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Meaning & use

openness

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈəʊpənnəs/
US/ˈoʊpənnəs/

Meanings

  1. noununcountable

    Willingness to listen to new ideas and views without judging them quickly.

    Grammar: Often followed by to: openness to change.

    Patterns

    • openness to something
    • openness about something

    Her openness to feedback made her an excellent manager.

    The school encourages openness to different cultures.

    He showed openness to a compromise.

  2. noununcountable

    Honesty and a readiness to share thoughts, feelings or information without hiding anything.

    Grammar: Often followed by about: openness about mistakes.

    Patterns

    • openness about something
    • with openness

    The mayor spoke with openness about the budget problems.

    Trust in a friendship grows with openness.

    The company promised openness in its safety reports.

  3. noununcountable

    The quality of being wide, not blocked or enclosed, as in a large open space.

    Grammar: Describes physical space: the openness of the plains.

    Patterns

    • the openness of something

    I love the openness of the desert landscape.

    The openness of the room makes it feel larger.

    The design emphasizes light and openness.

Common combinations

openness to new ideas
Openness to new ideas is vital in science.
openness and honesty
The report was praised for its openness and honesty.
emotional openness
Emotional openness can make relationships stronger.
a spirit of openness
The talks began in a spirit of openness.
greater openness
The public wants greater openness from the government.

Synonyms and how they differ

candor
Candor emphasizes frank, honest speech, while openness also includes being receptive.
transparency
Transparency is used for institutions making their actions visible, whereas openness works for people too.
receptiveness
Receptiveness stresses being willing to receive ideas, not sharing feelings.
frankness
Frankness suggests direct, sometimes blunt speech, while openness is gentler.

Opposites

secrecyclosed-mindedness

Word family

open adjective
not closed, or honest
openly adverb
without hiding anything
open-minded adjective
willing to consider new ideas
open verb
to make or become not closed

Commonly confused: openness or openess?

openness vs openess

The correct spelling is openness, with two n's, because it is open plus the suffix -ness.

Practice

The new manager's ___ to criticism made the team feel safe sharing ideas.

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