worstnessn.
/ˈwəːstnəs/, U.S. /ˈwərstnəs/ rare.
The fact or quality of being worst.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > badness or evil > worst > [noun]
worstOE
worstnessa1629
worstest1832
a1629 M. Day Doomes-day (1636) 250 God hath made severall sorts of flesh, now; and hath given a bestnesse, and a worstnesse in them.
a1665 J. Goodwin Πλήρωμα τὸ Πνευματικόv (1670) vi. 96 Lastness, or worstness, in estate, or condition.
1875 Punch 1 May 185/2 Let us hope it has reached the point of ‘worstness’ at which mending proverbially begins.
1900 Sat. Rev. 3 Nov. 562/1 M. Ohnet, after going from bad to worse, reaches the extremest limits of (we can find no fitter word) worstness.
1951 Music Educators Jrnl. 38 32/2 They may be seeking in music not an arena for outmoded jousting, but a temple we enter only when we leave our own bestness or worstness outside like dirty shoes.
2011 National Jrnl. (Nexis) 27 Apr. A tie for worstness between Trump himself and those who have been barkers for his sideshow.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2017; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.a1629