Meanings
- uncountableThe quality of being swainish.
1 more example
But there are people who cannot be cultivated,—people on whom speech makes no impression,—swainish, morose people, who must be kept down and quieted as you would those who are a little tipsy; others, who are not only swainish, but are prompt to take oath that swainishness is the only culture; and though their odd wit may have some salt for you, your friends would not relish it.
1876, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Social Aims”, in Letters and Social Aims, Boston: James R. Osgood and Company, pages 86–87
Origin
Cite this entry
swainishness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swainishness
“swainishness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swainishness. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “swainishness,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swainishness.
Source: swainishness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.