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.
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
There was the patness — too obvious to be accidental — of their final exchange, when Will said, “No fuss, no muss,” and Alicia said, “That’s me.”
From New York Times ● Oct. 17, 2011
The patness of Lost Horizons' plot is impaired by the complicated temporal sequence of its 20 scenes, the over-intricate arrangement of the characters.
From Time Magazine Archive
Things fall about with an odd patness, as you say.
From Domnei A Comedy of Woman-Worship by James Branch Cabell
