atrociousness

noun

Definition of atrociousnessnext
1
as in dreadfulness
the quality of inspiring intense dread or dismay George Orwell's novel 1984 captures the atrociousness of tyranny

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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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrociousness
  1. horror
  2. badness
  3. cruelty
  4. atrocity
  5. sinfulness
  6. brutality
  7. awfulness
  8. evilness
Noun
  • Remember when there was a wave of filmmakers all trying to make murderous Steamboat Willie horror movies because the character had entered the public domain?
    — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 29 July 2026
  • Jordan received his first Academy nod and victory for Ryan Coogler’s vampire horror film.
    — Mya Copeland, Variety, 29 July 2026
Definition of horror
Noun
  • 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
Definition of badness
Noun
  • The novel does not assign cruelty or compassion to any one community.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026
  • Investigators later obtained an arrest warrant for Peyton Leon Wyrick on a felony animal cruelty charge.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026
Definition of cruelty
Noun
  • Despite initially losing consciousness herself as a result of the explosion, Maria still vividly remembered the atrocity when recounting it to the Museum of Civilian Voices.
    — Emile Nuh, CNN Money, 31 July 2026
  • The finale, which opens with Max pausing to observe a small courtesy before committing an atrocity on Crystal’s houseboat, closes with the Bowdens reaching for ordinary family life after surviving an atrocity of their own.
    — JP Mangalindan, Time, 31 July 2026
Definition of atrocity
Noun
  • But soon after, in Genesis 18, God tells Abraham of plans to investigate reports of sinfulness in Sodom and Gomorrah.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of sinfulness
Noun
  • Crump and the family thanked the community for its support and encouraged people to continue to speak out against police brutality.
    — Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 24 July 2026
  • The novel also alludes to contemporary examples of violence in the country’s current, democratic system, gesturing to the ways in which brutality persists in Brazil as state and corporate power continue to commit violence with near impunity.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 July 2026
Definition of brutality
Noun
  • In a world so full of dread and awfulness, why not take a moment to read anonymous petty literary gossip on the internet?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
  • 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
Definition of awfulness
Noun
  • That was really what helped me into the character and into her evilness.
    — William Earl, Variety, 4 Oct. 2025
Definition of evilness
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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atrociously
atrociousness
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Cite this Entry

“Atrociousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrociousness. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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