Printer Friendly
The Free Dictionary
983,218,885 visitors served.
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

openness

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Financial, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
o·pen  (pn)
adj.
1.
a. Affording unobstructed entrance and exit; not shut or closed.
b. Affording unobstructed passage or view: open waters; the open countryside.
2.
a. Having no protecting or concealing cover: an open wound; an open sports car.
b. Completely obvious; blatant: open disregard of the law.
c. Carried on in full view: open warfare; open family strife.
d. Sports Not closely defended by an opponent: an open receiver.
3.
a. Not sealed or tied: an open package.
b. Spread out; unfolded: an open book.
4. Having interspersed gaps, spaces, or intervals: open ranks; an open weave.
5.
a. Accessible to all; unrestricted as to participants: an open competition.
b. Free from limitations, boundaries, or restrictions: open registration.
c. Enterable by registered voters regardless of political affiliation: an open primary.
d. Computer Science Of or relating to a file that can be accessed.
6.
a. Lacking effective regulation: an open town in which gambling predominated.
b. Not legally repressed: open drug trafficking.
7.
a. Susceptible; vulnerable: open to interpretation; an issue that is open to question.
b. Willing to consider or deal with something: open to suggestions.
8.
a. Available; obtainable: The job is still open.
b. Available for use: an open account; the only course open to us.
9. Ready to transact business: The store is open.
10. Not engaged or filled: has an open hour for emergency cases.
11. Not yet decided; subject to further thought: an open question.
12.
a. Characterized by lack of pretense or reserve; candid: Please be open with me. See Synonyms at frank1.
b. Free of prejudice; receptive to new ideas and arguments: She listened to the proposal with an open mind.
c. Generous: He is very open with his time.
13. Printing
a. Widely spaced or leaded. Used of typeset or other printed matter.
b. Having constituent elements separated by a space in writing or printing: The word sea horse is an open compound.
14. Music
a. Not stopped by a finger. Used of a string or hole of an instrument.
b. Produced by an unstopped string or hole or without the use of slides, valves, or keys: an open note on a trumpet.
c. Played without a mute: an open wind instrument.
15. Linguistics
a. Articulated with the tongue in a low position, as the vowel in far.
b. Ending in a vowel or diphthong: an open syllable.
16. Designating a method of punctuation in which commas and other marks are used sparingly.
17. Being in operation; live: an open microphone.
18. New England Clear. Used of weather. See Regional Note at fair1.
19. Electricity Containing a gap across which electricity cannot pass: an open circuit.
20. Mathematics
a. Of or relating to an interval containing neither of its endpoints.
b. Of or being a set such that at least one neighborhood of every point in the set is within the set.
c. Of or being a set that is the complement of a closed set.
21. Sports
a. Having the forward foot farther from the intended point of impact with the ball than the rear foot: an open batting stance.
b. Held or swung with the top or outer edge of the striking face pointing slightly farther away from the objective than the lower or inner edge: The club struck the ball with an open face, causing a slice.
v. o·pened, o·pen·ing, o·pens
v.tr.
1. To release from a closed or fastened position.
2. To remove obstructions from; clear.
3. To make or force an opening in: open an old wound.
4.
a. To form spaces or gaps between: soldiers opening ranks.
b. To break the continuity of; make a gap in: open a circuit.
5.
a. To remove the cover, cork, or lid from.
b. To remove the wrapping from; undo.
6. To unfold so that the inner parts are displayed; spread out: open a newspaper.
7.
a. To get (something) going; initiate: open a campaign.
b. To commence the operation of: open a new business.
8. Games To begin (the action in a game of cards) by making the first bid, placing the first bet, or playing the first lead.
9. To make available for use: opened the area to commercial development; opened the computer file and retrieved some data.
10. To make more responsive or understanding.
11. To reveal the secrets of; bare.
12. Sports To modify (one's stance), as in baseball or golf, so that it is open.
13. Law To recall (an order or judgment) for a reexamination of its merits.
v.intr.
1. To become open: The door opened slowly.
2. To draw apart; separate: The wound opened under pressure.
3. To spread apart; unfold.
4. To come into view; become revealed: The plain opened before us.
5. To become receptive or understanding.
6.
a. To begin; commence: The meeting opened with a call to order.
b. To begin business or operation: The store opens early on Saturday.
7. To be performed, shown, or made available to the public for the first time: The play opens next week.
8. To be priced or listed at a specified amount when trading begins: Shares opened high and fell sharply.
9. Games To make a bid, bet, or lead in starting a game of cards.
10. To give access: The room opens onto a terrace.
n.
1. An unobstructed area of land or water.
2. The outdoors: camping in the open.
3. An undisguised or unconcealed state: brought the problem out into the open.
4. A tournament or contest in which both professional and amateur players may participate.
Phrasal Verb:
open up
1. To spread out; unfold: A green valley opened up before us.
2.
a. To begin operation: The new store opens up next month.
b. To begin firing: The artillery opened up at dawn.
3. Informal To speak freely and candidly: At last the frightened witness opened up and told the truth.
4. To make an opening in by cutting: The surgeon opened up the patient's chest.
5. To make available or accessible: open up new markets.
6. Informal To accelerate. Used of a motor vehicle.
Idioms:
open fire
To begin firing on.
open (one's) eyes
To become aware of the truth of a situation.

[Middle English, from Old English; see upo in Indo-European roots.]

open·ly adv.
open·ness n.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.openness - without obstructions to passage or view; "the openness of the prairies"
spatial arrangement, spacing - the property possessed by an array of things that have space between them
patency - the openness (lack of obstruction) of a bodily passage or duct
2.openness - characterized by an attitude of ready accessibility (especially about one's actions or purposes); without concealment; not secretive
sociability, sociableness - the relative tendency or disposition to be sociable or associate with one's fellows
secretiveness, closeness - characterized by a lack of openness (especially about one's actions or purposes)
3.openness - willingness or readiness to receive (especially impressions or ideas); "he was testing the government's receptiveness to reform"; "this receptiveness is the key feature in oestral behavior, enabling natural mating to occur"; "their receptivity to the proposal"
willingness - cheerful compliance; "he expressed his willingness to help"

openness
noun frankness, honesty, truthfulness, naturalness, bluntness, forthrightness, ingenuousness, artlessness, guilelessness, candidness, freeness, open-heartedness, absence of reserve, candour or (U.S.) candor, sincerity or sincereness, unreservedness
Translations
Spanish openness [ˈəupnnɪs] n (= frankness) → franqueza
French openness [ˈəupnnɪs] n (= frankness) → franchise f
German openness [ˈəupnnɪs] open n (= frankness) → Offenheit f
Italian openness [ˈəupnnɪs] n (= frankness) → franchezza, sincerità

?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
The best composition and temperature, is to have openness in fame and opinion; secrecy in habit; dissimulation in seasonable use; and a power to feign, if there be no remedy.
He is certainly very handsome; and yet more, there is an openness in his manner that must be highly prepossessing, and I am sure she feels it so.
Bingley was endeared to Darcy by the easiness, openness, and ductility of his temper, though no disposition could offer a greater contrast to his own, and though with his own he never appeared dissatisfied.
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2008 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.