enormity

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noun enor·mi·ty \ i-ˈnȯr-mə-tē \

Definition of enormity

plural enormities

1 :an outrageous, improper, vicious, or immoral act

the enormities of state power
—Susan Sontag

other enormities too juvenile to mention
—Richard Freedman

2 :the quality or state of being immoderate, monstrous, or outrageous; especially :great wickedness

the enormity of the crimes committed during the Third Reich
—G. A. Craig

3 :the quality or state of being huge :immensity

the inconceivable enormity of the universe

4 :a quality of momentous importance or impact

the enormity of the decision

See enormity defined for English-language learners

See enormity defined for kids

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enormity vs. enormousness

Enormity, some people insist, is improperly used to denote large size. They insist on enormousness for this meaning, and would limit enormity to the meaning "great wickedness." Those who urge such a limitation may not recognize the subtlety with which enormity is actually used. It regularly denotes a considerable departure from the expected or normal.

- they awakened; they sat up; and then the enormity of their situation burst upon them. "How did the fire start?"
- —John Steinbeck

When used to denote large size, either literal or figurative, it usually suggests something so large as to seem overwhelming

- no intermediate zone of study. Either the enormity of the desert or the sight of a tiny flower
- —Paul Theroux
- the enormity of the task of teachers in slum schools
- —J. B. Conant

and may even be used to suggest both great size and deviation from morality.

- the enormity of existing stockpiles of atomic weapons
- —New Republic

It can also emphasize the momentousness of what has happened

- the sombre enormity of the Russian Revolution
- —George Steiner

or of its consequences.

- perceived as no one in the family could the enormity of the misfortune
- —E. L. Doctorow

Examples of enormity in a Sentence

We were shocked at the enormity of the crime.
They didn't fully grasp the enormity of their decision.

Recent Examples of enormity from the Web

Even though the heavy rain had departed and glimmers of hope - along with glimpses of the sun - had returned to Houston, officials were still struggling to define the enormity of what had happened.

— the washington post, OregonLive.com, "Harvey makes landfall again in Louisiana as rain pummels the Gulf Coast," 30 Aug. 2017
Below are some photos from Sierra Leone and South Asia that give a sense of the enormity of the catastrophes there.

— max bearak, Washington Post, "Attention is on Harvey. But flooding has killed thousands this month in other countries, too.," 29 Aug. 2017
Forget your politics for a moment, and consider the enormity of what’s happening here.

— conor friedersdorf, The Atlantic, "Imagining a Better Democratic Populism," 25 Aug. 2017
The enormity of the animals, which seems obvious while observing them in the field, suddenly becomes a cold reality when a big carcass is lying in a muskeg swamp.

— steve meyer, Alaska Dispatch News, "You’ve shot your moose. Are you strong enough to pack it out?," 23 Aug. 2017
There is no escaping what happened in ’67 — despite history books not teaching about it or most people not understanding the enormity of the brutality that led to it.

— rochelle riley, Detroit Free Press, "The rebellion that almost killed Detroit will some day make it stronger," 29 July 2017
And while experts say the chances of another major flood occurring in Ellicott City in the next century are low — around 1 percent — the enormity of last summer's devastation can't be dismissed.

— Howard County Times, "One year later, few answers for Ellicott City's flood prevention [Editorial]," 26 July 2017
Even despite an enormity of fame and global idolatry almost incomprehensible in a modern, Twitter-riddled world, Elvis remained unceasingly authentic.

— kostya kennedy, Time, "He’ll Always Be Elvis: Remembering the 'King' 40 Years On," 22 July 2017
The Durango showed its age against the field in numerous ways, mostly in its sheer enormity.

— jeff sabatini, Car and Driver, "2017 Dodge Durango vs. 2017 GMC Acadia, 2017 Honda Pilot, 2017 Mazda CX-9, 2018 Volkswagen Atlas," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'enormity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Although enormity has been used since the late 1700s to denote large size, this usage continues to be disparaged by various language commentators who argue that enormity should be reserved for senses related to "great wickedness." It is enormousness, they insist (a hefty and considerably less common word), that should be used in reference to great size, despite the fact that, like enormity, it too originally was used to denote wickedness or divergence from accepted moral standards. For better or worse, this proscription has been widely ignored by many English speakers, including professional writers. However one chooses to use them, enormity and enormous can both be traced back to the Latin enormis, from the prefix e- ("out of") and norma ("rule," "pattern," or "carpenter's square").