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ness
1[ nes ]
-ness
2- 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.
-ness
1suffix forming nouns
- indicating state, condition, or quality, or an instance of one of these
greatness
a kindness
meaninglessness
selfishness
Ness
2/ nɛs /
noun
- Loch Nessa 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)
ness
3/ nɛs /
noun
- a promontory or headland
- ( capital as part of a name )
Orford Ness
Word History and Origins
Origin of ness1
Origin of ness2
Word History and Origins
Origin of ness1
Origin of ness2
Example Sentences
That his face is quite different from mine if you look for anything other than “Asian-ness.”
This year, the show has even resurrected Eliot Ness, seen making a pompous speech to reporters about bringing Capone to justice.
Now it appears Boardwalk Empire is not only going to feed us more fiction but, with the addition of Ness, recycled fiction.
He was a gay bro, whose gay-ness was probably the most matter-of-fact thing about him.
At the same time, playing an animal does require more feral-ness, so to speak.
You will be in again this week, she said coaxingly, you can give me ten minutes out of your busy-ness.
The boys took the carriage around to the barn and left it in charge of Jack Ness, the man of all work.
The lads ran down to the barn and had Jack Ness hitch up a fresh team to a buckboard.
This really is asking for the "man-ness" of a man, something characteristic of him, and inseparable from him.
I run across him five years ago in Arizona, where he had been in the stage-robbin' bus'ness.
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Words That Use -ness
What does -ness mean?
The suffix –ness is used to denote a quality or state of being. It is often used in a variety of everyday terms.
The form –ness comes from Old English –nes. Similar suffixes in Latin include –itās and –tūdō, both of which indicate a state of being and are the sources of the English suffixes –ity and –tude. Check out our entries for both suffixes to learn how frequently they appear.
Examples of -ness
An example of a word you may have encountered that features –ness is bitterness, “a harsh, acrid taste.”
The bitter– part of the word means “bitter” in the sense of “having a harsh, disagreeably acrid taste.” As we have seen, –ness means “quality” or “state of being.” Bitterness literally means “the state of being bitter.”
What are some words that use the combining form –ness?
What are some other forms that –ness may be commonly confused with?
Break it down!
Given the meaning of –ness, what does pleasantness mean?
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