lukewarmness

lukewarmness

English

Etymology

From lukewarm +‎ -ness.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /luːkˈwɔːmnəs/

Noun

lukewarmness (countable and uncountable, plural lukewarmnesses)

1. The property of being lukewarm; ambivalence, weakness.
   • 1665, Robert Boyle, New Experiments and Observations Touching Cold, Discourse II, in The Works of the Honourable Robert Boyle, London: A. Millar, 1744, Volume II, p. 246,

     And indeed, there is scarce any quality, for whose differences we have fewer distinct names, having scarce any for the many degrees of coldness, that may be conceived to be intermediate, betwixt lukewarmness and the freezing degree of cold […]

   • 1855, Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South, Chapter 40,

     Mr. Hale was disappointed in his pupil’s lukewarmness about Greek literature, which had but a short time ago so great an interest for him.

   • 2012, Christopher Clark, The Sleepwalkers, Penguin 2013, p. 343:

     Sazonov was furious at the lukewarmness of the British and French reactions to Russia's protests.

Synonyms

• lukewarmth