Obedientness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The characteristic of displaying a readiness to follow instructions or authority figures
2. The nature of being willing to comply with demands or adhere to established rules and regulations
3. The quality of showing a consistent readiness to follow orders or comply with regulations

Etymology: "Obedientness" is a plain formation: the adjective "obedient" with the suffix "-ness" added to turn a quality into a noun. "Obedient" came into English from Old French "obedient," itself from Latin "oboediens," the present participle of "oboedire," meaning to listen attentively or to obey, built from "ob-" (toward) and "audire" (to hear). So the root idea is hearing something and turning toward it. The suffix "-ness" is native English, descending from Old English "-nes(s)," and it has been attached to adjectives for over a thousand years to name a state or quality, as in "kindness" or "darkness." Adding it to "obedient" produces a noun for the condition of being obedient, and the word means the readiness to comply with what one is asked to do.

Synonyms: compliance, submissiveness, docility

Antonyms: disobedience, rebellion, defiance