antipreparedness
|an-ti-pre-pared-ness|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.ti.prɪˈpɛr.dnəs/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.ti.prɪˈpɛə.dnəs/
against being ready
Etymology
'antipreparedness' originates from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') combined with 'preparedness' (from 'prepare' + the noun-forming suffix '-ness').
'prepare' comes from Latin 'praeparare' ('prae-' meaning 'before' + 'parare' meaning 'make ready'), which passed into Old French and Middle English as 'prepare'; the suffix '-ness' is an Old English/Old Norse-derived nominalizer. The modern formation 'antipreparedness' is a recent English coinage combining 'anti-' with 'preparedness'.
Originally, 'prepare' meant 'to make ready beforehand', and 'preparedness' meant the state of being ready; over time 'antipreparedness' has come to denote either opposition to that state (being against preparedness) or an intentional choice to remain unprepared.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the state or quality of being intentionally unprepared; a deliberate refusal or decision not to prepare
Some advocates of minimal government argued that antipreparedness can prevent overreliance on the state.
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Noun 2
the absence or lack of preparedness (neutral sense); a condition of being unready or ill-prepared
The hurricane exposed widespread antipreparedness among local authorities.
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Last updated: 2025/09/07 19:08