Basic Details
Word: Diffuseness
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The quality of being spread out over a wide area; in writing or speech, using so many words that the main point is not clear.
Synonyms: wordiness, verbosity, vagueness
Antonyms: conciseness, brevity, concentration
Sounds like: defuse (to remove the fuse from a bomb, or to calm a tense situation)
How to Spell Diffuseness
Syllables: dif - fuse - ness
Tricky part: There is a double f near the start, the e of diffuse stays, and ness adds a double s at the end. Students often drop the e and write diffusness.
Watch out for: diffusness, difuseness, diffuseniss
Memory tip: Build it in two steps: diffuse keeps its e because ness begins with a consonant, then ness brings its own double s.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The diffuseness of the morning mist made the hills look soft and grey.
Example 2: His long letter suffered from diffuseness; the real request came on the last page.
Example 3: Our teacher marked down the diffuseness of the report and asked for a shorter version.
Fun Fact
Diffuse is said two ways: as an adjective it ends with an s sound, but as a verb, as in a lamp that diffuses light, it ends with a z sound.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The examiner criticised the diffusness of the answer because the main argument was buried under three pages of loose description.
a) description
b) diffusness
c) examiner
d) argument
Show answer
b) diffusness. Diffuse keeps its final e before ness, so a letter is missing in the middle of the noun.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word diffuseness as used in the sentence:
The diffuseness of the minister's speech left the audience unsure what he really wanted.
a) vagueness
b) wordiness
c) conciseness
d) length
Show answer
c) conciseness. Conciseness means saying a lot in few words, which the speech failed to do.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt wrongly. Choose its meaning:
1. coherence 2. eloquence 3. ambiguity 4. difuseness
a) skill in speaking or writing well
b) the quality of being clear and logical
c) the quality of being spread out or too wordy
d) the state of having more than one meaning
Show answer
c) the quality of being spread out or too wordy. The misspelt word has lost an f: diffuse, and so diffuseness, starts with diff.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A writer who wants to avoid diffuseness should ____.
a) use longer sentences
b) write in pencil
c) add more examples
d) cut out extra words
Show answer
d) cut out extra words
2. The word defuse sounds like the verb diffuse. What does defuse mean?
a) make a room smell nice
b) mix two liquids together
c) make a bomb or quarrel safe
d) spread light in all directions
Show answer
c) make a bomb or quarrel safe
