openness

openness — noun

1. a way of speaking or behaving that shows your real thoughts and feelings instead

1.nounC2
Definition

a way of speaking or behaving that shows your real thoughts and feelings instead of keeping them hidden

Example

During the meeting, Priya thanked Leo for his openness about the budget problems.

openness about + topic

Mina's openness with the children helped them ask hard questions.

openness with + people

Common collocations
  • openness about feelings
  • openness about money
  • openness with staff
  • complete openness
  • honesty and openness
Synonyms
  • honesty

    is broader and can refer to truthfulness in general, not only sharing feelings

  • frankness

    suggests speaking more directly and sometimes more bluntly

  • candor

    is more formal and common in public or professional contexts

  • transparency

    often describes clear sharing of information by groups or institutions

Antonyms
  • secrecy

    stresses keeping facts or feelings hidden

  • reserve

    suggests holding back and not saying much

  • evasiveness

    suggests avoiding clear answers

Grammar Patterns

openness about something

openness with someone

show openness

Usage Note

Often followed by about or with when you name the subject or the people involved. Distinguish from sense 2, which is about accepting other people or ideas rather than revealing your own thoughts.

Common Mistakes

I admire her openness for the problem.
I admire her openness about the problem.
use 'about' for the subject someone speaks honestly about.
His openness to the new plan surprised us.
His openness about the new plan surprised us.
sense 1 is about sharing thoughts; sense 2 uses 'to' for willingness to accept ideas.

2. willingness to listen to new views and to accept people or ways of living that a

2.nounC1
Definition

willingness to listen to new views and to accept people or ways of living that are not like your own

Example

The school praised Mei's openness to students from many backgrounds.

openness to + people

His openness to new ideas changed the way the team planned.

openness to + ideas

Common collocations
  • openness to change
  • openness to criticism
  • openness to diversity
  • openness toward strangers
  • intellectual openness
Synonyms
  • open-mindedness

    is very close, but it more clearly emphasizes thinking without fixed prejudice

  • receptiveness

    is more formal and often used for ideas, advice, or criticism

  • tolerance

    focuses more on allowing difference, not always on actively listening

  • willingness

    is broader and does not by itself suggest different people or ideas

Antonyms
  • prejudice

    suggests unfair negative ideas about people before knowing them

  • resistance

    focuses on pushing against change or outside ideas

  • narrow-mindedness

    stresses an unwillingness to consider other views

Grammar Patterns

openness to something

openness toward someone

show openness to change

Usage Note

Usually followed by to or toward. Distinguish from sense 1, which is about telling the truth openly, and from sense 3, which describes physical space rather than attitude.

Common Mistakes

The manager showed openness about new ideas.
The manager showed openness to new ideas.
use 'to' for ideas or changes you are willing to consider.
Her openness means she tells every secret.
Her openness means she listens fairly to different opinions.
this sense is about receptiveness, not revealing private information.

3. the state of having little in the way, so light, air, or people can move through

3.nounC1
Definition

the state of having little in the way, so light, air, or people can move through easily

Example

The park's openness lets children run from the gate to the pond.

space allows free movement

Visitors loved the openness of the glass hall and wide stairs.

the openness of + place

Common collocations
  • sense of openness
  • visual openness
  • openness of the landscape
  • architectural openness
  • lose openness
Synonyms
  • spaciousness

    focuses more on size, while openness also suggests few barriers

  • airiness

    stresses a light, fresh feeling in a room or building

  • exposure

    can suggest being uncovered, but it often has a less positive feeling

Antonyms
  • enclosure

    suggests something shut in by walls or fences

  • confinement

    focuses on limited movement or space

  • blockage

    stresses something physically getting in the way

Grammar Patterns

the openness of a space

a sense of openness

lose openness

Usage Note

Common with nouns for rooms, buildings, parks, and landscapes. Unlike sense 2, it does not describe attitude; it describes a place with few barriers or coverings.

Common Mistakes

The wall added more openness to the yard.
The wall reduced the yard's openness.
walls usually make a space less open, not more open.
The office's openness to new workers looked modern.
The office's openness looked modern.
this sense describes physical layout, not willingness to accept people.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun/1, openness points to a habit of not hiding what you think or feel. Honesty is the broadest word and can describe truthfulness even when a person says very little. Frankness is more direct and can sound sharper when someone says something uncomfortable. Candor is fairly formal and often appears in interviews, public statements, or workplace feedback. Transparency is especially common for companies, schools, and governments that share information clearly, so it often focuses more on process than on personal feeling. You can praise a friend for openness about her fears, but praise a city office for transparency in its spending reports.

honesty ↗franknesscandortransparency ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Openness was formed in English by adding the noun ending -ness to open. It first named the state of being physically open, and later it also came to describe people who speak plainly and minds willing to accept new ideas.