbage , or just dancing to display her exuberant feelings . (Robert L. Duncan, The Voice of Strangers....)He left with all the joyous spirit of a child going on a holiday , nodding attentively as Rector gave him his final instructions . (Hampton Stone, The Man Who Looked Death...)This was a broth_of_a_boy , our Felix , and nothing was more obvious than the joy he took in demonstrating how agile he was and how full of juice and spirit . |
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[ noun ] an inclination or tendency of a certain kind
Synonyms Examples "he had a change of heart" Used in print (The New York Times,...)It was neither a spirit of self-sacrifice nor a yen to encourage the downtrodden that motivated Arnold . (Howard Nemerov, "Themes and Methods: The Early...)His appearance as Lizzy evokes not amusement but horror in the audience ; it is a spectacle absolutely painful , an epiphany of the suffering flesh unredeemed by spirit , untouched by any spirit other_than abasement and humiliation . Related terms |
| 9 |
[ verb ] infuse with spirit
Examples "The company spirited him up" Related terms |
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