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inwardness

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inwardness

Where it comes from

From Middle English inwardnesse; analysable as inward + -ness.

noun inwardnesses

  1. countable, uncountable The characteristic of being inward or directed towards the inside.
  2. countable, obsolete, uncountable The internal or true state; the essential nature. the inwardness of conduct

    Similar: crux, gist, bowels, sum, brass tacks, core, essence, drift, guts, gravamen, heart, heart and soul

  3. countable, obsolete, uncountable Familiarity; intimacy. Signior Leonato, let the friar advise you: / And though you know my inwardness and love / Is very much unto the prince and Claudio, / Yet, by mine honour, I will deal in this / As secretly and justly as your soul / Should with your body.
  4. countable, obsolete, uncountable Earnestness; heartiness. The prophets perpetually reminded their nation of the superiority of judgment and justice to any exterior ceremony like sacrifice. […] [W]hat was wanted was more inwardness, more feeling. This was given by adding mercy and humbleness to judgment and justice.

Translations

Every language

noun true state; essential nature

Русскийсу́щность súščnostʹ, и́стинная приро́да ístinnaja priróda

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MLA

"inwardness." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/inwardness. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

inwardness. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/inwardness

Chicago

"inwardness." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/inwardness.

BibTeX
@misc{inwardness_2026,
  title = {inwardness},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/inwardness},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}