SHORTNESS

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does shortness mean? 

• SHORTNESS (noun)
  The noun SHORTNESS has 6 senses:

1. the property of being of short spatial extent

2. the condition of being short of something

3. the property of being truncated or short

4. the property of being of short temporal extent

5. the property of being shorter than average stature

6. an abrupt discourteous manner

  Familiarity information: SHORTNESS used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SHORTNESS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The property of being of short spatial extent

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

the shortness of the Channel crossing

Hypernyms ("shortness" is a kind of...):

length (the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place)

Antonym:

longness (the property of being of long spatial extent)

Derivation:

short ((primarily spatial sense) having little length or lacking in length)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The condition of being short of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

can cause shortness of breath

Hypernyms ("shortness" is a kind of...):

deficiency; lack; want (the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable)

Derivation:

short ((of memory) deficient in retentiveness or range)

short (of insufficient quantity to meet a need)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The property of being truncated or short

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

shortness; truncation

Hypernyms ("shortness" is a kind of...):

lowness (the quality of being low; lacking height)

Derivation:

short (low in stature; not tall)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The property of being of short temporal extent

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

the shortness of air travel time

Hypernyms ("shortness" is a kind of...):

duration; length (continuance in time)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shortness"):

curtailment (the temporal property of being cut short)

briefness (the temporal property of being very short)

Antonym:

longness (duration as an extension)

Derivation:

short (primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The property of being shorter than average stature

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("shortness" is a kind of...):

height; stature ((of a standing person) the distance from head to foot)

Antonym:

tallness (the property of being taller than average stature)

Derivation:

short (low in stature; not tall)

Sense 6

Meaning:

An abrupt discourteous manner

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

abruptness; brusqueness; curtness; gruffness; shortness

Hypernyms ("shortness" is a kind of...):

discourtesy; rudeness (a manner that is rude and insulting)

Derivation:

short (marked by rude or peremptory shortness)

 Context examples 

A question about whether an individual has or had shortness of breath.

(Have Shortness of Breath, NCI Thesaurus)

Symptoms include difficult, painful breathing and shortness of breath.

(Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, NCI Dictionary)

But shortness of breath can also be a sign of a serious disease.

(Breathing Problems, NIH)

Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, and rapid breathing.

(Asthma, NCI Dictionary)

Symptoms you might notice include fever, shortness of breath, fluid buildup in your arms or legs, tiny red spots on your skin, and weight loss.

(Endocarditis, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Signs and symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath and chest pain.

(Asbestosis, NCI Thesaurus)

Patients with lung infection present with fever, headaches, cough, chest pain and shortness of breath.

(Anthrax, NCI Thesaurus)

Difficult, painful breathing or shortness of breath.

(Dyspnea, NCI Dictionary)

The style of the visit, and the shortness of it, were then felt to be decisive.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

That is obvious from the shortness of the burnt end.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)