Literary notes about leisurely (AI summary)
The term “leisurely” is frequently employed to infuse a sense of calm deliberation and unhurried pace into various narrative contexts. It often describes movements or actions that are measured and reflective, as seen in journeys that progress with a deliberate ease [1, 2, 3], and in character behaviors that contrast with more frantic moments [4, 5, 6]. At times, authors deploy the word to suggest both physical and metaphorical calm—be it in the slow opening of an envelope revealing a bill [7] or in the reflective enjoyment of a scenic view [8, 9]. Through its varied use, “leisurely” enhances the tone of a passage by highlighting a relaxed rhythm that can serve to underscore character temperament or the serene unfolding of events [10, 11, 12].
- Towards evening we set forth again in the same leisurely fashion, and reached Nagasaki on the 12th September late in the afternoon.
— from A Diplomat in Japan by Ernest Mason Satow - We left on the 1st November, and proceeding in a leisurely manner along the coast, passed the Idzumi Straits at 8 a.m.
— from A Diplomat in Japan by Ernest Mason Satow - The horse was walking leisurely along the road.
— from Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World by Mark Twain - But he leisurely replied: “Pray, do you suppose that the conqueror will place double panniers upon me?”
— from The Fables of Phædrus by Phaedrus - Then, he pulled down the window-blinds, drew the curtains, wound up his watch, and, quite leisurely and methodically, got into bed.
— from The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens - ‘I’ll see,’ said Wicks, dismounting leisurely from his stool.
— from The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens - As I dressed myself, it caught my eye; I broke the seal very leisurely, and found under the envelope a bill of exchange.
— from The Confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau — Complete by Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Supplied with these facts, Lily leaned awhile over the side, giving herself up to a leisurely enjoyment of the spectacle before her.
— from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton - It was drifting along, leisurely, about fifty yards from shore, tossing in a foamy sea.
— from Roughing It by Mark Twain - The absence of table forks and cutlery as is used today made such preparations very appropriate and convenient in leisurely dining.
— from Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome by Apicius - Meanwhile the mighty Bhima, that bull among men had leisurely eaten up the whole of that food and washing himself stood cheerfully for fight.
— from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1 - On a long summer day, on which the heat had been intense, Shih-yin sat leisurely in his library.
— from Hung Lou Meng, or, the Dream of the Red Chamber, a Chinese Novel, Book I by Xueqin Cao
