Word
shortness
Phoneticsshort·ness
US/ˈʃɔɹtnəs/
UK/ʃˈɔːtnəs/
Definition
n. the quality of being small in size or amount. It can also describe a lack of something, like time or money.
n. the state of being small in size, amount, or duration; a lack or deficiency of something.
Examples
“The shortness of the summer days makes me sad.”
“The shortness of the budget meant the team could not afford to hire a new assistant.”
“The shortness of the final chapter suggests the author was forced to conclude the narrative before the plot could reach its natural resolution.”
Examples
simple
“The shortness of the summer days makes me sad.”
contextual
“The shortness of the budget meant the team could not afford to hire a new assistant.”
complex
“The shortness of the final chapter suggests the author was forced to conclude the narrative before the plot could reach its natural resolution.”
Real-World Examples
“It causes the number of red blood cells in the body to be reduced and leads to fatigue and shortness of breath.” “This can lead to severe shortness of breath, fatigue, and repeated trips to the hospital.” Etymology
From Middle English schortnesse, from Old English sċortnes, sċeortnys, equivalent to short + -ness.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/shortness