What does neighborliness mean?
Neighborliness is a noun describing the friendly, considerate, and helpful attitude a person shows toward neighbors. It includes everyday behaviors such as lending a tool, sharing food, offering assistance, or simply taking the time to welcome new residents. The word is associated with community spirit and the idea that people should treat those living nearby with kindness and respect. Although it sounds formal and is not especially common in casual speech, it provides a precise term for a familiar social virtue. Neighborliness is especially associated with communal traditions, supportive neighborhoods, and the idea that personal well-being is partly connected to the goodwill of the people around us.
nounNeighborliness is the quality of being friendly, considerate, and helpful toward one’s neighbors. It involves showing goodwill and community spirit in everyday social relationships.
- The quality or practice of being friendly, considerate, and helpful toward neighbors.
"The town’s tradition of neighborliness made it easy for new residents to feel welcome."
"Her neighborliness was evident in the way she shared food with the family next door."
"Small gestures of neighborliness can make an entire community feel more welcoming."
The plural is grammatically possible but uncommon; the word is normally used in the singular or uncountably.
"The book explores the neighborlinesses that develop in small towns."
Neighborliness is the quiet art of making the people who live closest to you feel like they belong.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does neighborliness come from?
The word is formed from neighbor plus the suffix -liness, meaning “the quality of being.” Neighbor itself comes from Old English nēahgbur, a compound meaning “near dweller” and has roots in words related to nearby and neighboring. The development of neighborliness followed the older word neighbor, reflecting the longstanding connection between the term and friendly relations among nearby residents.
Related word forms
How neighborliness is actually used
The word is formal to mildly literary and carries a warm, positive connotation. It is more common in expressions such as “a spirit of neighborliness” and “acts of neighborliness” than in casual conversation.
Easily confused with neighborliness
Neighborliness is the friendly and considerate quality or behavior associated with a neighbor.
Neighborliness is a noun meaning friendly, considerate conduct toward neighbors; neighborly is the corresponding adjective.