Ongoingness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition of continuous existence or an uninterrupted process can denote the enduring quality of events or situations that are presently unfolding without conclusion
2. It reflects the state of being perpetually active or the sustained nature of developments that currently take place without a specified endpoint
3. The quality of being continuously present or in progress signifies an unending succession of occurrences or circumstances that are presently occurring without resolution

Etymology: "Ongoingness" is a plain formation: the adjective "ongoing" with the suffix "-ness" added to turn it into a noun for a quality or state. "Ongoing" itself is a compound of "on" and "going," built from the same pattern as phrases like "to go on," meaning to continue or proceed. The suffix "-ness" is one of English's oldest and most productive noun-forming endings, inherited from Old English, where it attached to adjectives to name the state or condition they describe, as in "darkness" or "kindness." Because the suffix can be added to almost any adjective, speakers can coin a noun like this whenever they want to talk about a condition as a thing in itself. The result names the continuing, unfinished character of an activity or situation rather than the activity itself. The word's specific sense is therefore a direct product of combining the two parts, with no older form behind it.

Synonyms: continuity, perpetuity

Antonyms: interruption, cessation