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.
Martin Luther’s personal spiritual struggles brought St. Paul’s inwardness to its fullest expression; after Luther, Mr. Persico writes, “God no longer resided in the heavens, but in the human heart.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
Herman Melville in particular — one of the “great explorers of inwardness, mystery and the inexplicable” — became a companion spirit, traveling some of the same paths as Iyer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2023
The DeCarava images introduce sections of the show in which the definition of “Black melancholia” expands in several directions, all encompassing various modes of subjectivity, inwardness.
From New York Times ● Jun. 23, 2022
The book liberated and celebrated the experience of inwardness amid the American obsession with outward “likability” and charismatic confidence.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2022
Vincent can be a good antidote to Theo’s own inwardness and tendency to melancholy.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
