quickness
gb/kwˈɪknəs/ us/kwˈɪknəs/
B2
English
~ 9800
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
property
1
speed in movement or action
The fact that something is done or moves fast.
Usage pattern:
the quickness of [something] / [someone]'s quickness in [doing something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"the fastness of the train"* instead of *"the quickness of the train"* or *"the speed of the train"*. "Fastness" in modern English usually means firmness or security, not speed. Also, learners may use "quick" where a noun is needed, for example *"the quick of the work"* instead of *"the quickness of the work"*.
Synonyms
speed (More common and general; used for almost any fast movement or action, while "quickness" highlights the quality as a characteristic.)
|
rapidity (More formal and less common in everyday speech, but close in meaning to "quickness".)
Antonyms
slowness (Direct opposite, emphasizing that something happens or moves at a low speed.)
Collocations
with surprising quickness
|with remarkable quickness
|the quickness of his movements
|quickness and agility
|quickness and accuracy
|quickness of response
Themes
daily life
|sports
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The quickness of the rescue team saved several lives.
- Her quickness in answering emails impressed her new boss.
- The athlete’s quickness off the mark gave him an early lead.
- I was surprised by the quickness with which the problem was solved.
- Improving your typing quickness can make office work much easier.
Learner examples
- The quickness of the train surprised me.
- His quickness in finishing the work made his manager happy.
- We were amazed by the quickness of their reply.
- The runner’s quickness helped him win the race.
- The quickness of the repair was very helpful.
unknown
C1
property
2
speed of thought or understanding
The fact that someone understands or thinks fast.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s quickness of mind / quickness at [understanding/learning something]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse "quickness of mind" with "quick mind". Both are correct, but "quickness of mind" is a noun phrase focusing on the quality, while "quick mind" is an adjective + noun. Also, learners sometimes use *"fast thinking"* in formal writing where "mental quickness" or "quickness of thought" is more natural.
Synonyms
sharpness (Highlights being mentally alert and quick to notice or understand; similar but can also suggest cleverness or critical ability.)
|
mental agility (Often used in more formal or descriptive contexts, stressing flexible and fast thinking.)
Antonyms
slowness (Here, refers specifically to slow thinking or understanding, not just physical speed.)
|
dullness (Suggests a lack of mental sharpness or alertness, the opposite of quick mental responses.)
Collocations
mental quickness
|quickness of mind
|quickness of understanding
|quickness of wit
|quickness in grasping ideas
Themes
intellect
|education
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Her quickness of mind made her an excellent problem-solver.
- In debates, his quickness and wit often leave his opponents speechless.
- The job requires mental quickness as well as attention to detail.
- Their teacher praised the children’s quickness in understanding the new topic.
- His quickness of understanding helped the whole team adapt to the new software.
Learner examples
- Her quickness of mind helps her learn new words.
- The game tests your mental quickness.
- I admire his quickness in understanding hard ideas.
- The students showed great quickness in class today.
- Your quickness of thinking will help in this test.
Noun
C1
property
3
readiness or promptness to act
The fact that someone acts or responds very soon, without waiting.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s quickness to [verb] / quickness in [doing something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"fast to help"* instead of "quickness to help" or "quick to help". Use the noun "quickness" after a possessive (e.g. *"her quickness to help"*) and the adjective "quick" directly before the verb (e.g. *"she is quick to help"*).
Synonyms
promptness (Close in meaning but slightly more formal; focuses more on being on time or not late.)
|
readiness (Emphasizes being willing and prepared; may not always imply high speed as strongly as "quickness" does.)
Antonyms
hesitation (Highlights delay or uncertainty before acting, the opposite of acting quickly and readily.)
|
reluctance (Focuses on being unwilling or slow to act, especially when "quickness" suggests eager action.)
Collocations
quickness to help
|quickness to forgive
|quickness to respond
|quickness to praise
|quickness in offering support
Themes
personality
|emotions
|social
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Her quickness to help strangers impressed everyone at the shelter.
- I appreciated his quickness to apologize after the misunderstanding.
- Their quickness in offering support made a difficult situation easier.
- The manager’s quickness to praise good work keeps staff motivated.
- His quickness to respond to customer complaints improved the company’s image.
Learner examples
- I like her quickness to help other people.
- His quickness to say sorry ended the argument.
- We thanked them for their quickness in sending the money.
- The teacher’s quickness to answer questions made us feel safe.
- Their quickness to offer a seat was very kind.
Noun
C1
property
4
tendency to anger easily
The fact that someone gets angry or upset very fast.
Usage pattern:
quickness of temper / quickness to anger
Common mistake:
Learners may try to say *"quickness in anger"* or *"quickness of angry"*, which are unnatural. Use fixed phrases like "quickness of temper" or "quickness to anger". Also, do not confuse this with physical speed; context should make it clear that it is emotional.
Synonyms
irritability (A bit more psychological and formal; suggests being easily annoyed in general, not only quickly.)
|
short-temperedness (Colloquial and descriptive; focuses on a generally bad temper, often overlapping with quickness of anger.)
Antonyms
calmness (Describes a steady, relaxed emotional state that does not change quickly.)
|
patience (Suggests the ability to stay calm and not get angry, especially in difficult situations, opposite to reacting in anger quickly.)
Collocations
quickness of temper
|quickness to anger
|quickness to take offense
|quickness to react angrily
Themes
emotions
|personality
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- His quickness of temper often causes problems at work.
- She struggled to control her quickness to anger when stressed.
- Their son’s quickness to take offense has affected his friendships.
- The therapist asked him about his quickness of reaction when he feels criticized.
- Her quickness to anger softened over the years as she learned to relax.
Learner examples
- His quickness of temper scares his children.
- She is trying to change her quickness to anger.
- Their quickness to take offense makes talks hard.
- I must control my quickness of temper at work.
- His quickness to get angry hurts his friends.
Grammar
Dictionary form
quickness
IPA
GB/kwˈɪknəs/
US/kwˈɪknəs/
Syllables & stress
quick - ness (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (quick)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: quickness
- Plural: quickness
Word family
Expressions
quickness of mind
1/kwˈɪknəs əv mˈaɪnd/
fixed phrase
mental speed and agility
The ability to understand and think very fast.
Examples
- Her quickness of mind made her stand out in the interview.
- The puzzle is designed to test your quickness of mind.
- Teachers value students who show quickness of mind in class discussions.
quickness of temper
1/kwˈɪknəs əv tˈɛmpɚ/
fixed phrase
tendency to get angry fast
The tendency to become angry very quickly.
Examples
- His quickness of temper often leads to arguments.
- She worked hard to control her quickness of temper.
- Friends sometimes avoid him because of his quickness of temper.
quickness of wit
1/kwˈɪknəs əv wˈɪt/
fixed phrase
ability to be funny quickly
The ability to make clever or funny comments very fast.
Examples
- His quickness of wit makes every conversation entertaining.
- The comedian’s quickness of wit kept the audience laughing all night.
- She admired his quickness of wit during the lively debate.