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bludgeonings

Noun
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Repeated heavy strikes with a blunt weapon or force; figuratively, it can describe a barrage of harsh criticism, shocks, or punishments.

Detailed Definition
In this poem, the word suggests violent strikes from fate or circumstance. It is a forceful, somewhat uncommon noun form that gives the line a harsh, physical sense of suffering.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Under the bludgeonings of chance” makes fate seem physically violent; rain’s bludgeonings flatten the poppies against the road; the speaker endures the bludgeonings of war without romanticising pain; each failed notice arrives as another bludgeoning from chance
Additional Notes
The word "bludgeonings" in the quoted line is an unusual, specialized noun form that many readers would pause to interpret.; Found in the poem, Invictus by William Ernest Henley
Also Known As
blows strikes batterings
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