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⛰️ Extreme steepness ⚡ Suddenness
precipitousness

precipitousness

8.9
How fast something happens without warning
  • noun
  • /prɪˈsɪpɪtəsnəs/
translation icon : precipitación
  • The precipitousness of his resignation left everyone shocked and unprepared.

Examples

  • She was alarmed by the precipitousness with which the storm arrived.

  • Business leaders criticized the precipitousness of the government's sudden policy change.

  • The precipitousness of the decision took everyone by surprise.

  • Her precipitousness in quitting her job shocked her colleagues.

  • The precipitousness of the company's layoffs left many employees without warning.

  • Everyone was taken aback by the precipitousness of the changes in leadership.

  • The precipitousness of the natural disaster caught the town off guard.

Synonyms

suddenness
vsprecipitousness
5 3.7

A quick event that happens without warning

is more about happening with great haste and without preparation
abruptness
vsprecipitousness
1 6.3

A sudden change or event that happens without warning

is similar but stresses hurry and lack of preparation more
precipitateness
vsprecipitousness
  • Formal
9.9

A sudden action done in a hurry without thinking

is the general quality of occurring suddenly or very hastily
precipitation
vsprecipitousness
  • Archaic
8.6

Acting too quickly without enough thought

is about sudden occurrence or haste rather than only rash choice
precipitancy
vsprecipitousness
9.9

Acting too quickly without thinking

is the broader quality of sudden or hasty events rather than only rash acts
precipitance
vsprecipitousness
9.9

A habit of acting too quickly without thinking and causing mistakes

is the simple quality of sudden or hasty occurrence without excess emphasis

Antonyms

deliberateness
1 6.7

A careful, thoughtful, and slow way of acting or making decisions

gradualness
5.1

Slow way of changing that happens in small steps

How Sudden

suddenness
5 3.7
precipitousness
8.9
slowness
5 1.1

Surface Forms

precipitousness singular
precipitousnesses plural

Morphology

precipitousness = precipitous (transparent) = precipitous + ness

The noun is formed by adding '-ness' to the adjective 'precipitous', so the meaning (the quality of being sudden/hasty) is directly derived from the adjective sense.

Etymology

Precipitousness also links to the verb precipitate, which comes from the same Latin root and can mean 'to do something quickly or suddenly', like jumping in 'headfirst' without thinking. That's why precipitousness can describe events that happen very suddenly or with great haste.