Vocabulary in Emma

A person's natural temperament or habitual way of feeling and behaving; the general mood or character someone is born with and consistently shows to others.

Reasons or incentives that persuade someone to do something; here, the practical or social pressures that typically push women toward marriage.

Steady, diligent hard work and effort applied consistently over time, as opposed to bursts of talent or enthusiasm.

The act of bringing something under the control or discipline of something else; here, making imagination obey reason rather than run free.

The imagination or the tendency to form fanciful, wishful ideas; the part of the mind that daydreams and invents rather than reasons carefully.

The firm determination and willpower to follow through on a decision, even when it is difficult or uncomfortable to do so.

To fill someone with an inflated, unrealistic sense of their own importance or worth, making them think more highly of themselves than is warranted.

A close personal friendship or association between two people; here used to describe a relationship that one character considers inappropriate or unwise.

A verse puzzle, popular in Austen's era, in which the syllables of a hidden word are described in separate clues and the reader must guess the whole word.

In a way that expresses tender, romantic, or emotional feelings, often more for show or effect than from genuine deep feeling.

The state or institution of marriage; the formal, legal, and social bond between husband and wife.

A false belief held with complete confidence despite being wrong; a thorough misunderstanding of reality that one has convinced oneself is true.

Completely free from any fault or objection; so perfectly proper and satisfactory that no criticism can be made against it.

The manner and skill with which a person conducts themselves in social situations; polished, confident bearing and ease in conversation.

A person's face, especially as it expresses their mood, character, or inner feelings at a given moment.

The overall impression a person gives through their posture, manner, and bearing; the intangible quality of how someone carries themselves in company.

Exhausted and worn out, drained of energy after effort or distress; too tired to make conversation or show interest.

Rudely disrespectful and contemptuous toward someone, showing a hurtful lack of regard for their feelings or dignity.

In a cheerful, lively, or upbeat mood; feeling emotionally well and ready to engage with others.

Quick and ready to act without hesitation or delay; here describing the speed with which someone turns a moral sense into actual behaviour.

Graceful and refined in appearance and manner, showing a tasteful, polished quality that reflects good breeding and cultivation.

Established securely in life, especially through a good marriage; comfortably and respectably placed in society with a stable future.

A course or direction along which something naturally flows or is guided; here used figuratively for the proper direction love should take.

So extreme as to be intolerable and impossible to excuse; here describing a degree of vanity so great it cannot be borne or forgiven.

An offensive sense of superiority that leads someone to overstep their place and presume to control or judge others without the right to do so.

Too wrong or offensive to be forgiven or excused; describing a fault so serious that no justification can make it acceptable.

A marriage; the formal joining of two people as husband and wife, considered here as a bond whose happiness can be judged over time.