English Explanatory Dictionary

outness

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The quality of being out, or outside.
  2. The collective of things that are distinct from the observer.
  3. The property of being distinct.
  4. The extent to which someone, particularly a gay person, is open about their sexuality.

Word forms

outness outnesses

Etymology

* out + -ness. ** (philosophy): Possibly coined by George Berkeley for his 1709 Essay Towards a New Theory of Vision ** (sexuality): Popularised by Lynne Pearlman in her 1989 thesis Theorizing Lesbian Oppression and the Politics of Outness in the Case of Waterman v. National Life Assurance.

Synonyms

otherness externality outwardness

Related words

inside-outness
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