readiness
Americannoun
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the condition of being ready.
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ready movement; promptness; quickness.
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willingness; inclination; cheerful consent.
a readiness to help others.
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a developmental stage at which a child has the capacity to receive instruction at a given level of difficulty or to engage in a particular activity.
noun
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the state of being ready or prepared, as for use or action
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prepared and waiting
all was in readiness for the guests' arrival
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in preparation for
he tidied the house in readiness for the guests' arrival
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willingness or eagerness to do something
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ease or promptness
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of readiness
Explanation
Readiness is a quality of being able or willing to do something. An athlete's readiness for the Olympics has to do with how warmed up she is, whether she's recovered from injuries, as well as her psychological state. Your readiness for something usually has to do with how well prepared you are. Your parents might have decorated a room and bought a crib before you were born, in readiness for your arrival. And local police sometimes clear the streets and direct traffic away in readiness for a big parade. Readiness can also mean "willingness," like an eager kindergartner's readiness to learn how to read.
Vocabulary lists containing readiness
"Dragon, Dragon"
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The Suffix -ness, Part 1
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for June 25–July 1, 2022
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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.
Jeremy Parsons, Artemis program manager, voiced confidence that despite any concern over Blue Origin's readiness, the mission was on track.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
AMD, the second-highest-ranked semiconductor company, after Nvidia, is No. 16 overall, scoring well on agility, innovation and AI readiness.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
Non-tech companies took around half of the top spots in talent readiness, including Delta Air Lines at No. 1.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
These corporations were compared to each other across six different categories—AI readiness, innovation, talent readiness, financial fitness, resilience and agility—and scored on a 0-100 scale, with 50 as the mean.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
There are as many methods as there are farmers for determining the readiness of the earth for planting.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
