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UNPLEASANTNESS
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The quality of giving displeasure
Example:
the recent unpleasantness of the weather
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("unpleasantness" is a kind of...):
quality (an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "unpleasantness"):
unpleasingness (the quality of being unpleasant to to the senses)
disagreeableness (the quality of being disagreeable and unpleasant)
nastiness (the quality of being highly unpleasant)
distastefulness; odiousness; offensiveness (the quality of being offensive)
awfulness; dreadfulness; horridness; terribleness (a quality of extreme unpleasantness)
harshness; roughness (the quality of being harsh or rough or grating to the senses)
Antonym:
pleasantness (the quality of giving pleasure)
Derivation:
unpleasant (offensive or disagreeable; causing discomfort or unhappiness)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The feeling caused by disagreeable stimuli; one pole of a continuum of states of feeling
Classified under:
Nouns denoting feelings and emotions
Hypernyms ("unpleasantness" is a kind of...):
pain; painfulness (emotional distress; a fundamental feeling that people try to avoid)
Antonym:
pleasantness (the feeling caused by agreeable stimuli; one pole of a continuum of states of feeling)
Derivation:
unpleasant (offensive or disagreeable; causing discomfort or unhappiness)
Context examples:
Oh, it's such a relief, you can't think, to know that you understand our situation, and are certain (as you wouldn't wish to make unpleasantness in the family) not to go against me!
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
Participants who meditated during naloxone administration also had significantly greater reductions in pain intensity and unpleasantness than the control groups.
(Scientists discover non-opioid pain pathway in the brain, NIH)
The consequence of which was, that Mrs. John Dashwood was obliged to submit not only to the exceedingly great inconvenience of sending her carriage for the Miss Dashwoods, but, what was still worse, must be subject to all the unpleasantness of appearing to treat them with attention: and who could tell that they might not expect to go out with her a second time?
(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)
This was a disagreeable way of putting the business; because it imposed upon me, a perfect stranger, the unpleasantness of asking Mr. Dolloby to rob his family on my account.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
The researchers found that participants who meditated during saline administration had significantly lower pain intensity and unpleasantness ratings compared to those who did not meditate while receiving saline.
(Scientists discover non-opioid pain pathway in the brain, NIH)
It is not probable, I consider, that Mr. James would encourage the receipt of letters likely to increase low spirits and unpleasantness; but further than that, sir, I should wish to avoid going.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
You wouldn't wish to make unpleasantness. I know what a friendly heart you've got; but having only known me on my umble footing (on my umblest I should say, for I am very umble still), you might, unbeknown, go against me rather, with my Agnes.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
"She'll be all right tomorrow," he said presently. "I'm just going to wait here and see if he tries to bother her about that unpleasantness this afternoon. She's locked herself into her room and if he tries any brutality she's going to turn the light out and on again."
(The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald)
There were the same people, or at least the same sort of people, the same profusion of champagne, the same many-colored, many-keyed commotion, but I felt an unpleasantness in the air, a pervading harshness that hadn't been there before.
(The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald)
