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sitting

noun · adjective

Simple meaning

A period during which one is seated for a specific purpose.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

siting

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈsɪtɪŋ

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.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A period during which one is seated for a specific purpose.

  2. idiomatic

    An uninterrupted application to anything for a time; the period during which one continues at anything.

  3. A seance or other session with a medium or fortuneteller.

  4. A session as of a legislature or court

  5. A legislative session (in the sense of meeting, and not period).

  6. The incubation of eggs by a bird.

adjective

  1. Occupying a specific official or legal position; incumbent.

  2. Executed from a sitting position.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A period during which one is seated for a specific purpose.

Used this way, sitting 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
Matter-of-fact
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 sitting

  • “He wanted his portrait painted but couldn't spare time for the sitting.”noun
  • “He read the mystery at one sitting.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

sitting roomsitting bullsitting position

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • sitting ducknounCompound term

    A defenseless victim.

  • sitting roomnounCompound term

    A room in a private house or establishment where people can sit and talk and relax.

  • sitting trotnounCompound term

    The rider sits still in the saddle.

  • pet sittingnounCompound term

    The work of a pet sitter.

  • baby sittingnounCompound term

    The work of a baby sitter.

Related words

Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.

  • bedsitting roomnounRelated term

    A furnished sitting room with sleeping accommodations (and some plumbing).

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: period during which one is seated for a specific purpose

session

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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.