Wackiness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The characteristic of exhibiting unusual humor, absurdity, or eccentric behavior in an entertaining manner
2. A penchant for engaging in playful and bizarre antics that defy conventional expectations
3. The state or quality of acting in a strange, unconventional, or peculiar way

Etymology: Wackiness is a plain English formation: the adjective "wacky" with the suffix "-ness", which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality or state. The adjective itself is the more interesting part. "Wacky" traces back to "whack", a word that has long meant a sharp blow, and the "-y" ending attached to it in the sense of something having the quality of that blow, a jolt or eccentricity that hits the observer. The suffix "-ness" is an old inherited element, descending from Old English "-nes" and ultimately from a Proto-Germanic root, and it has been used to form nouns of quality since then.

Synonyms: funniness, quirkiness, eccentricity, absurdity, foolishness

Antonyms: seriousness, solemnity, normality, sensible, rationality