dinginessn.
/ˈdɪn(d)ʒɪnᵻs/, U.S. /ˈdɪndʒinᵻs/ The quality or condition of being dingy; disagreeable lack of brightness or freshness of colour or hue; drabness, darkness, gloominess. Cf. dinge n.2 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > colour > quality of colour > [noun] > dullness
dinginess1758
dinge1846
sombreness1847
drabbiness1872
drabness1878
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > dirtiness > dirt > soiled condition > [noun] > dinginess or discolouration
discolouration1545
tarnish1713
dinginess1758
miscoloration1822
discolorization1827
dinge1846
1758 W. Lewis in Philos. Trans. 1757 (Royal Soc.) 50 151 The compound worked extremely well, but was distinguishable from gold by a manifest dinginess, which it retained after repeated forgings, fusions, nealings, and boilings.
1824 W. Irving Tales of Traveller I. 208 Something in..the dinginess of my dress..struck the clerks with reverence.
1867 A. Trollope Last Chron. Barset II. xlv. 10 A certain dinginess of appearance is respectable.
1888 M. E. Braddon Fatal Three I. ii. 24 There was not even a flower-box to redeem the dinginess of the outlook.
2018 Sunday Independent (Ireland) (Nexis) 18 Feb. (News section) 22 There is a dinginess to many Irish towns and cities that one generally doesn't see in other western European countries.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2021; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1758