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• ness
  ness

  noun

  a headland; promontory; cape.
• -ness
  -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).
• Ness
  Ness

  noun

  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)

ness

¹ American  

[nes] / nɛs /

noun

1. a headland; promontory; cape.

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-ness ² American  

1. 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.

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ness ¹ British  

/ nɛs /

noun

1. 1. archaic a promontory or headland

   2. ( capital as part of a name )

      Orford Ness

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-ness ² British  

suffix

1. indicating state, condition, or quality, or an instance of one of these

   greatness

   selfishness

   meaninglessness

   a kindness

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Ness ³ British  

/ nɛs /

noun

1. 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)

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Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of ness¹

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

Origin of -ness²

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 ( def. )

Example Sentences

The knuckleheads causing civic havoc should be sentenced to root for the Brooklyn Nets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026

He played for six teams in his 13 seasons in the league, starting with the New Jersey Nets.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

He missed four games because of a left hamstring injury in February and played through hamstring soreness against the Brooklyn Nets on March 27 as the Lakers put together a 15-2 record in March.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

But because he needed a ball-handler he could trust after the regular rotation got wonky in the second quarter of the Lakers’ 116-99 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026

Nets shot, the fishermen make fast the road for'ard; sup, smoke, sing, creep under the cutty, and sleep with one eye open.

From A Poor Man's House by Reynolds, Stephen Sydney