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 When visiting Ground Zero, Surdo said he was struck by the scale and the enormity of the destruction and the sulfurish smell, which were two things that couldn’t be grasped by seeing the site on television. — Andis Robeznieks, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026 His exhausted kin of Gainesville, having spent the morning very much alive and the enormity of a half-decade pummeled, agreed. — Noah White, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2026 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 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
  • But, as part of a meticulous reconstruction of a type of eatery known for mediocre food, does its badness actually count as a mark of success?
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of badness
Noun
  • Not since the aftermath of Watergate in 1974 had the GOP faced a statehouse reckoning of this magnitude, according to the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Outnumbered two-to-one and outspent by many magnitudes more, the election plunges California Republicans deeper into the political wilderness.
    — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 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
  • When Lee gets back to the van, his dad has passed away, and the immensity of it is too much for his body to bear.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2026
  • In the wake of tragedy and separation, she is lost, wary of the immensity and opacity of her desire; anger crouches inside her, too, a fact that her divorce made mercilessly clear to her.
    — Jamie Hood, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of immensity
Noun
  • Permanent members’ veto power must also be strictly limited, particularly when the Security Council considers cases of mass atrocities, genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
    — Pedro Sánchez, Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Both physicians worked at Nasser Medical Complex, saving lives amid wartime hardship and atrocities.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of atrocity
Noun
  • Working with the cinematographer Joaquín Baca-Asay, Gray proves smart with his budget, capturing the vastness of the Russian underground just in one shot of a near-empty Brighton Beach banquet hall.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 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 14 Nov. 2026.

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