English

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Pronunciation

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  • (UK) IPA(key): /biːˈfɪt.ɪŋ/
  • (US) IPA(key): /bɪˈfɪt.ɪŋ/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪtɪŋ

Verb

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befitting

  1. present participle and gerund of befit
    • 1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter II, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. [], volume I, London: [] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC, page 63:
      But these are not thoughts befitting me; I will endeavour to resign myself cheerfully to death and will indulge a hope of meeting you in another world.
    • 2018 July 15, Martha Kelner, Shaun Walker, “France’s victory was a befitting end to a thrilling World Cup”, in The Guardian[1], →ISSN:
      Emmanuel Macron joined heady celebrations in the France dressing room, dabbing alongside star midfielder Paul Pogba and delivering a rousing speech to the team after they won the World Cup in a final befitting a thrilling month-long tournament.

Adjective

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befitting (comparative more befitting, superlative most befitting)

  1. Appropriate, becoming.
    He moved with a befitting grace.
    • 2020 June 22, Rachel Cooke, “The Summer of Her Life by Thomas von Steinaecker and Barbara Yelin – review”, in The Guardian[2], →ISSN:
      At a time when the old have never been more vulnerable and, in many cases, lonely, here is a befitting reminder that the frail souls you see sitting in a semi-circle in a day room on the TV news, their eyes distant and their hair like candy floss, do not necessarily feel as you think they look.

Derived terms

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