What does cussedness mean?
Cussedness is the quality of being stubbornly contrary, awkward, or bad-tempered in the face of reason or persuasion. A person showing cussedness does not simply disagree; they dig in out of what seems like pure perversity, resisting help, advice, or common sense almost on principle. The word is closely tied to the adjective "cussed," which describes someone habitually cantankerous or obstinate, and it descends historically from "cursed." In tone, cussedness is informal and often faintly comic: speakers use it to vent frustration at a mule-like relative, a temperamental machine, or a bureaucratic obstacle while stopping short of genuine anger. It frequently appears in phrases like "sheer cussedness" or "pure cussedness," underscoring that no practical motive explains the behavior. The term remains current in both British and American English and is a vivid, characterful alternative to plainer words such as "stubbornness" or "contrariness."
nounThe quality of being stubbornly contrary, cantankerous, or difficult to deal with; obstinate and often bad-tempered unreasonableness.
- Stubborn, perverse, or cantankerous unreasonableness; a habitual tendency to be contrary or difficult.
"The old tractor started on the third try, despite the mechanical cussedness that had plagued it all season."
"Out of sheer cussedness, he refused to ask for directions even after an hour of driving in circles."
"The committee's cussedness over the wording of the resolution delayed the vote by another week."
Rarely used; cussedness is normally treated as an uncountable quality noun.
"The novel catalogs the assorted cussednesses of its rural cast."
Cussedness began life as a polite dodge: people altered "cursed" to "cussed" so they could swear without technically swearing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cussedness
Cussedness derives from "cussed," an adjective formed in the early modern period as a dialectal and euphemistic alteration of "cursed." Speakers reshaped the initial vowel of "cursed" partly to soften its force, allowing them to describe someone as damned-difficult without uttering the stronger word. The noun cussedness was formed from this adjective with the standard suffix -ness. Its ultimate ancestor, "cursed," entered English from Old French in the medieval period.
Related word forms
How cussedness is actually used
Cussedness carries a mildly humorous, colloquial tone; it suggests exasperated affection or wry resignation more than serious condemnation. It is informal rather than vulgar, and it often implies that the person's contrariness is habitual or part of their character.
Easily confused with cussedness
"Cursedness" means the state of being under a curse or deserving condemnation, whereas "cussedness" means stubborn, contrary bad temper — the two words share a historical root in "cursed" but have diverged completely in meaning.