lightness
Syllables: light·ness/ˈlaɪtnəs/
lightness noun: the condition of being illuminated.
Noun (1)
lightness (countable and uncountable, plural lightnesses)
- the condition of being illuminated
- Well, darkness has a hunger that's insatiable
and lightness has a call that's hard to hear.1989 February 28, Emily Saliers, “Closer to Fine”, in Indigo Girls, performed by Indigo Girls
- Well, darkness has a hunger that's insatiable
- the relative whiteness or transparency of a colour
- The product of being illuminated.
Noun (2)
lightness (uncountable)
- The state of having little (or less) weight, or little force.
- The unique chassis design is largely the secret of the lightness of the locomotive.1960 January, “The Swindon Type "4" diesel-hydraulic units”, in Trains Illustrated, page 39
- Agility of movement.
- Freedom from worry.
- In the lightness of my heart I sang catches of songs as my horse gayly bore me along the well-remembered road.1852, Mrs M.A. Thompson, “The Tutor's Daughter”, in Graham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature, Art, and Fashion, page 266
- Levity, frivolity; inconsistency.
- Seneca […] accounts it a filthy lightness in men, every day to lay new foundations of their life, but who doth otherwise?, New York 2001, p.75
- And if the sudden and unannounced arrival of Miss Melhuish at "The Turrets" contained any element of surprise for him, his habitual imperturbability enabled him to pass it off with disarming lightness.1934, Ernest Bramah, The Bravo of London
lightness meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Telugu
lightness in Hindi
- lightness, levity
- लघिमा laghimā
- lightness, gentleness
- मृदुता mŕdutā
- lightness
- लाघव lāghav
lightness in Tamil
- அதிக எடையில்லாதவை, லேசான
lightness in Urdu
- ہلکا پن, سبکی
lightness in Telugu
- lightness
- ఉలకము ulakamu, ఉలకన ulakana, ఉలక ulaka, సులువు suluvu
- lightness, slightness, delicacy, easiness, facility, dexterity
- లాఘవము lāghavamu
- lightness, ease
- తేలిక tēlika
More languagesFewer languages
- lightness in Malayalam
- ലഘുത്വം laghutvaṁ, ലാഘവം lāghavaṁ
- lightness in Sanskrit
- लाघव lāghava
- lightness in Arabic
- خِفَّة ḵiffa
Examples of lightness in a sentence
- His physical body felt like a meatsuit compared to the lightness he had just known.
- Like ballet and some forms of modern dance, thinspiration puts a premium on both agony and lightness.
- Gibbons will present “disappearing never-ending return,” which she describes as a dance of lightness, possibilities and noninevitability.
Forms of lightness
| plural | lightnesses |
|---|---|
| alternative form | lightnesse |
Origin of lightness
From Middle English lightnes, lightnesse, from Old English līhtnes, lȳhtnys (“enlightening, illumination”), from Proto-West Germanic *liuhtinassī; equivalent to light (“to make bright, illuminate”, verb) + -ness (suffix forming nouns). Cognate with Old High German liuhtnissi (“illumination, enlightening”).
From Middle English lightnes, lightnesse, from Old English *lēohtnes (“lightness”) (compare Old English lēohtmōdnes (“lightness”, literally “light-moodedness”), līhtingnes (“lightness, alleviation”)); equivalent to light (“not heavy”, adjective) + -ness (suffix forming nouns). Cognate with Middle Low German luchtnisse, lüchtnisse (“lightness, frivolity, joyfulness”).
Questions about lightness
- What does lightness mean?
- Lightness means the condition of being illuminated.
- What is lightness in Hindi?
- Lightness in Hindi is लघिमा (laghimā), मृदुता (mŕdutā), लाघव (lāghav). See Lightness meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is lightness?
- Lightness is a noun.
- How do you pronounce lightness?
- Lightness is pronounced /ˈlaɪtnəs/.
- What is the plural of lightness?
- The plural of lightness is lightnesses.
Words near lightness in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: lightness (page history and authors); मृदुता (Hindi) (page history and authors); lightness (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); lightness (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); ఉలక (Telugu) (page history and authors); ലഘുത്വം (Malayalam) (page history and authors); लाघव (Sanskrit) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-lightness.wav, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vininn126-lightness.wav.
Cite this entry: “lightness.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/lightness. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.