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benightedness

benightedness

9.9
A state of not knowing or understanding
  • noun
  • /bɪˈnaɪtɪd.nəs/
  • Formal
translation icon : ignorancia
  • "He talked of the upcoming celebration and of the necessity to raise a spiritual army to combat the benightedness of ecclesiastical and secular authorities like the bishop and the DOE."

There is a kind of trendy benightedness that exists within some elements of the Republican Party.

Examples

  • There is a kind of trendy benightedness that exists within some elements of the Republican Party.

  • The cost of such benightedness, offered Babbitt, was the very end of democracy itself.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Instead, their first impulse is usually to attribute disagreement to benightedness or repulsive motives.

    Academic text (1993)
  • At most, rules address symbols—and never underlying vacuums of ignorance and benightedness.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The widespread benightedness in society often leads to misunderstandings and prejudice.

  • His comments reflected a certain benightedness regarding current scientific advancements.

  • Many people are unaware of their own benightedness when it comes to complex social issues.

Synonyms

ignorance
vsbenightedness
316 3.9

Not knowing about something or how it works

carries a more figurative, poetic tone
darkness
vsbenightedness
15 3.7

A state of not knowing or understanding

is the more general term for lack of knowledge
obliviousness
vsbenightedness
2 7.4

Not noticing things happening around you

denotes a broader condition of ignorance rather than momentary lapse
unawareness
vsbenightedness
2 5.4

Not knowing or noticing something

expresses a wider, ongoing lack of knowledge
blindness to
vsbenightedness
1 5.7

Not noticing or understanding something important

is the general absence of knowledge rather than a specific failure to see
unenlightenment
vsbenightedness
9.7

A state of not knowing or understanding things

adds a figurative sense of being in darkness
unknowingness
vsbenightedness
8.6

Being unaware of something

describes a broader, general condition of ignorance
unintelligence
vsbenightedness
7.9

A lack of knowledge or needed information about something

is the broader state of lacking knowledge overall

Antonyms

22 5.1

Gaining new knowledge and understanding, often from study or experience

How Ignorant

backwardness
  • Offensive
2 6.3
ignorance
316 3.9
benightedness
  • Formal
9.9
unawareness
2 5.4

Surface Forms

benightedness singular

Morphology

benightedness = benighted (semi-transparent) = be + night + ed + ness

The noun is a regular abstract noun formed from the adjective 'benighted' with '-ness', so the derivation is straightforward.

Etymology

Benightedness comes from the prefix be- plus the word night, originally meaning 'made into night' or 'in darkness'. So, it paints the picture of being 'in the dark' about things, which is why it now means a state of ignorance.