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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On one side, a satanic figure named Randall Flagg who gathers his forces of badness to Las Vegas; on the other, the good guys, led by 108-year-old Mother Abigail in, of all places, Boulder.—
Barbara Ellis,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026 -
The show premiered over Thanksgiving weekend, when people were tired and full and bored (and probably also horny), and countered our world’s unceasing badness with its world’s buoyant sweetness.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office charged Nikolas Hart, 25, with six counts, including felony animal cruelty and misdemeanors related to allegations of domestic violence, witness tampering and disobeying a court order.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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It will be used to invalidate our state laws and perpetuate a system of animal cruelty that predominantly serves the interests of factory farms.—
John Cleveland,
Boston Herald,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Barbie Ferreira delivers a gothic black look at the premiere of her new horror Faces of Death in Los Angeles on April 6.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Devastated by grief and horror beneath her armor, yet so valiant in public.—
TIME,
Time,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The type of atrocities that Holland saw in Sinjar persist today.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
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Ghaemi said that this language was reminiscent of the propaganda that helped fuel and justify other historic atrocities, such as the massacres in Myanmar or Rwanda.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Yet, while Munro’s denial was a horrible violence, Fremlin’s deplorable acts were the original brutality.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Apr. 2026
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Nominations in the news, public service and radio/podcast categories span networks, from PBS to ABC and NBC News, with topics ranging from the Los Angeles wildfires to the war in Gaza, immigration and police brutality.—
Brande Victorian,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The relative excitement around the Rockies having arrived in San Diego at 6-6 is a reaction based on their relative awfulness.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Apr. 2026
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And to the abject awfulness of such robber barons as Misters Carnegie, Gould, and Frick.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Denver author Josiah Hesse was raised by Evangelical parents in churches that believe in the torments of hell, that their poverty is due to their sinfulness and lack of faith.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
1 Feb. 2026
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This lawless crew shares dramaturgical DNA with the vice figures from medieval morality plays, personifications of sinfulness who would confide their schemes to the audience and make theatergoers their co-conspirators in a riveting game that obviously left its mark on a young Shakespeare.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That was really what helped me into the character and into her evilness.—
William Earl,
Variety,
4 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Atrociousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrociousness. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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