Lightheadednesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A condition characterized by a sensation of dizziness or faintness often caused by low blood pressure or insufficient oxygen to the brain; a feeling of wooziness or mild disorientation that may precede fainting; instances of experiencing a giddy or unsteady state affecting balance and awareness
2. The state of feeling faint or dizzy accompanied by light or blurred vision due to various health factors; a transient sense of cognitive disorientation and imbalance; episodes marked by a sensation of weightlessness in the head leading to unstable posture or faint feelings
3. Experiencing momentary dizziness and faintness resulting from decreased cerebral blood flow or other physiological causes; a temporary mental fog or confusion linked to head-space sensations; repeated experiences of weakness or instability in mental alertness and physical steadiness

Etymology: "Lightheadednesses" is simply the plural of "lightheadedness," so it refers to several separate episodes of feeling faint or dizzy. The singular is the older form: "lightheaded" is a compound of "light" and "headed," the latter from "head," with the sense of a head that feels weightless or unsteady. The "-ness" suffix turns that adjective into a noun for the state itself, a formation English has used for centuries with adjectives such as "happiness" and "darkness." The plural works the way it does for other abstract nouns that can be counted when they occur on separate occasions, as in "sadnesses" or "kindnesses." Speakers use it when they want to stress that the dizzy spells came one after another, or happened at different times, rather than describing a single continuing state.

Synonyms: dizzinesses, vertigos, faintnesses, giddinesses, woozinesses

Antonyms: alertnesses, clearheadednesses, sobriety, awarenesses, lucidity