What does cloudiness mean?
Cloudiness is a noun describing the condition of being cloudy, most commonly used to refer to how much of the sky is covered by clouds. Meteorologists treat it as a measurable quantity, often expressed as a percentage of sky coverage or on an eight-point scale of 'oktas', and phrases such as 'increasing cloudiness' or 'partial cloudiness' are staples of weather reports worldwide. The word has a secondary, less frequent sense: a lack of clarity in a liquid, a gemstone, glass, or any transparent material, where it overlaps with terms like turbidity and haziness. Derived simply from the adjective 'cloudy', which traces back through Old English 'clūd' — originally meaning a mass of rock before shifting to mean a vapour mass — cloudiness carries a neutral, descriptive tone rather than any strong connotation. It is most at home in scientific, technical, and journalistic writing, while everyday conversation usually favours plainer words such as 'overcast' or 'murky'. Its antonyms, clarity and clearness, make it useful whenever contrast between obscured and transparent states needs naming precisely.
nounThe state or quality of being cloudy; the degree to which the sky is covered by clouds. It also refers more generally to a lack of clarity in liquids, glass, or other transparent substances.
- The state of the sky when covered by clouds; the proportion of sky obscured by cloud, especially in weather reporting.
- A lack of clarity or transparency in a liquid, glass, or other substance; turbidity or murkiness.
"The forecast showed increasing cloudiness through the afternoon, with rain arriving by evening."
"Satellite data recorded persistent cloudiness over the region for three consecutive days."
"The jeweller inspected each stone carefully for any hint of cloudiness."
Rarely pluralised, since the word usually denotes a general condition; the plural may appear in technical texts comparing different degrees or instances of cloudiness.
"Different cloudinesses were recorded across the monitoring stations."
Meteorologists have measured sky cloudiness for centuries using a simple scale from zero (totally clear) to eight oktas — so 'mostly sunny' and 'partly cloudy' can describe the very same sky.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cloudiness
Cloudiness derives from the adjective 'cloudy', formed with the English suffix '-ness', which turns adjectives into abstract nouns denoting a state or quality. The root word 'cloud' comes from Old English 'clūd', which originally meant a mass of rock or hill; during the Middle English period the sense shifted to the masses of vapour in the sky, likely influenced by the visual resemblance to cumulus clouds and rocky outcrops. Closely related forms include the adjective 'cloudy' and compounds such as 'cloudless' and 'cloudburst', all built on the same Germanic base.
Related word forms
How cloudiness is actually used
Mostly used in weather forecasting and scientific contexts. In its second sense it is somewhat formal or technical; everyday speech tends to prefer 'murky', 'hazy', or 'cloudy'.
Easily confused with cloudiness
'Cloud' is the visible mass of water droplets itself, while 'cloudiness' is the abstract quality or measure of how cloudy conditions are.