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
-
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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Chime, his 2024 horror short, and Serpent’s Path (1998), the dark gangland thriller, are currently screening in arthouse cinemas in major cities across the country courtesy of Janus.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
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Although today’s audiences might be more desensitized to such gruesome scenes thanks to hyperrealistic special effects in modern horror movies, and the commonplace spread of graphic clips online, audiences of the ‘80s were reportedly traumatized and scandalized.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 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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The company's pictures have been used to help track atrocities in Syria, document previous attacks by Iran, and chronicle Israel's destruction of Gaza.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
10 Apr. 2026
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By compiling a vast database of this material and sharing it through impactful social videos, the project has reached millions, providing vital eyewitness testimonies and interactive resources to document the atrocities faced by the people of Gaza.—
Hilary Lewis,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That was really what helped me into the character and into her evilness.—
William Earl,
Variety,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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
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And to the abject awfulness of such robber barons as Misters Carnegie, Gould, and Frick.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Many have used numbers and moral philosophy to fathom the vileness of slavery in America, for example.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 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
Cite this Entry
“Hideousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hideousness. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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