manual
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
Performed with the hands.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
manyoouhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈmænjuəl
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.
adjective
of an activity
Performed with the hands.
Performed by a human rather than a machine.
Of or relating to the hands
noun
A small handbook
A booklet that instructs on the usage of a particular machine or product.
military
A drill in the use of weapons, etc.
countable
A device that is operated using the hands, or by a human rather than a machine.
countable
A procedure or operation that is done using the hands, or by a human rather than machine.
A bicycle technique whereby the front wheel is held aloft by the rider, without the use of pedal force.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (of an activity) Performed with the hands.
Used this way, manual is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use manual
- “I read the manual to learn how to operate the new device.”adjective
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Labor done with the hands.
Someone who works with their hands.
An alphabet used by the deaf.
Adroitness in using the hands.
Labor done with the hands.
A prescribed drill in handling a rifle.
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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.