practicing great self-denial; "Be systematically ascetic...do...something for no other reason than that you would rather not do it"- William James; "a desert nomad's austere life"; "a spartan diet"; "a spartan existence"
pertaining to or characteristic of an ascetic or the practice of rigorous self-discipline; "ascetic practices"
showing lack of emotional involvement; "adopted a degage pose on the arm of the easy chair"- J.S.Perelman; "she may be detached or even unfeeling but at least she's not hypocritically effusive"; "an uninvolved bystander"
free and relaxed in manner; "rather degage after the nervousness he had shown at dinner"- Edmund Wilson
recognizable; marked; "noticed a distinct improvement"; "at a distinct (or decided) disadvantage"
easy to perceive; especially clearly outlined; "a distinct flavor"; "a distinct odor of turpentine"; "a distinct outline"; "the ship appeared as a distinct silhouette"; "distinct fingerprints"
(often followed by `from') not alike; different in nature or quality; "plants of several distinct types"; "the word `nationalism' is used in at least two distinct senses"; "gold is distinct from iron"; "a tree related to but quite distinct from the European beech"; "management had interests quite distinct from those of their employees"
belonging to this earth or world; not ideal or heavenly; "not a fairy palace; yet a mundane wonder of unimagined kind"; "so terrene a being as himself"
concerned with the world or worldly matters; "mundane affairs"; "he developed an immense terrestrial practicality"
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of; "She did not understand her husband"; "I understand what she means"
perceive (an idea or situation) mentally; "Now I see!"; "I just can't see your point"; "Does she realize how important this decision is?"; "I don't understand the idea"
believe to be the case; "I understand you have no previous experience?"
make sense of a language; "She understands French"; "Can you read Greek?"
a positive feeling of liking; "he had trouble expressing the affection he felt"; "the child won everyone's heart"; "the warmness of his welcome made us feel right at home"
something that is read; "the article was a very good read"
to hear and understand; "I read you loud and clear!"
interpret something that is written or printed; "read the advertisement"; "Have you read Salman Rushdie?"
look at, interpret, and say out loud something that is written or printed; "The King will read the proclamation at noon"
interpret the significance of, as of palms, tea leaves, intestines, the sky; also of human behavior; "She read the sky and predicted rain"; "I can't read his strange behavior"; "The fortune teller read his fate in the crystal ball"
obtain data from magnetic tapes; "This dictionary can be read by the computer"
indicate a certain reading; of gauges and instruments; "The thermometer showed thirteen degrees below zero"; "The gauge read `empty'"
audition for a stage role by reading parts of a role; "He is auditioning for `Julius Caesar' at Stratford this year"
have or contain a certain wording or form; "The passage reads as follows"; "What does the law say?"