abode
noun
Simple meaning
A residence, dwelling or habitation.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhbohdSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əˈboʊd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
formal
A residence, dwelling or habitation.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (formal) A residence, dwelling or habitation.
'Abode' is an older, more poetic word for 'home.' It adds a sense of formality or dignity to the idea of a dwelling, making it sound more significant or established than just 'house.'
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Formal
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Formal and precise
Where you'll really hear it
Poetry
“Welcome, traveler, to my humble abode.”
Formal invitation
“Please join us at our new abode for a celebration.”
Descriptive writing
“The ancient castle served as the king's grand abode.”
Where it naturally appears
- Academic writing
Usage note
Comfortable in writing and prepared speech; in casual conversation a shorter everyday word usually sounds more natural.
Nearby words
- domicile , more formal, and heavier in everyday conversation
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
A home or residence.
A place of abode; settled dwelling; residence; house.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: residence or dwelling or habitation
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.