Flatness

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈflætnəs/

Definitions

1. The state or quality of having a smooth, even surface without raised areas or indentations ; a condition characterized by dullness or absence of interest and excitement
2. How smooth or level a surface is without bumps or curves ; a state of being uninspired or lacking in energy and liveliness
3. The condition of being uniform and without unevenness or slopes ; a quality marked by dullness or monotony in expression or appearance

Etymology: Flatness is a plain formation: the adjective "flat" with the suffix "-ness", which turns an adjective into a noun for a state or quality. The suffix itself is native English, descended from Old English "-nes" and related to words like "happiness" and "darkness", so "flatness" is simply "the condition of being flat." The adjective "flat" came into Middle English from Old Norse "flatr", meaning level or lying spread out, and the noun was recorded in Middle English as "flatnesse". Its earliest sense was physical, a surface lacking hills, bumps or hollows, and that remains the core meaning of the word today. The figurative sense, a lack of interest or excitement, grew from the same idea. A flat landscape is unbroken and monotonous, and a flat performance or flat conversation has no peaks or variation, so the spread of meaning from land to mood follows the same logic.

Synonyms: levelness, smoothness, evenness, plainness, flat

Antonyms: unevenness, roughness, bumpiness, irregularity, hollowness