inwardness
Americannoun
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the state of being inward or internal.
the inwardness of the body's organs.
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depth of thought or feeling; concern with one's own affairs and oneself; introspection.
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preoccupation with what concerns human inner nature; spirituality.
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the fundamental or intrinsic character of something; essence.
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inner meaning or significance.
Etymology
Origin of inwardness
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at inward, -ness
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.
"Inwardness," Delbanco writes, "should not be missing from a religious book."
From Time Magazine Archive
Success 84 Candid Remarks 84 The Successful and the Unsuccessful 91 The Inwardness of Success 97 VIII.
From Mental Efficiency And Other Hints to Men and Women by Bennett, Arnold
Next Day, when he went back, he told Mother not to worry about Buchanan, as he seemed to have a full and sympathetic Grasp on the true Inwardness of Modern Educational Methods.
From People You Know by Ade, George
Inwardness is a sensible flame of love, which the Spirit of God lights and kindles in a man, and a man knows not whence it comes, nor what has happened to him.
From Light, Life, and Love : selections from the German mystics of the middle ages by Inge, William Ralph
The True Inwardness of Rowing If you do not know poison ivy when you see it get someone to point it out to you and then keep away from it.
From Campward Ho! A Manual for Girl Scout Camps by Unknown
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.
