inwardness

[ in-werd-nis ]

noun

1. the state of being inward or internal:

   the inwardness of the body's organs.

2. depth of thought or feeling; concern with one's own affairs and oneself; introspection.
3. preoccupation with what concerns human inner nature; spirituality.
4. the fundamental or intrinsic character of something; essence.
5. inner meaning or significance.
6. intimacy.

Word History and Origins

Origin of inwardness¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; inward, -ness

Example Sentences

Misunderstood and racially tormented in Catholic school, he found refuge in inwardness.

From Los Angeles Times

Herman Melville in particular — one of the “great explorers of inwardness, mystery and the inexplicable” — became a companion spirit, traveling some of the same paths as Iyer.

From Los Angeles Times

It explores the tension between the inwardness of Romantic philosophy and the ethical or political aspirations of its practitioners, nearly all of whom supported the French Revolution.

From Washington Post

The DeCarava images introduce sections of the show in which the definition of “Black melancholia” expands in several directions, all encompassing various modes of subjectivity, inwardness.

From New York Times

The dynamism Rooster embodies — particularly compared to the inwardness of the film characters you’ve been playing lately — was that hard to conjure up again?

From New York Times

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