Make Your Point: REVERIE

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pronounce REVERIE:

REV uh ree

connect this word to others:

(Source)

Cheers to Anne Reburn for singing us a great definition of the word reverie!

When something's pulling your attention away from the here and now, and when you're dreaming while awake, you're in a reverie. You're floating happily through the clouds of your own mind. You're daydreaming.

See if you can recall a darker, more serious synonym of reverie. It's two words. When you're in a state of deep, serious, gloomy thoughtfulness, you're in a b____ study. I'll be shocked if you find that term in a pop song. Well, maybe in one by Fiona Apple.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

Our word "reverie" comes from the Old French resver, which meant "to be crazy, to be mad, to wander, to go on the prowl, or to dream."

In English, "reverie" first described a state of joy or delight: a wild and crazy romp. It took on many other senses, including "a wild and crazy idea," before settling into the one that we use most often today.

Today, a reverie is a daydream: a happy thought that surrounds you and claims your attention. A reverie can also be that state of being totally lost in your own happy thoughts.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

It's a noun, most often the countable kind: "He woke from his reverie;" "Nothing can shake her from that reverie;" "I was lost in a reverie."

Rarely, it's the uncountable kind of noun. Here's Trenton Lee Stewart: "Here Mr. Curtain paused, his face adopting an expression of fond reverie."

Other forms:

None are used today.

how to use it:

Pick "reverie," instead of "daydream," when you want an especially formal and lovely way to describe the clouds of blissful imagination that someone has drifted into.

Talk about someone falling, sinking, or drifting into a reverie, or being lost in a reverie. Or, talk about things or people who interrupt someone's reverie, or wake or shake someone from their reverie. Or say that someone won't come out of their reverie: "In the story 'Silent Snow, Secret Snow,' Paul refuses to let go of his reverie."

Lastly, it's rare, but you can let someone's reverie be the subject of the sentence: "His reverie won't let him go;" "Her reverie has put a vague smile on her face."

examples:

"The typewriters send museum visitors into nostalgic reverie, inspiring them to reflect on their childhood or their grandparents' time, depending on their age."
— Maggie Zhang, Forbes, 29 June 2015

"A timid paw tapping on the door snapped Cluny from his reverie with a start."
— Brian Jacques, Redwall, 1986

"Climate change is going to upset global food supplies and make Dust Bowl summers look tame... We're going to look back on the Dust Bowl as an enviable reverie of cool, damp weather."
— Dan Samorodnitsky, Salon, 12 August 2019

has this page helped you understand "reverie"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "reverie" without saying "daydream" or "deep thought."

try it out:

In Hidden Figures, Margot Lee Shetterly said that, back in 1958, space travel was a reverie. Of course, now it's a reality.

With space travel in mind as an example, talk about something else that used to be (or still is) a reverie for you, for your community, or for the entire human race. What dreamy or amazing qualities or advantages does it have?

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "That’s What They Said."

Consider a quote from The Office, and decide which of three given terms you can most easily connect it to. You can see my suggested answer by scrolling to the bottom of the issue. But yours doesn’t need to match mine.

For example, if I give you this:

Kelly: "I talk a lot, so I've learned to just tune myself out." Abstemious, garrulous, or ominous?

Then you might answer, "Garrulous, because Kelly talks on and on."

Try this one today:

Phyllis: "I'm glad Michael's getting help. He has a lot of issues, and he's stupid." Quiescent, visceral, or patronizing?

review this word:

1. The near opposite of REVERIE is

A. HOPE.
B. NIGHTMARE.
C. WINDFALL (a lucky, unexpected gift).

2. A writer for Scientific American described a Möbius strip as "an artist's reverie," probably meaning it _____.

A. makes artists roll their eyes
B. sends artists into pleasant extended musings
C. makes artists tear their hair out in frustration

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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