| / English Dictionary |
YAWNING
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
An involuntary intake of breath through a wide open mouth; usually triggered by fatigue or boredom
Example:
he apologized for his oscitancy
Synonyms:
oscitance; oscitancy; yawn; yawning
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("yawning" is a kind of...):
inborn reflex; innate reflex; instinctive reflex; physiological reaction; reflex; reflex action; reflex response; unconditioned reflex (an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "yawning"):
pandiculation (yawning and stretching (as when first waking up))
Derivation:
yawn (utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Showing lack of attention or boredom
Example:
the yawning congregation
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Similar:
inattentive (showing a lack of attention or care)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Gaping open as if threatening to engulf someone or something
Example:
a yawning abyss
Classified under:
Similar:
open (affording free passage or access)
Sense 3
Meaning:
With the mouth wide open indicating boredom or sleepiness
Example:
a yawning congregation
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
open; opened (used of mouth or eyes)
III. (verb)
Sense 1
-ing form of the verb yawn
Context examples:
At length, however, Mrs. Bennet had no more to say; and Lady Lucas, who had been long yawning at the repetition of delights which she saw no likelihood of sharing, was left to the comforts of cold ham and chicken.
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
And even as he looked, the brute deliberately stretched himself after the manner of a lazy dog, yawning full in his face and looking upon him with a possessive eye, as if, in truth, he were merely a delayed meal that was soon to be eaten.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
Their study, “A neural basis for contagious yawning” is another stage in their research into the underlying biology of neuropsychiatric disorders and their search for new methods of treatment.
(Why Is Yawning so Contagious?, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
"I wish it was Christmas or New Year's all the time. Wouldn't it be fun?" answered Jo, yawning dismally.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
“Anything else?” asked Holmes, yawning.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Hitherto they had been denied access to the fire, and they now settled down in a close-drawn circle, like so many dogs, blinking and yawning and stretching their lean bodies in the unaccustomed warmth.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
Once she asked for a particular ballad, which she said her Ury (who was yawning in a great chair) doted on; and at intervals she looked round at him, and reported to Agnes that he was in raptures with the music.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
There would be a fleeting glimpse of the three men flinging water in frantic haste, when she would topple over and fall into the yawning valley, bow down and showing her full inside length to the stern upreared almost directly above the bow.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
Their latest findings show that our ability to resist yawning when someone else near us yawns is limited.
(Why Is Yawning so Contagious?, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
He was in his library (I mean Doctor Strong was), with his clothes not particularly well brushed, and his hair not particularly well combed; his knee-smalls unbraced; his long black gaiters unbuttoned; and his shoes yawning like two caverns on the hearth-rug.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
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