balkiness

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

balky +‎ -ness

Noun[edit]

balkiness (uncountable)

  1. The state or quality of being balky or uncooperative.
    • 1961, Robert A. Heinlein, chapter 36, in Stranger in a Strange Land, New York: Avon, →OCLC, page 391:
      [] he was mildly annoyed to find that the chair shifted itself—remote control over objects was a labor-saver and probably a money-saver [] and obviously to be preferred to the blind balkiness of mechanical gadgets. Nevertheless Jubal was not used to telecontrol done without wires or waves []