Grossness

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɡɹəʊsnəs/

Definitions

1. The condition characterized by extreme distaste or offensiveness in either appearance or ethical standards is described, along with a measure of excessive size or volume considered unpleasing
2. The quality of being highly unpleasant or offensive to senses or morals ; the state of being remarkably large or excessive in amount or scale
3. A characteristic marked by intense distastefulness or moral repugnance ; an attribute of having an unusually large or overwhelming size or extent

Etymology: "Grossness" is a plain formation: the adjective "gross" with the suffix "-ness," which English has used since Old English to turn adjectives into nouns of quality. The suffix itself descends from a Proto-Germanic form, and its Old English ancestor "-nes" appears in countless words such as "goodness" and "darkness," so the two parts of "grossness" are both ancient, even though the combination is comparatively recent. The adjective "gross" has a more winding history than its current sense suggests. It came into English from Old French "gros," meaning large or thick, and its early senses were about size and bulk: a gross amount, a gross total, or the whole of something before deductions. Moral and physical revulsion arrived later, so that "gross" came to describe things that are coarse, vulgar or offensive. "Grossness" inherits that later sense, meaning the quality of being very disgusting.

Synonyms: vulgarity, crudeness, coarseness, rudeness, indecency

Antonyms: refinement, grace, elegance, politeness, tastefulness