1
as in dreadfulness
the quality of inspiring intense dread or dismay
George Orwell's novel 1984 captures the atrociousness of tyranny
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in badness
the state or quality of being utterly evil
the unspeakable atrociousness of the mass genocide that was perpetrated in that African nation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
for sheer atrociousness the murders committed by Jack the Ripper occupy a special place in the annals of crime
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrociousness
Noun
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Cobb was arrested and charged with murder in the second degree and cruelty to children in the second degree, both felonies, police said.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025 -
Gibson was charged with cruelty to animals, taken into custody, and later released on a $20,000 bond.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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What the American people really deserve is not mass resignations or brief, fake shutdowns that stir up political chaos in Washington, DC, while Americans across the country watch in horror or turn a blind eye in disgust.—
Nicole Russell,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
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Over the course of nine films that span more than 50 years, not once does horror film icon Leatherface take sensible chainsaw safety precautions.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This led to the investigation of Gein’s farm that unearthed his atrocities, including Worden’s body being decapitated, flayed, and hung in his shed.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
4 Oct. 2025
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Did Ed Gein have a girlfriend, Adeline Watkins, who introduced him to World War II atrocities?—
JR Radcliffe,
jsonline.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Her name is Christa Gail Pike, who was convicted of killing 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer three decades ago in a case that made national headlines at the time for its brutality.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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Safdie’s presentation of these comments foregrounds Mark’s understanding of what’s profound, and profoundly disturbing, about mixed martial arts, and perhaps all martial arts—the channelling and professionalizing of brutality.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Up-market producer David Susskind railed for four hours about the awfulness of the boob tube.—
Thomas Doherty,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
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Howard, now in his 70s, decided to make a film about the fundamental awfulness of other humans, delivering one of his darkest stories in the process.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
22 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Atrociousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrociousness. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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