Baddishness

/ˈbædɪʃnəs/ noun

Definition

The quality or state of being somewhat bad or mildly unpleasant; the degree to which something has subtle badness.

Etymology

From 'baddish' with the nominalizing suffix '-ness,' which transforms adjectives into abstract nouns describing qualities. This is one of English's most productive suffixes, creating nouns for almost any adjective.

Kelly Says

The existence of 'baddishness' shows how English lets us name almost any gradation of experience—we can talk about the 'baddishness' of a meal the way we discuss 'warmth' or 'kindness,' giving language the flexibility to capture life's abundant mediocrity.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.