What does desirableness mean?
Desirableness is a noun denoting the quality of being desirable — that is, the degree to which something is worth wanting, seeking, or possessing. It can describe the appeal of tangible things, such as a house in a sought-after neighborhood, or of abstract goals, such as the desirableness of a particular policy or course of action. In meaning it overlaps almost entirely with its far more common synonym desirability, and most modern writers prefer that shorter form; desirableness tends to appear in formal, legal, or older literary prose, where its slightly heavier rhythm suits deliberate, evaluative statements. The word is built transparently from the adjective desirable plus the noun-forming suffix -ness, so its sense poses little difficulty to readers even on first meeting. It remains a fully standard English word, simply one that has been largely eclipsed by its rival.
nounThe quality of being desirable; the degree to which something is worth wanting or having.
- The state or quality of being desirable; the extent to which something is worth having or achieving.
"The desirableness of the seaside location drove property prices sharply upward."
"Economists debated the desirableness of raising interest rates in a fragile recovery."
"Its desirableness as a collector's item only grew after the artist's death."
Rarely pluralized; the plural would appear only in contexts counting distinct instances of the quality.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of desirableness
Desirableness is formed within English from the adjective desirable plus the native suffix -ness. Desirable itself derives from the verb desire, which entered Middle English from Old French 'desirer', ultimately from Latin 'desiderare', meaning to long for or wish for — the same Latin root that gives us desideratum and desiderata. The compound formation dates to roughly the seventeenth century, when abstract nouns in -ness proliferated in learned prose.
Related word forms
How desirableness is actually used
Desirableness is a legitimate but relatively uncommon alternative to the far more frequent 'desirability'. It carries a slightly formal or literary tone and appears mostly in written English.
Easily confused with desirableness
Desirability is by far the more common word for the same quality, while desirableness is a rarer, longer variant formed with the -ness suffix.