Interestedness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state or feeling of showing attention or curiosity about something
2. A condition of having curiosity or concern towards a subject or event
3. The quality of being engaged or mentally focused on a particular topic or activity

Etymology: "Interested" has a history of its own before it gets to "-ness." Its root sense is "to be between" or "to lie between," from Latin "interesse," so an interested party was once someone positioned between parties, or standing in the middle of a matter. Only later did it shift toward having a stake in an outcome, and then toward holding a mind engaged with something. The suffix "-ness" is an old Germanic ending that turns an adjective into a noun for a state or quality, as in "kindness" or "darkness." Attaching it to "interested" gives a noun for the condition of being interested. This is a straightforward combination of an existing English adjective with a productive suffix, so the word needs no special coinage story.

Synonyms: curiosity, engagement, involvement, concern, attention

Antonyms: disinterest, indifference, apathy, unconcern, detachment