1
as in dreadfulness
the quality of inspiring intense dread or dismay
the indescribable hideousness of the squalor in which the villagers are forced to live
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in badness
the state or quality of being utterly evil
the hideousness of the defendant's alleged crimes should not prevent him from getting a fair trial
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hideousness
What makes your own skin crawl isn’t just the hideousness of the violence but the unblinking matter-of-factness with which DaCosta films it.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2026
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hideousness
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
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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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No amount of gore or ghastliness is off limits for the series, produced by horror champions Blumhouse, as Nicole Kidman's titular medical examiner pores over the remains of the dead.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
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In ‘Leviticus,’ Adrian Chiarella harnesses horror’s visceral power to confront homophobia with intelligence and imaginative flair, transforming a story of young love under siege into a gripping, urgent debut.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
10 Mar. 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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Our research examined how social media functions not simply as a space for outrage but also as a tool for truth-telling, collective memory and potentially atrocity prevention.—
Arnaud Kurze,
The Conversation,
9 Mar. 2026
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This is just a small, partial list of atrocities against Americans since the Islamic Revolution in Iran.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Mar. 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
Noun
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Perhaps its incorporation of vogue ideas dazzles critics who might otherwise discern its awfulness (Amazon’s Transparent).—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Feb. 2026
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There is no way to sugarcoat the awfulness of those months of anxiety.—
Kate Callen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hideousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hideousness. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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