enormity

noun

i-ˈnȯr-mə-tē How to pronounce enormity (audio)
Definition of enormitynext
1
as in badness
the state or quality of being utterly evil the enormity of the crimes committed by the Nazis

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in magnitude
the quality or state of being very large the enormity of the canyon can only be grasped by taking a trip through its entire length

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of enormity People forget the enormity of California’s economic weakness during this period. — Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 4 Sep. 2026 But as the enormity of the loss sank in, Strahan realized that sports and teams that people love would play a huge role in moving the country forward. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026 Houston could soar within it because Parton imbued it with a musical and sentimental purity that made room for the enormity of her expressiveness. — Ann Powers, NPR, 26 Aug. 2026 But as the third and purportedly final chapter of the trilogy, a smart campaign will get awards voters focused on the enormity of the Dune endeavor as a whole, on par with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for enormity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enormity
  1. badness
  2. magnitude
  3. sinfulness
  4. immensity
  5. atrocity
  6. vastness
  7. evilness
  8. hugeness
Noun
  • Leaping around in time, Gilroy draws us into Alex’s world with an effervescent wink at the badness of his behavior.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of badness
Noun
  • The statistical side then won the engineering war, but the five-orders-of-magnitude bill served as a reminder.
    — Charles Yeomans, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • And Republican political operatives and independent election observers CNBC spoke with say the money hasn't had the effects its magnitude would be expected to in voter sentiment.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of magnitude
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
  • Cape Ann’s distinctive, undulant geography combined pungent industry and village intensity with Atlantic immensity of sea and sky.
    — Emma Sarappo, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Romantic; something about the fearsome, post-human immensity of these spaces clearly inspired him.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of immensity
Noun
  • The Monitor's View This year’s award went to a South African jurist who not only reshaped international law but also says her inspiration came from survivors of atrocities who never gave up their dignity.
    — the Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Many of the Russian journalists working in Ukraine at the start of the war, where atrocities wage on, now have criminal cases against them.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of atrocity
Noun
  • The home’s dissolving interior boundary suits an artist who has spent her career questioning where humans fit within the vastness of space and time.
    — Jane Horowitz, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The oceans’ vastness can feel ominous, and though scientists have studied what lurks beneath, so much remains unknown.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of vastness
Noun
  • That was really what helped me into the character and into her evilness.
    — William Earl, Variety, 4 Oct. 2025
Definition of evilness
Noun
  • The script brilliantly lays that out to counteract some of the hugeness of her character.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 28 July 2026
  • Nowhere in the vestiges of what was once the sprawl of corporate hugeness known as The General Electric Company are there signs that Katharine Blodgett's laboratory notebooks still exist.
    — Natalia Sánchez Loayza, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2026
Definition of hugeness

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enormity
enormous
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Cite this Entry

“Enormity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enormity. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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