gameness
Americannoun
-
the quality of having a fighting spirit; courage or resolution; pluck.
The horse revealed his true gameness, coming up from behind after that early stumble.
-
the required enthusiasm or will to do something.
In a show of gameness, they tackled the icy path with shovels and picks.
noun
Etymology
Origin of gameness
First recorded in 1805–10; game 1 (in the adjective senses “plucky” and “enthusiastic”) + -ness ( def. )
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.
Onstage, Brand has prided himself on a thrill-seeking gameness.
From New York Times • Nov. 13, 2023
Too bad the weak body-swapping farce she’s given to play isn’t worthy of her gameness, a missed opportunity to fuse Lovecraft, Blake Edwards and Paul Verhoeven.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 27, 2023
And the passing of melodic themes between the chorus and the orchestra at the convergence of the finale was a breathtaking display of Britten’s compositional dexterity — and the BSO’s gameness.
From Washington Post • Apr. 3, 2022
A World-Herald sportswriter memorialized Flippin as “the charging bull, into which was bred the tenacity of the bulldog, the ferocity of the tiger, the gameness of the man who knows no fear.”
From Slate • Nov. 13, 2020
He was given a resounding cheer for his gameness.
From Over the Line by Sherman, Harold Morrow
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.
