The quality or state of being daunting; the degree to which something is intimidating, discouraging, or seems difficult to face.
From 'daunting' (present participle of 'daunt') plus the suffix '-ness' (forming abstract nouns that express states or conditions).
The 'dauntingness' of a task is actually separate from its difficulty—writing a novel feels far more daunting than its actual workload because our brains conjure up psychological barriers that don't exist in reality.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.