pat
verb (used with object)
to strike lightly or gently with something flat, as with a paddle or the palm of the hand, usually in order to flatten, smooth, or shape.
patness
-
a word derived from
pat.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As written, the words appear noncommittal, yet the rhyme implies the patness of what these women have to say.
From New York Times ● May 17, 2018
But Mukherjee’s primary bulwark against patness is a piece of formal daring.
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 14, 2016
Benjamin Black makes pointed asides about the dullness of Agatha Christie, and about the patness of mystery stories that resolve their loose ends too tidily.
From New York Times ● Aug. 13, 2012
The brutalization through big-shotism and the defeat through victory of Joe Bonaparte, who becomes a prizefighter and breaks his violin-playing hands, is given a copybook patness.
From Time Magazine Archive
Harrigan Blood admitted the patness of the guess with a wave of his hand, leaning heavily on the table with his elbows.
From The Salamander by Owen Johnson
