thingness: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowFormal, Academic, Literary
Quick answer
What does “thingness” mean?
The quality or state of being a concrete, distinct object or entity.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The quality or state of being a concrete, distinct object or entity; the essence of being a thing rather than an abstract concept.
In philosophy, literature, or art, the quality of having substantial, palpable existence; often used to discuss the material presence or inherent nature of objects in contrast to ideas, perceptions, or relations.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. The word is equally rare and specialized in both varieties.
Connotations
Carries the same connotations of philosophical abstraction or artistic commentary in both varieties.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in both corpora. Slightly higher relative frequency in British academic texts due to historical philosophical traditions, but the difference is negligible.
Grammar
How to Use “thingness” in a Sentence
the thingness of [NOUN PHRASE]possess a certain thingnessexplore the thingnessVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “thingness” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- [Not applicable; 'thingness' is a noun.]
American English
- [Not applicable; 'thingness' is a noun.]
adverb
British English
- [Not applicable; no adverb form.]
American English
- [Not applicable; no adverb form.]
adjective
British English
- [Not applicable; no direct adjective form. Related adjective: 'thingly'.]
American English
- [Not applicable; no direct adjective form. Related adjective: 'thingly'.]
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used in philosophy (especially ontology and phenomenology), art history, and literary theory to discuss the nature of objects and being.
Everyday
Extremely rare. Would likely sound pretentious or overly academic.
Technical
Used in specific artistic or philosophical critiques to refer to the essential quality of an object as an object.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “thingness”
Strong
Neutral
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “thingness”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “thingness”
- Using it in casual conversation. *'I love the thingness of this new phone.' (Unnatural)
- Confusing it with 'thing'. *'Pass me that thingness.' (Incorrect: it is not a synonym for 'object')
- Misspelling as 'thingless' (which means 'without things').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is a very low-frequency word used almost exclusively in formal academic, philosophical, or artistic discourse.
No, that would be incorrect. The suffix '-ness' creates an abstract noun meaning 'the quality or state of'. 'Thingness' means the quality of being a thing, not a plurality of things.
Philosophy, particularly branches like ontology, phenomenology, and aesthetics. It is also found in art criticism and literary theory.
In non-specialist contexts, words like 'physical presence', 'concreteness', or 'materiality' can often convey a similar idea more accessibly.
Thingness is usually formal, academic, literary in register.
Thingness: in British English it is pronounced /ˈθɪŋnəs/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈθɪŋnəs/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No common idioms for this word]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of the word 'thing' and add '-ness' to mean 'the state of being a thing'. Imagine a philosopher pointing at a rock and saying, 'Ah, the pure thingness of it!'
Conceptual Metaphor
QUALITY IS A SUBSTANCE (the 'thingness' is something an object possesses or exudes). ABSTRACT QUALITIES ARE OBJECTS (thingness is itself treated as a kind of object for discussion).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the word 'thingness' MOST appropriately used?