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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

See Examples For:

ness -ness Ness

This still- ness doth dart with snake venom on itwell, / I’d have laughed.”

From Scientific American ● Jun. 19, 2013

A slider on the device adjusts the amount of "3-D ness," from maximum to 2-D.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 16, 2010

Clearly, it's not just grimy pelmets and overcooked breakfasts up for tut-tutting judgment but the lifestyles of the participants; there's a very British under-current of mean-spirited– ness to this show.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 28, 2010

"Once I saw the Macintosh I knew I wanted it," says Richard Petroca, a civil engineer from Long Island who uses the machine for letters and busi ness reports.

From Time Magazine Archive

And in the almost- ness of the moment, I cared at least enough.

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

The psychological distinctness of the affixed elements in an agglutinative term may be even more marked than in the -ness of goodness.

From Language An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Edward Sapir

Radical element and affix, while measurably distinct, cannot be torn apart quite so readily as could the good and -ness of goodness.

From Language An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Edward Sapir

Line-end hyphens were retained in past participles in i-, y- and equivalent, and after the prefixes out- and to-; they were omitted before common endings such as -lich, -ship, -ness, -full.

From A Concise Dictionary of Middle English From A.D. 1150 to 1580 by A. L. (Anthony Lawson) Mayhew

They are common enough, but are they as alive, as little petrified or bookish, as our English -ness and -ful and un-?

From Language An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Edward Sapir

To be strictly accurate, the significance of the -ness is not quite as inherently determined, as autonomous, as it might be.

From Language An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Edward Sapir

A group of 10 islanders, known as the Men of Ness, would spend about 10 days in August harvesting chicks, which are known as guga.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

They were contained in a white china urn with a teddy bear embossed on it, Ness recalled.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

"They had sat on my shelf next to my baby scan," said Ness.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Ness suffered a miscarriage just before she was due to have her 12-week scan on April 20 2021.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

“That sucker’s ruse story,” said Alex Van Ness.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson