blitheness means the characteristic of being blithe. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 85 out of 100.
Why “blitheness” is a great word
BLITHENESS — [Noun] The state of being blithe; a carefree, cheerful, and lighthearted disposition. From Middle English blithenesse, from Old English blīþnes, from Proto-West Germanic *blīþinassī, equivalent to blithe ("joyous, kind") + -ness ("state of"). Unlike "cheerfulness," which implies an active and expressed good spirit, or "solemnity," which denotes a grave and formal seriousness, blitheness is a casual, untroubled, and often heedless lightness. It is the unconcerned whistle from an open window, the effortless arc of a stone skipped across a pond, or the way a child runs into a field without a glance back—a freedom so complete it floats just above the surface of consequence, a fragile state of grace built on a quiet refusal to count the cost.
Etymology
From Middle English *blithenesse, from Old English blīþnes, from Proto-West Germanic *blīþinassī, equivalent to blithe + -ness. Cognate with West Frisian blidens (“blitheness, joy”), Old High German blīdnissa (“joy”).
noun
- The characteristic of being blithe.“A mood of blitheness rarely experienced even by young men was Dick’s on the following Monday morning. It was the week after the Easter holidays, and he was journeying along with Smart the mare and the light spring-cart, watching the damp slopes of the hill-sides as they streamed in the warmth of the sun, […]”