preparedness
Americannoun
-
the state of being prepared; readiness.
-
possession of adequate armed forces, industrial resources and potential, etc., especially as a deterrent to enemy attack.
noun
Other Word Forms
- preparedly adverb
- unpreparedness noun
Etymology
Origin of preparedness
Explanation
Preparedness is a condition of being completely ready for something, especially some kind of disaster. Your family's preparedness for an approaching hurricane might include an evacuation plan. The noun preparedness has been around since the 16th century, originally simply meaning "a state of being prepared." That definition is still used today, but it's more common when talking about something potentially devastating, like a war or a natural disaster. If you live on an earthquake fault line, your town's preparedness may consist of emergency shelters and reinforced buildings. A country's military preparedness is its readiness to fight a war or defend itself.
Vocabulary lists containing preparedness
Unit 8, Week 3
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Haiti Earthquake One-Year Report
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The Suffix -ness, Part 3
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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.
Trust & Will said it asked separately about each document this year because it wanted to give a better picture of the true preparedness of families.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026
Japan’s southwest capabilities, he said, are intended to signal its preparedness to China, but there is a problem: “We don’t know how much is enough,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
Past councils have weighed in on everything from pandemic preparedness to quantum computing to clean energy.
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026
It’s not clear what difference a prefire preparedness alert sent to residents before the Eaton fire would have made.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026
On this occasion the king released political prisoners, remitted taxes, endowed temples, forgave rebels, increased military preparedness and, in short, did all the things that modern rulers do when they wish to stay in office.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
