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Glite Dictionary
oughtness

oughtness

1 9.9
A sense that something should be done because it is right or needed
  • noun
  • /ˈɔt.nəs/
  • Formal
: obligación
  • In a fair society, the sense of oughtness compels individuals to act with integrity.

Examples

  • The causality issue moves beyond the "oughtness" of indissolubility.

    Academic text (2004)

  • The sense of "oughtness" hangs over the situation.

    Academic text (2004)

  • One such consequence can be termed the "unbearable oughtness of public health policy," which refers to the basic fact that assessing, implementing, and enforcing health policies fundamentally requires normative decisions.

    Academic text (2012)

  • The teacher emphasized the importance of oughtness when discussing ethical behavior.

  • Many philosophers debate the oughtness of certain actions in terms of moral responsibility.

Synonyms

obligation
vsoughtness
433 3.2

A duty you feel to do something because it is right or someone helped you

is the abstract state of being required rather than the duty itself
moral obligation
vsoughtness
28 4.9

A duty you feel because something is right or wrong

is broader and includes being required by rules or logic too

Antonyms

unnecessary
271 1.6

More than is needed or wanted

optional
90 3.3

Not required, so you can choose whether to have or use it

How Obligatory

to mandate
  • Formal
153 4.9
requirement
552 2.0
obligation
433 3.2
oughtness
  • Formal
1 9.9
expectation
706 2.8
recommendation
480 2.5
suggestion
602 1.4

Surface Forms

oughtness singular
oughtnesses plural

Morphology

oughtness = ought (transparent) = ought + ness

Formed by the productive suffix '-ness' attached to the modal 'ought'; the abstract meaning 'the state or quality of being ought' is a regular nominalization and is directly derivable.

Etymology

Oughtness comes from the word ought, which means 'duty' or 'what should be done', plus the common ending -ness, as in kindness, meaning 'the state of'. So, oughtness is the 'state of being required or expected', which is why we use it for moral or rule-based duty.