Added 10 October 2026
openness
noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). More about openness at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see open, -ness.
- Accommodating attitude or opinion, as in receptivity to new ideas, behaviors, cultures, peoples, environments, experiences, etc., different from the familiar, conventional, traditional, or one's own.
- The degree to which a person, group, organization, institution, or society exhibits this liberal attitude or opinion.
Origin
From Middle English *opennesse, from Old English openness (“openness, publicity”), equivalent to open + -ness. Cognate with Old High German offannussi (“disclosure, revelation, openness”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)