Animoseness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A state of being filled with hostility, resentment, or strong ill will toward others
2. A condition characterized by intense negativity, bitterness, or animosity against individuals or groups
3. The quality of displaying strong anger, hostility, or aversion towards others in various situations

Etymology: "Animoseness" is "animose" with the suffix "-ness" added. "Animose" is an adjective meaning full of animosity, and "-ness" is the English suffix that turns an adjective into a noun naming a state or quality, as in "kindness" or "darkness." The combination therefore names the condition of being animose. The base word "animose" is itself a borrowing from Latin "animosus," meaning spirited, courageous or high-spirited, drawn from "animus," which carried the senses of mind, spirit and feeling. The sense of hostility developed later, so the older meaning of spirit or courage survives mainly in the broader family of words built on "animus." The suffix "-ness" has a long English history, descending from Old English "-nes," which formed abstract nouns from adjectives. Because it can be attached to almost any adjective, it is one of the most productive endings in English, and "animoseness" is a plain example of that productivity rather than a separate coinage with its own story.

Synonyms: hostility, antagonism, enmity, malice, bitterness

Antonyms: friendliness, affection, amity, harmony, kindness