Abrasiveness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being rough, harsh, or irritating in surface texture or in manner of speaking that causes friction or discomfort
2. The state of being rough or coarse, which may cause wear through friction, disrupts harmony in interactions, and elicits irritation in both touch and conversation
3. A characteristic that embodies a rough texture or manner that can erode surfaces, create discomfort in communication, and contribute to abrasive interactions

Etymology: Abrasiveness is a plain English formation: the adjective "abrasive" with the suffix "-ness", which turns a quality word into a noun for that quality. The adjective itself comes from Medieval Latin "abrāsīvus", a derivative of the verb "abradere", meaning "to scrape off", built from "ab-" (away) and "radere" (to scrape). The sense of wearing a surface away by friction gave the adjective its later, figurative reach toward harsh manners and personalities. The suffix "-ness" has a much longer English pedigree. It descends from Old English "-nes", which attached to adjectives to form abstract nouns, and it remained productive throughout the history of the language. Because it can be added to almost any adjective, it is the usual way English names the quality a word describes, so "abrasiveness" follows the same pattern as "kindness" or "sharpness".

Synonyms: roughness, harshness, grittiness, coarseness, irritability

Antonyms: smoothness, gentleness, softness, calmness, mildness