What does troublesomeness mean?
Troublesomeness is an abstract noun meaning the quality of being troublesome: inclined to cause difficulty, irritation, inconvenience, or recurring problems. It can describe the character of a person, object, situation, or process, as in the troublesomeness of a temperamental machine or of a bureaucratic procedure. Unlike trouble, which may name a particular problem or event, troublesomeness emphasizes a persistent quality that makes something awkward, irritating, or demanding. The word is somewhat formal and literary, so writers often prefer more familiar alternatives such as difficulty, problems, annoyance, or nuisance in everyday speech. Its distinctive contribution is to focus on the character of something rather than on a single instance of trouble. It is also formed transparently from the adjective troublesome plus the suffix -ness, a productive English ending that turns an adjective into the corresponding abstract noun.
nounThe quality or condition of being troublesome, especially of causing difficulty, irritation, or repeated problems.
- The quality of causing difficulty, irritation, or persistent inconvenience; the troublesome character of something.
"The troublesomeness of the old machinery became apparent when it began failing during the coldest week of the year."
"The troublesomeness of the situation was increased by having to explain the problem to several different departments."
"Her essay examines the troublesomeness of maintaining a large collection of historical documents in a digital archive."
Rare. Troublesomeness is normally used as an uncountable abstract noun, especially when referring to a general quality.
"The novel compares the troublesomenesses of rural isolation and urban bureaucracy."
A small suffix can turn an ordinary problem into a diagnosis: troublesomeness is what troublesome looks like once it becomes a quality.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does troublesomeness come from?
Troublesomeness was formed in English by adding the suffix -ness to the adjective troublesome, meaning difficult or annoying. Troublesome itself comes from trouble plus the suffix -some. English trouble was borrowed through Old French from Latin, where related forms point to the idea of disturbance or agitation. The English noun troublesomeness is therefore a transparent later formation built on an established vocabulary of disturbance and difficulty.
Related word forms
How troublesomeness is actually used
Somewhat formal and literary. It is usually abstract and refers to an annoying or persistent quality rather than to one specific incident.
Easily confused with troublesomeness
Trouble can refer to a specific difficulty or an instance of disruption, whereas troublesomeness is the general quality of being troublesome or persistently inconvenient.