numinosity means quality of being numinous. It carries an Arena rating of 1684, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, numinosity ranks #1,183 of 13,217 for Most Beautiful Words, #1,694 of 13,217 for Most Sublime Words, #3,066 of 13,217 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #3,365 of 13,217 for Most Malleable Words.
Why “numinosity” is a great word
The objective quality of possessing a mysterious, sacred, and overwhelming spiritual power that inspires profound awe. From Latin nūmin- (stem of nūmen, meaning "divine will, divine power, divinity") + the English suffix -osity (forming nouns indicating a state or condition). Unlike "sacredness," which denotes formal religious consecration, or "awe," which is the emotional response itself, numinosity is the inherent, causative property within an experience. It is the uncanny stillness of a deep forest grove at dusk, the palpable charge in the air before a catastrophic storm, and the vast, silent expanse of a desert under a clear night sky—the world’s latent and terrifying holiness made momentarily sensible to the skin.
Etymology
From Latin nūmin- + -osity.
noun
- Quality of being numinous.“Civilization is, through the numinosity of divine kingship, the mediation between the impossible heights of the gods and the terrifying depths of the underworld.”
Words closest in meaning
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