preparedness en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /pɹɪˈpɛɹ(ə)dnəs/ (General-American)
- /pɹɪˈpɛə(ɹɪ)dnɪs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree English prepare English -ed English prepared Proto-Germanic *-in- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English preparedness From prepared + -ness.
Meanings
-
(uncountable, usually) The state of being prepared.
preparedness for an exam
preparedness for battle
On her preparedness to return to Labour's front bench under new Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer, she is non-committal.
2020 June 3, Lilian Greenwood talks to Paul Stephen, “Rail's 'underlying challenges' remain”, in Rail, page 35:
-
(uncountable, usually) Precautionary measures in the face of potential disasters.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has halted the release of hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency preparedness grants, requiring states to prove their population counts before they can access the money, the agency told CNN.
2025 October 2, Gabe Cohen, “In unusual move, FEMA halts preparedness grant money, orders states to recount their populations excluding deported migrants”, in CNN, archived from the original on 02 Oct 2025:"We won't let the downfall of any one person make us lower our guard or slacken the level of war preparedness we should maintain," he added.
2026 January 26, Ben Blanchard, Roger Tung, quoting Wellington Koo, “Taiwan monitoring 'abnormal' China military leadership changes after top general put under investigation”, in Michael Perry, editor, Reuters, archived from the original on 26 Jan 2026:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| preparednesses | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
Synonyms
Translations (28)
got 𐌼𐌰𐌽𐍅𐌹𐌸𐌰 (state of being prepared) · nl paraatheid (state of being prepared) · bg готовност (state of being prepared) · hy պատրաստություն (state of being prepared) · ca preparació (state of being prepared) · pt preparo (state of being prepared) · it prontezza (state of being prepared) · es preparación (state of being prepared) · hu felkészültség (state of being prepared) · id kesiapsiagaan (state of being prepared) · fi valmius (precautionary measures in the face of potential disasters) · cs připravenost (state of being prepared) · eu prestatze (state of being prepared) · ilo panagsagana (state of being prepared) · hu készültség (state of being prepared) · ceb pagpangandam (state of being prepared) · hy պատրաստվածություն (state of being prepared) · bg подготвеност (state of being prepared) · fi valmius (state of being prepared) · tl kahandaan (state of being prepared) · sv beredskap (state of being prepared) · ru подгото́вленность (state of being prepared) · bg готовност (precautionary measures in the face of potential disasters) · he מוּכָנוּת (state of being prepared) · hil kasangkol (state of being prepared) · ota حاضرلق (state of being prepared) · got 𐌼𐌿𐌽𐍃 (state of being prepared) · ru гото́вность (state of being prepared)