Words with the suffix -ness
-ness means “state, condition, or quality of”, from Old English -nes, -ness. It makes a word into a noun.
15 examples of the suffix -ness
- sadnesssad + -nessstate of being sad
- kindnesskind + -nessquality of being kind
- darknessdark + -nesscondition of being dark
- goodnessgood + -nessquality of being good
- illnessill + -nesscondition of being ill
- fitnessfit + -nessstate of being fit
- madnessmad + -nessstate of being mad
- boldnessbold + -nessquality of being bold
- weaknessweak + -nesscondition of being weak
- lonelinesslonely + -nessstate of being lonely
- happinesshappy + -nessstate of being happy
- eagernesseager + -nessquality of being eager
- clevernessclever + -nessquality of being clever
- wildernesswilder + -nessquality of being wild
- consciousnessconscious + -nessstate of being conscious
How -ness works
The suffix -ness converts adjectives (and occasionally nouns) into nouns denoting a state or quality, with no change to spelling except that adjectives ending in -y change the y to i (happy → happiness) and adjectives ending in a consonant may double it before -ness (fit → fitness). The resulting nouns are always countable or uncountable abstract nouns, shifting part of speech from adjective to noun.
Watch out: The word 'harness' looks like it contains -ness but does not; it derives from Old French 'harneis' (equipment) and has no adjectival base.
To see suffixes combine with other parts, try the word dissector and root builder, or test yourself in the vocabulary quiz.
Other common suffixes
- -able · capable of
- -ible · capable of
- -tion · act
- -ly · in a specified manner
- -er · one who performs an action
- -ment · result
- -ful · full of
- -less · without
- -ous · having the quality of
- -ity · state
- -ism · doctrine
- -ist · one who practices or believes in
- -ize · to make or cause to become
- -al · of
- -ance · action
- -ence · action
- -ive · tending to
- -ship · state
Questions people ask
What does the suffix -ness mean?
-ness means “state, condition, or quality of”. It comes from Old English -nes, -ness. The suffix -ness converts adjectives (and occasionally nouns) into nouns denoting a state or quality, with no change to spelling except that adjectives ending in -y change the y to i (happy → happiness) and adjectives ending in a consonant may double it before -ness (fit → fitness). The resulting nouns are always countable or uncountable abstract nouns, shifting part of speech from adjective to noun.
What are some examples of words with the suffix -ness?
sadness, kindness, darkness, goodness, illness, fitness, madness, boldness. The full list of 15 examples, with what each one literally means, is above.
Which words look like they have the suffix -ness but don’t?
The word 'harness' looks like it contains -ness but does not; it derives from Old French 'harneis' (equipment) and has no adjectival base.
What is a suffix?
A suffix is a word part added to the end of a word. It often changes the part of speech: -ness turns the adjective kind into the noun kindness, and -ly turns quick into the adverb quickly.