shortness
/ˈʃɔːtnəs
/noun [mass noun]
1The quality of being relatively small in height or length: because of my shortness I had to crane my head to see women judged on the shortness of their skirts the unnatural shortness of the bed...
- Her shortness was compensated for by a pair of blue high-heeled shoes.
- The shortness of the steel on the blade indicates that it was originally a good deal longer.
- She had her hair carelessly tied back, but due to the shortness of it, tendrils of hair were already escaping the elastic band.
2The quality of lasting a small amount of time: the shortness of the lease shortness of memory...
- Because of the shortness of the season, no satisfactory playoff system has ever been agreed on.
- Lest I give the impression that only early works suffer from the shortness of critical memory, let us look briefly at a more recent work.
- It does not arrive as most persons do, in realization of the shortness and smallness of human life.
3The quality of being relatively small in extent: I apologize for the shortness of this letter his speech was excellent because of its shortness...
- I am sorry for the shortness of chapter 12.
- What's ironic about the shortness of the story mode is that the levels of play are actually pretty long.
- I would certainly like to hear it on the concert stage—its shortness makes it an ideal filler for many programs.
3.1 (shortness of) The state of not having enough of something; lack: the school had to close due to shortness of staff because of the shortness of time, question 4 remained unanswered she suffers from shortness of breath...
- Shortness of funds affected the company throughout its existence, severely handicapping the retailer's ability to compete with private firms.
- He took objection to my dealing with interim support because of the shortness of notice.
- When I'm working out, there is nothing more distracting than the sound of my own shortness of breath wheezing through my ears.
4The quality of being abrupt or rude in speech: my shortness with people contributed to my demise...
- Still distraught over her shortness with him, he reminded her that the days of divorce being taboo were long gone.
- He had no tolerance for Will's shortness with him.
- Given her reputation for shortness with them, she might not accept it.