| / English Dictionary |
SMOOTHNESS
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The quality of being free from errors or interruptions
Example:
the five-speed manual gearbox is smoothness personified
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("smoothness" is a kind of...):
effortlessness (the quality of requiring little effort)
Derivation:
smooth (lacking obstructions or difficulties)
smooth (smooth and unconstrained in movement)
smooth (of motion that runs or flows or proceeds without jolts or turbulence)
smooth ((music) without breaks between notes; smooth and connected)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The quality of having a level and even surface
Example:
the weather system of the Pacific is determined by the uninterrupted smoothness of the ocean
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("smoothness" is a kind of...):
evenness; invariability (a quality of uniformity and lack of variation)
Derivation:
smooth ((of a body of water) free from disturbance by heavy waves)
smooth (of the margin of a leaf shape; not broken up into teeth)
Sense 3
Meaning:
The quality of being bland and gracious or ingratiating in manner
Synonyms:
blandness; smoothness; suaveness; suavity
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("smoothness" is a kind of...):
graciousness (excellence of manners or social conduct)
Derivation:
smooth (smoothly agreeable and courteous with a degree of sophistication)
Sense 4
Meaning:
A texture without roughness; smooth to the touch
Example:
some artists prefer the smoothness of a board
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("smoothness" is a kind of...):
texture (the feel of a surface or a fabric)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "smoothness"):
silkiness; sleekness (the smooth feel of silk fabric)
slick; slickness; slip; slipperiness (a slippery smoothness)
fineness; powderiness (having a very fine texture)
burnish; gloss; glossiness; polish (the property of being smooth and shiny)
Antonym:
roughness (a texture of a surface or edge that is not smooth but is irregular and uneven)
Derivation:
smooth (having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Powerful and effective language
Example:
his oily smoothness concealed his guilt from the police
Synonyms:
eloquence; fluency; smoothness
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("smoothness" is a kind of...):
expressive style; style (a way of expressing something (in language or art or music etc.) that is characteristic of a particular person or group of people or period)
Context examples:
Emma was delighted, and only wanted him to go on in the same style; but his mind was the next moment in his own concerns and with his own Jane, and his next words were, Did you ever see such a skin? —such smoothness! such delicacy!—and yet without being actually fair.
(Emma, by Jane Austen)
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