Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
-lessness

-lessness

6.7
A suffix that makes a noun show that something is missing
  • other
  • /ˈlɛs.nəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : -idad
  • Words like 'fearlessness' and 'carelessness' use the suffix -lessness to express a lack of something.

Examples

  • The -lessness in 'hopelessness' shows the absence of hope.

  • Adding -lessness to 'end' creates 'endlessness', meaning the state of having no end.

  • The concept of hopelessness can be very difficult to overcome.

  • She felt a deep sense of emptiness after the loss.

  • The suffix -lessness indicates a state of being without, as seen in the word 'fearlessness'.

  • In the word 'homelessness', the suffix -lessness signifies the condition of lacking a home.

  • By using the suffix -lessness, we can transform 'care' into 'carelessness', highlighting the absence of care.

Surface Forms

-lessness main

Morphology

-lessness = less (transparent) = less + ness

Clearly formed from the adjectival element '-less' (meaning 'without') with the noun-forming '-ness', so learners can infer the meaning.

Etymology

-Lessness comes from two parts: -less meaning 'without' and -ness meaning 'a state or quality'. So, -lessness makes a noun that says 'the state of being without' something, as in 'hopelessness' or 'endlessness'.