What does customariness mean?
Customariness is a rare abstract noun denoting the quality of being customary — that is, habitual, usual, or established by common practice. It functions as the noun form corresponding to the adjective "customary," much as "ordinariness" corresponds to "ordinary." Because English speakers almost never need such a noun, the word appears chiefly in formal, philosophical, or literary contexts, where an author wishes to treat conventionality itself as a thing to be examined or criticized. Its connotations tend toward the neutral or mildly negative: customariness can suggest comfortable tradition, but more often it evokes routine carried out unthinkingly, ritual emptied of meaning by sheer repetition. Derived ultimately from the Latin "consuetudinarius," via Old French "coutumier," through the Middle English word "custom," it belongs to a small family that also includes "customarily." For everyday purposes, speakers usually rephrase the idea — saying simply that something "is customary" — which is precisely why this noun remains an uncommon, slightly scholarly curiosity.
nounThe quality or state of being customary; the condition of something being habitual, usual, or established by common practice.
- The quality of being customary, habitual, or established by long-standing common practice.
"The customariness of the morning ritual made it feel almost sacred to her."
"The customariness of the exchange — a nod, a brief greeting, nothing more — had settled over the office over the years."
"Critics argued that the customariness of the ceremony drained it of any real meaning."
Virtually never pluralized; as an abstract quality it is used almost exclusively in the singular. A plural would be grammatically possible but essentially unheard of in practice.
"Such customarinesses are precisely what a good traveler learns to question."
So rarely used that "customariness" shows up in print far more often as a dictionary definition of "customary" than as a word anyone actually says aloud.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of customariness
Customariness derives from "customary," formed from Middle English "custom," which entered from Old French "coutume" and ultimately from Latin "consuetudinem" (accusative of "consuetudo"), meaning habit or usage, from "consuescere," to accustom oneself. The suffix "-ness" converts the adjective into an abstract noun naming the state or quality involved. Its closest relatives include "custom," "customary," "customarily," and "accustom," all tracing back to the same Latin root.
How customariness is actually used
A rare, abstract noun used mainly in formal, academic, or literary writing when a writer needs a noun corresponding to the adjective "customary." It carries a neutral-to-mildly-negative connotation, often implying dullness or thoughtless repetition rather than comforting tradition. In everyday speech, writers typically prefer phrases like "the fact that it was customary" instead.
Easily confused with customariness
"Customary" is the adjective describing something done according to habit or convention, while "customariness" is the rare noun naming that quality itself.
A "customer" is a person who buys goods or services; despite sharing the root word "custom," it has nothing to do with habitual practice.