Wonderfulnesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality or state of being incredibly wonderful, characterized by extraordinary excellence or delight
2. A collection or series of remarkable instances that evoke amazement or admiration
3. The multiple aspects or dimensions that contribute to something being perceived as exceptionally admirable or extraordinary

Etymology: "Wonderfulnesses" is simply the plural of "wonderfulness," which is itself built from the adjective "wonderful" and the suffix "-ness," a combination that appears in Middle English as "wonderfulnesse." The adjective "wonderful" comes from "wonder" with the suffix "-ful," meaning full of or characterized by, so the base idea is a quality full of wonder. Adding "-ness" turns that quality into an abstract noun, meaning the state or condition of being wonderful. The plural form is the unusual part. Nouns of this kind rarely have plurals, because "wonderfulness" usually names a single quality. Pluralizing it treats that quality as a set of separate instances, each one a striking case that provokes amazement, which is why the form is used for a series of remarkable things rather than the abstract quality itself.

Synonyms: magnificence, grandeur, splendor, splendidness, excellence

Antonyms: mediocrity, inferiority, awfulness, commonness, banality