definiteness

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈdɛfɪnɪtnəs/ UK /ˈdefɪnɪtnəs/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
the quality of being clear, exact, or precise

The plan lacked the definiteness needed for approval.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the quality of being clear,... precision exactness clarity certainty distinctnessexplicitness

Opposites

vagueness ambiguity indefiniteness uncertainty

Word family

Related forms definite define definition indefinite

Etymology

From definite (from Latin definitus, past participle of definire 'to limit, determine') plus the abstract suffix -ness.

definitus Latin definire Latin finis Latin

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Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# definiteness

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˈdɛfɪnɪtnəs
**IPA (UK):** ˈdefɪnɪtnəs

## Meanings
1. the quality of being clear, exact, or precise

## Examples
- The plan lacked the definiteness needed for approval.

## Synonyms
- precision
- exactness
- clarity
- certainty
- distinctness
- explicitness

## Antonyms
- vagueness
- ambiguity
- indefiniteness
- uncertainty

## Related Forms
- definite
- define
- definition
- indefinite

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: definitus
- Root: definire
- Root: finis

## Etymology
From definite (from Latin definitus, past participle of definire 'to limit, determine') plus the abstract suffix -ness.

## AI Etymology
Definiteness is from definite (from Latin definitus, past participle of definire 'to limit, determine') plus the abstract suffix -ness. The ancestry passes through Latin definitus, Latin definire, and Latin finis. The suffix -ness marks an abstract noun of quality or state, so the English form is shaped by recognizable word formation as well as by its inherited or borrowed base. In present use as a noun, it means "the quality of being clear, exact, or precise", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include definite, define, definition, and indefinite.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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