inwardness

[in-werd-nis]

the state of being inward or internal: the inwardness of the body's organs.

depth of thought or feeling; concern with one's own affairs and oneself; introspection.

preoccupation with what concerns human inner nature; spirituality.

the fundamental or intrinsic character of something; essence.

inner meaning or significance.

RELATED WORDS

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at inward, -ness

I know that I wanted to be in love, and that my own past, and my own inwardness, made this impossible.
The Stacks: How The Berlin Wall Inspired John le Carré’s First Masterpiece|John le Carré|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Throughout, these weighty matters are examined candidly and wistfully, with the wisdom that only age and inwardness can bring.
The Art of Digital Correspondence|Matthew Walther|May 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Christianity acquired new power and inwardness, and Nature was unceasingly praised as the mirror of the divine idea of creation.
The Development of the Feeling for Nature in the Middle Ages and Modern Times|Alfred Biese
If art is to make the inwardness of man its subject, the artist cannot remain an indifferent portrayer.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 1 (of 4)|Richard Muther

The man's thought, in its turn, can be made to reveal its own inwardness.
The Craft of Fiction|Percy Lubbock
The inwardness and mystery of this attachment drives men of every class to the use of emblems.
Essays, Second Series|Ralph Waldo Emerson
The psalms which conceive of the religious life under this image are marked by a peculiar depth and inwardness.
The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, Vol. 1|A. Maclaren

Word Origin and History for inwardness

late 14c., from inward + -ness.