Home › Words › A › answeringanswering/ˈɑːn.sə.ɹɪŋ/answering · noun — the act of giving an answer.Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).answering is pronounced /ˈɑːn.sə.ɹɪŋ/.EtymologyFrom Middle English answerynge; equivalent to answer + -ing.nounThe act of giving an answer.e.g.“An answer that comes out of the whirlwind is, logically, no answer at all: it belongs to a world above that of logical answerings.” — 1923, John Cann Bailey, The Continuity of Letters, page 107:Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.answeringly 75% match — In a way that answers; so as to answer; in reply. vs answering →answerer 71% match — A person who, or thing that, answers or responds. vs answering →response 69% match — An answer or reply, or something in the nature of an answer or reply. vs answering →answer 64% match — A response or reply; something said or done in reaction to a statement or question. vs answering →redditive 63% match — Answering to an interrogative or inquiry; conveying a reply. vs answering →answerableness 63% match — The state or quality of being answerable. vs answering →responsive 61% match — Answering, replying or responding vs answering →answerability 61% match — The state of being answerable. vs answering →