Drearinesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A state characterized by bleakness and monotony, often resulting in a lack of brightness or cheer
2. an atmosphere that evokes a sense of dreariness and dullness in life
3. the quality of being gloomy and depressing, leading to feelings of sadness or disappointment

Etymology: "Drearinesses" is the plural of "dreariness," which means the quality of being gloomy and depressing. It is a plain inflection, so the history lies in the base word: "dreariness" comes from Middle English "drerinesse" or "drerynesse," which descends from Old English "drēoriġnys," meaning dreariness or sadness. That Old English form is built from "dreary" plus the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality. The plural form appears when someone speaks of several kinds or instances of gloom, as in a writer cataloguing the drearinesses of a rainy town. The root "dreary" carries the older sense of sorrow, and "dreariness" kept that emotional weight, so the plural simply counts separate episodes of it.

Synonyms: dismalness, bleakness

Antonyms: cheerfulness, brightness