DISTINCTNESS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does distinctness mean? 

• DISTINCTNESS (noun)
  The noun DISTINCTNESS has 3 senses:

1. the quality of being sharp and clear

2. the state of being several and distinct

3. the quality of being not alike; being distinct or different from that otherwise experienced or known

  Familiarity information: DISTINCTNESS used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DISTINCTNESS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The quality of being sharp and clear

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

distinctness; sharpness

Hypernyms ("distinctness" is a kind of...):

clarity; clearness; uncloudedness (the quality of clear water)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "distinctness"):

definition (clarity of outline)

discernability; legibility (distinctness that makes perception easy)

focus (maximum clarity or distinctness of an image rendered by an optical system)

Antonym:

indistinctness (the quality of being indistinct and without sharp outlines)

Derivation:

distinct (clearly or sharply defined to the mind)

distinct (recognizable; marked)

distinct (easy to perceive; especially clearly outlined)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The state of being several and distinct

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

discreteness; distinctness; separateness; severalty

Hypernyms ("distinctness" is a kind of...):

separation (the state of lacking unity)

Derivation:

distinct (constituting a separate entity or part)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The quality of being not alike; being distinct or different from that otherwise experienced or known

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

distinctness; otherness; separateness

Hypernyms ("distinctness" is a kind of...):

difference (the quality of being unlike or dissimilar)

Attribute:

other (not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied)

Derivation:

distinct ((often followed by 'from') not alike; different in nature or quality)

 Context examples 

It passed before him, as he spoke, so vividly, that, in the intensity of his earnestness, he presented what he described to me, with greater distinctness than I can express.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

One gleam of light lifted into relief a half-submerged mast, on which sat a cormorant, dark and large, with wings flecked with foam; its beak held a gold bracelet set with gems, that I had touched with as brilliant tints as my palette could yield, and as glittering distinctness as my pencil could impart.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

It is felt that distinctness and energy may have weight in recommending the most solid truths; and besides, there is more general observation and taste, a more critical knowledge diffused than formerly; in every congregation there is a larger proportion who know a little of the matter, and who can judge and criticise.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Having uttered which, with great distinctness, she begged the favour of being shown to her room, which became to me from that time forth a place of awe and dread, wherein the two black boxes were never seen open or known to be left unlocked, and where (for I peeped in once or twice when she was out) numerous little steel fetters and rivets, with which Miss Murdstone embellished herself when she was dressed, generally hung upon the looking-glass in formidable array.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)