inwardness

noun

in·​ward·​ness ˈin-wərd-nəs 

1

: internal quality or substance

2

: close acquaintance : familiarity

3

: fundamental nature : essence

4

: absorption in one's own mental or spiritual life

Examples of inwardness in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Hour of the Star, in particular, drops us into the electric landscape of 1970s Brazil, following a young (ugly) girl’s love (situationship) with a rat of a boyfriend while weaving through themes of identity, inwardness, and social class. — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026

Where artists like Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby pushed the instrument inventively into mostly instrumental jazz, Davis redirects it toward a more singer-songwriterly inwardness. — Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 28 Apr. 2026

Alongside the radiant climaxes, the chorus achieves spells of shivering inwardness. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 23 June 2025

Hunger, incompletion, endless deferral, a blank state of isolated inwardness. — A.o. Scott, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1