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Glite Dictionary
toplessness

toplessness

1 6.5
The act of not wearing any clothes on the upper body in public places
  • noun
  • /ˈtɑːpləsnəs/
  • NSFW
translation icon : desnudez superior
  • Toplessness, female toplessness, was declared legal in New York back in 1992, where the highest court in the state of New York said... that where men can be topless, as a matter of equal protection under the laws, women can be topless too.

Examples

  • I always liked toplessness.

    Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)

  • Also, uh -- I don't know -- toplessness?

    Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich (2018)

  • Toplessness, female toplessness, was declared legal in New York back in 1992, where the highest court in the state of New York said... that where men can be topless, as a matter of equal protection under the laws, women can be topless too.

    Free the Nipple (2014)

  • Vikki stares wide-eyed at everyone, knowing their amazement is not because of her toplessness, but because of the unmistakable bulge of her stomach.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • At the beach, many people enjoyed the sunshine, with some even embracing toplessness to stay cool.

  • In some cultures, toplessness is seen as a normal part of life, especially during hot summer days.

  • The laws regarding toplessness vary by region, with some places allowing women to be topless in public.

Synonyms

shirtlessness
vstoplessness
1 4.9

Not wearing a shirt

is used mainly in public or at beaches rather than in private

Surface Forms

toplessness singular
toplessnesses plural

Morphology

toplessness = topless (transparent) = top + less + ness

Formed by adding the productive noun-forming suffix '-ness' to the clear adjective 'topless', yielding the state or condition.

Etymology

Toplessness comes from the simple parts top (the upper part of the body), -less ('without', as in hopeless), and -ness ('a state'). So toplessness means being 'without a top' — not wearing any clothing on the upper part of the body, especially in public or at the beach.