Flimsinesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state or quality of being weak or easily damaged
2. the lack of durability or robustness in structure or form
3. the property of being insubstantial or lacking in seriousness or significance

Etymology: "Flimsinesses" is simply the plural of "flimsiness," so it is the form of a noun meaning the quality of being weak or easily damaged. That noun is built from "flimsy" plus the suffix "-ness," which English has attached to adjectives since Old English to turn a quality into a noun. The "-ness" element descends from an Old English "-nes," which in turn traces back to Proto-Germanic roots, so the suffix is ancient even though the combination with "flimsy" is comparatively recent. Plural forms of abstract nouns like this are rare in everyday speech, since "flimsiness" usually refers to a single general quality. The plural appears when writers want to speak of several distinct instances or kinds of weakness at once, such as the separate fragile details of a structure or argument.

Synonyms: fragility, weakness, delicacy, instability, insecurity

Antonyms: sturdiness, strength, robustness, durability, firmness