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Glite Dictionary
nearness

nearness

4 1.0
The state of being close in place, time, or feeling
  • noun
  • /ˈnɪr.nəs/
translation icon : cercanía
  • The nearness of the two cities makes them popular weekend getaways.
  • sense of nearness

In all these cases is the same purity and consequently the same nearness to reality, IE to to independent existence.

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Examples

  • The three young people seemed drunk already just from the nearness of the alcohol.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • There had once been a time when just his nearness would have caused her heart to pound, her body to want.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Her words, her nearness were more than he could resist.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Somehow, the nearness of Wolf made her existence seem less terrible.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Here, a woman's nearness to the world makes her unable to understand it.

    Academic text (2016)

  • Green, in his lightweight suit, felt the nearness of his wife, the silk of her sleeve.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Her body, in its nearness, radiated a peculiar force.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Elisa reached out and touched Murphy's back, finding comfort in his nearness and warmth.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The child's nearness to the edge of the cliff made everyone nervous.

  • In winter, I appreciate the nearness of my home to the bus stop.

Synonyms

proximity
vsnearness
112 4.2

Nearness in space, time, or relationship

focuses only on space or distance, not time or social relation
closeness
vsnearness
4 2.3

How near one thing is to another in space

refers specifically to being within short physical distance
adjacency
vsnearness
1 6.8

A situation where two things are next to each other or touching

denotes general short distance, not necessarily side by side or touching
propinquity
vsnearness
1 9.9

Being close in place, time, or relationship

limits the idea to actual space distance rather than time or ties
contiguity
vsnearness
1 8.7

The state of being next to or touching something

covers simple short distance without requiring direct contact
proximation
vsnearness
8.6

Being close in space, time, or relationship

expresses basic physical distance rather than broader social or temporal relations
vicinage
vsnearness
8.6

The area near a particular place, like local streets and shops

describes the state of short distance rather than the surrounding area

Antonyms

distance
274 1.1

A place far away that you can see

remoteness
3 4.8

Being far away in place, time, or connection

farness
8.4

The distance between people and places, physical or emotional

How Close

immediacy
16 5.8
nearness
4 1.0
proximity
112 4.2
distance
739 1.0
remoteness
3 4.8

Surface Forms

nearness singular
nearnesses plural

Morphology

nearness = near (transparent) = near + ness

Standard noun formation from the adjective 'near' using the productive suffix '-ness' yielding 'state or quality of being near'.

Etymology

The word nearness comes from the simple word near meaning 'close' and the ending -ness, which makes it a word for a quality or state. So nearness is the 'state of being close' in place, time, or feeling.