noun The state or quality of being firm; compactness; hardness; solidity; stability; strength; steadfastness; resoluteness; constancy; fixedness; certainty: as, the firmness of jelly; firmness of flesh; firmness of union; the firmness of a purpose; the firmness of a judge.
noun In phrenology, an organ situated toward the back part of the head, between self-esteem and veneration. Its function is said to be to produce determination, constancy, and perseverance.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
noun The state or quality of being firm.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
noun The state of being firm; strength; permanence; stability; hardness; resolution.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
noun the quality of being steady or securely and immovably fixed in place
noun the property of being unyielding to the touch
noun the muscle tone of healthy tissue
noun the trait of being resolute
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From firm + -ness
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Examples
It was partly an inheritance from a stupid tradition, which tried to combine what it called firmness with what it called conciliation; as if when we made up our minds to soothe a man with a five-pound note, we always took care to undo our own action by giving him a kick as well.
Privately, he thought he had been a trifle hard on the lad, and but for his obstinacy -- which he called firmness -- he would have recalled the prodigal.
Hillsborough was under the impression that a little firmness -- what he called firmness -- would soon bring the colonists to their senses, but every mail that came across the Atlantic showed that Lord
The foam developed by Cargill replaces 20% of the petroleum-based foam and outperforms traditional foam in firmness, retention, support and durability.
If firmness is preserved in dealing with those who are in variance in their conduct with the terms of the Charter, and if the nations speaking through the Security Council take a firm stand, based on principles and don't try to play the game of expediency, then I think we may be hopeful for the future.
Bless his memory, say I, for, though he might have had his faults, he was a right-honest true-hearted man -- brave as the bravest of his subjects, and firm too; though those who opposed him called his firmness obstinacy.
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