ness

[ nes ]

See synonyms for ness on Thesaurus.com

noun

a headland; promontory; cape.

Origin of ness

First recorded before 900; Middle English -nes(s) (in placenames), in part continuing Old English næs, in part from Old Norse nes; akin to nose

Other definitions for -ness (2 of 2)

-ness

a native English suffix attached to adjectives and participles, forming abstract nouns denoting quality and state (and often, by extension, something exemplifying a quality or state): darkness; goodness; kindness; obligingness; preparedness.

Origin of -ness

Middle English, Old English -nes, -nis, cognate with German -nis, Gothic -(n)assus; suffix originally (unattested) -assus; -n- by false division of words with adjective and past participle stems ending in -n-; compare Old English efnes (later efen-nys ) evenness

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ness in a sentence

That his face is quite different from mine if you look for anything other than “Asian-ness.”
Rage Against GamerGate’s Hate Machine: What I Got For Speaking Up | Arthur Chu | November 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
This year, the show has even resurrected Eliot ness, seen making a pompous speech to reporters about bringing Capone to justice.
'Boardwalk Empire' Left New Jersey and Lost Its Way | Allen Barra | September 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Now it appears Boardwalk Empire is not only going to feed us more fiction but, with the addition of ness, recycled fiction.
'Boardwalk Empire' Left New Jersey and Lost Its Way | Allen Barra | September 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He was a gay bro, whose gay-ness was probably the most matter-of-fact thing about him.
How 'The Mindy Project' Star Adam Pally Became Hollywood's Go-To 'Bro' | Kevin Fallon | August 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
At the same time, playing an animal does require more feral-ness, so to speak.
Motion Capture Maestro Andy Serkis on ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ and Revolutionizing Cinema | Marlow Stern | July 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

You will be in again this week, she said coaxingly, you can give me ten minutes out of your busy-ness.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline | Jennie M. Drinkwater
The boys took the carriage around to the barn and left it in charge of Jack ness, the man of all work.
The Rover Boys on the Farm | Arthur M. Winfield (AKA Edward Stratemeyer)
The lads ran down to the barn and had Jack ness hitch up a fresh team to a buckboard.
The Rover Boys on the Farm | Arthur M. Winfield (AKA Edward Stratemeyer)
This really is asking for the "man-ness" of a man, something characteristic of him, and inseparable from him.
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 3 | Plotinos (Plotinus)
I run across him five years ago in Arizona, where he had been in the stage-robbin' bus'ness.
Two Boys in Wyoming | Edward S. Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for ness (1 of 3)

ness

/ (nɛs) /

noun

- archaic a promontory or headland
- (capital as part of a name): Orford Ness

Origin of ness

Old English næs headland; related to Old Norse nes, Old English nasu nose

British Dictionary definitions for Ness (2 of 3)

Ness

/ (nɛs) /

noun

Loch Ness a lake in NW Scotland, in the Great Glen: said to be inhabited by an aquatic monster. Length: 36 km (22.5 miles). Depth: 229 m (754 ft)

British Dictionary definitions for -ness (3 of 3)

-ness

suffix forming nouns

indicating state, condition, or quality, or an instance of one of these: greatness; selfishness; meaninglessness; a kindness

Origin of -ness

Old English -nes, of Germanic origin; related to Gothic -nassus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse