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

Relevance

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 Astronomer or philosopher, scientist or office worker, looking up on a clear night into the enormity of space evokes a myriad of powerful feelings. — Luke Kemp, Space.com, 18 June 2026 Its enormity eclipsed the hot desert sun. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026 Despite Kai Havertz opening the scoring after just six minutes, the final didn’t really spark into life until the final 20 minutes when legs got heavy, changes were made and both teams took off the handbrake and the enormity of the occasion truly set in. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 30 May 2026 On their first two trips to the property, the enormity of the task at hand—and their utter naiveté in taking it on—sank in. — Ingrid Abramovitch, Architectural Digest, 22 May 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
  • 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
  • Staging an event of this magnitude has required extensive coordination between federal, state, and local authorities.
    — Daniel Ross Goodman, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2026
  • That said, the magnitude of impact will always vary by organization and context.
    — Frank Carnevale, Forbes.com, 10 July 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
  • But Supergirl doesn’t quite want to deal with the immensity of its protagonist’s feelings; her drunken stupor is often played for laughs, defined by disheveled hair, big sunglasses, and plenty of slurred speech.
    — David Sims, The Atlantic, 26 June 2026
  • The immensity of the body of water, which resembles an 186-mile vericose vein snaking across southern Utah, is difficult to comprehend or convey.
    — Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 7 June 2026
Definition of immensity
Noun
  • Supporters see the Colombian tribunal as a landmark that helped end Latin America’s longest-running guerrilla insurgency and hold those responsible for atrocities accountable.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026
  • Both sides have denied committing war crimes, but Amnesty International last week said the RSF carried out ethnic cleansing and other atrocities in the city of el-Fasher.
    — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of atrocity
Noun
  • The reef itself becomes the subject, inviting viewers to imagine its vastness from the perspective of one of its smallest inhabitants.
    — Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • In Alaska, bush pilots often brave cruel November weather to carry ballots from the vastness of America's largest state, with some arriving after polls close.
    — Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 18 June 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
  • 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
  • Like Phish or Taylor Swift or The Dead, 21P have created a universe for their fans that is a self-sustaining mechanism, even if the hugeness of it doesn’t always translate into huge chart success.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 Sep. 2025
Definition of hugeness

Browse Nearby Words

ennui
enormity
enormous
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Enormity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enormity. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on enormity

Nglish: Translation of enormity for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All