Downwardness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality or state of moving or pointing toward a lower position or level
2. the act of descending in a vertical direction
3. a condition characterized by decline or reduction in status or intensity

Etymology: "Downwardness" is about as plain as English word-building gets: the adjective-and-adverb "downward" with the suffix "-ness" attached, which turns a quality into a noun. "Downward" itself comes from Old English "dūnweard," built from "dūn" (down, hill) and "-weard," a suffix meaning "turned toward," which is also the source of "toward" and "backward." The suffix "-ness" is among the oldest productive tools in English. It has been attached to adjectives since Old English to name a state or quality, so "darkness" is the state of being dark and "kindness" the quality of being kind. "Downwardness" follows the same pattern, naming the condition of moving or pointing toward a lower level.

Synonyms: decline, descent, depression, falling, sinking

Antonyms: upwardness, ascent, rise, improvement