aptness

noun

Definition of aptnessnext
1
as in tendency
an established pattern of behavior an unfortunate aptness to interrupt people in mid sentence

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in appropriateness
the quality or state of being especially suitable or fitting I'd question the aptness of that goofy sympathy card

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of aptness These musical moments turn into flights of fancy where the director fully embraces the medium’s aptness for whimsy. — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aptness
  1. tendency
  2. appropriateness
  3. way
  4. relevance
  5. proneness
  6. applicability
  7. validity
  8. usefulness
Noun
  • There is a tendency for gloom to descend when thinking about Europe’s economic and business prospects.
    — Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Bonnell The enthusiast’s approach Bonnell’s team uses matters because electric motorcycles have an annoying tendency to make power delivery either spectacularly good or spectacularly stupid.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of tendency
Noun
  • But if that lens doesn’t include cultural intelligence, cultural appropriateness or a prompt to consider how different types of consumers could receive the campaign, those factors may never be evaluated.
    — Sonia Thompson, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Decisions should be based on educational value, age appropriateness, and professional review while ensuring parents, educators, and community members have a voice in the process.
    — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 July 2026
Definition of appropriateness
Noun
  • While spoken language might benefit us in myriad ways, no single activity requires it, let alone explains what triggered its ongoing evolution over tens to hundreds of thousands of years.
    — Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
  • For nearly two additional years, all the way to a six-hour cut of the movie that went deep on Musk’s 2025 DOGE era and his SpaceX IPO plate-spin this summer.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of way
Noun
  • At Mattel, cultural relevance came with a blockbuster ending.
    — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Clinicians can then consult the referenced research, assess its relevance and apply their professional judgment.
    — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of relevance
Noun
  • The council in 2024 rejected a 498-unit apartment complex nearby in Deer Canyon over similar concerns related to evacuations and the area’s proneness to blazes.
    — Victoria Le, Oc Register, 14 Jan. 2026
  • Both Max’s debut LP, Heaven & Hell, and her sophomore album, Diamonds and Dancefloors, were pushed back for release because of leaks, and Max has addressed her music’s proneness to making its way online before release in the past.
    — Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2025
Definition of proneness
Noun
  • The study focused on young, fit, predominantly male participants, which limits its applicability to older or less conditioned groups.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Still, the reason Belmont endures is its plain language and broad applicability.
    — Stephanie Haridopolos, Baltimore Sun, 9 July 2026
Definition of applicability
Noun
  • Hudak indicated in Friday’s news conference that police are looking into the validity of the document.
    — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
  • And as with the actual Stanford prison experiment, questions of ethics and scientific validity are sidelined in favor of getting splashy results by any means necessary.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of validity
Noun
  • But, as jurors learned, the confusion surrounding the existence of the proffer and the usefulness of an interview led to the decision not to prosecute at the time.
    — John L. Smith, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The unit of value becomes the workflow, because an agent's usefulness comes from executing multistep processes across systems.
    — Emily Lewis-Pinnell, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of usefulness

Browse Nearby Words

aptly
aptness
aquacultural
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Aptness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aptness. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All