Literary notes about Inquisitively (AI summary)
The adverb "inquisitively" is frequently used to imbue a narrative with a sense of curious scrutiny, often highlighting a character’s subtle investigation into people or surroundings. It appears in passages where a character’s glance or inquiry carries additional weight, as when someone is observed with a searching look that suggests hidden questions or unvoiced suspicions [1], [2]. The term enriches interactions, be it a questioning glance exchanged during a quiet conversation or a furtive look across a room that hints at deeper understanding, as illustrated in moments where one character peers into another’s soul or surveys an enigmatic scene [3], [4]. Even in instances where the word moderates the pace of a narrative, it deepens the portrayal of emotions and motivations, drawing readers into the layered subtleties of human behavior [5], [6].
- For some moments he remained silent, merely looking me inquisitively in the face.
— from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Edition by Edgar Allan Poe - ‘And with this—upon my honour!—he looked up at me inquisitively.
— from Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad - His glance, wandering inquisitively, fell on the bed.
— from The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance by H. G. Wells - The Mouse looked at her rather inquisitively, and seemed to her to wink with one of its little eyes, but it said nothing.
— from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - The peasants had all got up from the cart and were inquisitively and mirthfully staring at the meeting of the friends, making their comments on it.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - Nastasia Philipovna looked at him inquisitively, but did not laugh.
— from The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
