DEFINITIONS
The
2019 WORD
OF THE YEAR is...

readiness

[ red-ee-nis ]
/ ˈrɛd i nɪs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR readiness ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the condition of being ready.
ready movement; promptness; quickness.
ready action; ease; facility.
willingness; inclination; cheerful consent: a readiness to help others.
a developmental stage at which a child has the capacity to receive instruction at a given level of difficulty or to engage in a particular activity.

Content related to readiness

How Do You Use A Hyphen?The hyphen, along with its cousins the en and em dash, may be the most misunderstood punctuation mark in English. Hyphens are used to join parts of a word or compound phrase, as in ex-wife, full-length mirror, and by-the-book negotiations. As the Chicago Manual of Style puts it, “Far and away the most common spelling questions for writers and editors concern compound terms—whether to spell …
READ MORE

Words related to readiness

willingness, keenness, preparation, preparedness, fitness, dexterity, adroitness, facility, sleight, dispatch, alacrity, promptness, fluency, rapidity, ease, expedition, inclination, prowess, quickness, address

Words nearby readiness

reade, reader, readership, readies, readily, readiness, reading, reading chair, reading desk, reading group, reading notice

Origin of readiness

1350–1400; Middle English redyness(e). See ready, -ness

OTHER WORDS FROM readiness

o·ver·read·i·ness, nounpre·read·i·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for readiness

British Dictionary definitions for readiness

readiness
/ (ˈrɛdɪnɪs) /

noun

the state of being ready or prepared, as for use or action
in readiness
  1. prepared and waitingall was in readiness for the guests' arrival
  2. in preparation forhe tidied the house in readiness for the guests' arrival
willingness or eagerness to do something
ease or promptness
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012