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manner

Pronunciation: /ˈmanə/

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Definition of manner

noun

  • 1a way in which a thing is done or happens:taking notes in an unobtrusive manner
  • a style in literature or art:a dramatic poem in the manner of Goethe
  • [mass noun] Grammar a semantic category of adverbs and adverbials which answer the question ‘how?’:an adverb of manner
  • (manner of) archaic a kind or sort:what manner of man is he?
  • 2a person’s outward bearing or way of behaving towards others:his arrogance and pompous manner
  • 3 (manners) polite or well-bred social behaviour:didn’t your mother teach you any manners?
  • social behaviour or habits:Trevor apologized for his son’s bad manners

Phrases

all manner of

many different kinds of:echinacea is used by American Indians for all manner of ailments

by no manner of means

see means.

in a manner of speaking

in some sense; so to speak: he’s not here, so in a manner of speaking I’m in charge

(as if) to the manner born

naturally at ease in a specified job or situation: General Marshall managed in mufti to wear the three-piece suit as if to the classy manner born
[with allusion to Shakespeare's Hamlet i. iv. 17]

Derivatives

mannerless

adjective
hordes of mannerless middle-class brats

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French maniere, based on Latin manuarius 'of the hand', from manus 'hand'

Grammar

Adverbials and adverbial clauses can be used to provide information about how things occur.AdverbialsIn the sentences that follow, the adverbials are printed in bold type.She drifted slowly over to the telephone. The trees rushed past at great speed. Adverbial clausesAdverbial clauses of manner can be used in a similar way:She had arrived early, as she always does. Ted was a child of the sixties, but he sounded as if he’d been born in the Blitz. It is also possible to have non-finite clauses of manner:He made as if to get ready to leave.

manner in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of manner in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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