enormity

[ ih-nawr-mi-tee ]

/ ɪˈnɔr mɪ ti /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR enormity ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural e·nor·mi·ties

outrageous or heinous character; atrociousness: the enormity of war crimes.

something outrageous or heinous, as an offense: The bombing of the defenseless population was an enormity beyond belief.

greatness of size, scope, extent, or influence; immensity:The enormity of such an act of generosity is staggering.

Origin of enormity

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English enormite, from Middle French, from Latin ēnormitās; see enorm, -ty²

SYNONYMS FOR enormity

1 monstrousness, heinousness.

3 hugeness, vastness.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR enormity ON THESAURUS.COM

words often confused with enormity

3. Enormity has been in frequent and continuous use in the sense “immensity” since the 18th century: The enormity of the task was overwhelming. Some hold that enormousness is the correct word in that sense and that enormity can only mean “outrageousness” or “atrociousness”: The enormity of his offenses appalled the public. Enormity occurs regularly in edited writing with the meanings both of great size and of outrageous or horrifying character, behavior, etc. Many people, however, continue to regard enormity in the sense of great size as nonstandard.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH enormity

enormity , enormousness (see confusables note at the current entry)

Words nearby enormity

enolize, enology, enophile, enophthalmos, enorm, enormity, enormous, enormousness, Enos, e-nose, enosis

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for enormity

To look at her in tears was to behold the enormity of her loss.
Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss|Michael Daly|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It was an objective test that, for the first time, let the enormity of the drug problem in America rear its ugly head.
Gov't Abandons Best Survey for Counting U.S. Drug Users|Abby Haglage|April 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A real-life drama proving the enormity of what just one bullet can do continued to unfold.
The Movie Murder 911 Tape: Victim’s Last Breaths, With Shooter Nearby|Michael Daly|January 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even if it was a crutch, the Biblical language in these older writings did justice to the enormity of the forces at play.
Polar Explorer vs. Reality TV Crew: Tim Jarvis in the Footsteps of Shackleton|Darrell Hartman|January 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And what better way to rally the troops (and they're all troops, in a pinch) than by pointing out the enormity of the enemy?
North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un’s Game of Thrones|Kevin Bleyer|December 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A sense of the enormity of the task that he had undertaken now overwhelmed him.
Unfettered|Sutton E. Griggs
Long and patiently Moffat argued with him, showing him the enormity of his crimes.
Robert Moffat|David J. Deane
He would take Harry to task for his enormity, and then think no more about it.
Chambers's Edinburgh Journal Vol. XVII. No. 418. New Series.|William and Robert Chambers
I cannot help suspecting, however, that the desire to know has a greater share in the enormity than the desire to help.
Hope of the Gospel|George MacDonald
She had called the culprit to her desk just before the noon recess and now showed her the enormity of her offenses.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison

British Dictionary definitions for enormity

enormity

/ (ɪˈnɔːmɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

the quality or character of being outrageous; extreme wickedness

an act of great wickedness; atrocity

informal vastness of size or extent

Word Origin for enormity

C15: from Old French enormite, from Late Latin ēnormitās hugeness; see enormous

usage for enormity

In modern English, it is common to talk about the enormity of something such as a task or a problem, but one should not talk about the enormity of an object or area: distribution is a problem because of India's enormous size (not India's enormity)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

单词	enormity
释义	enormity [ ih-nawr-mi-tee ] / ɪˈnɔr mɪ ti / SEE SYNONYMS FOR enormity ON THESAURUS.COM noun, plural e·nor·mi·ties outrageous or heinous character; atrociousness: the enormity of war crimes. something outrageous or heinous, as an offense: The bombing of the defenseless population was an enormity beyond belief. greatness of size, scope, extent, or influence; immensity:The enormity of such an act of generosity is staggering. Origin of enormity First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English enormite, from Middle French, from Latin ēnormitās; see enorm, -ty² SYNONYMS FOR enormity 1 monstrousness, heinousness. 3 hugeness, vastness. SEE SYNONYMS FOR enormity ON THESAURUS.COM words often confused with enormity 3. Enormity has been in frequent and continuous use in the sense “immensity” since the 18th century: The enormity of the task was overwhelming. Some hold that enormousness is the correct word in that sense and that enormity can only mean “outrageousness” or “atrociousness”: The enormity of his offenses appalled the public. Enormity occurs regularly in edited writing with the meanings both of great size and of outrageous or horrifying character, behavior, etc. Many people, however, continue to regard enormity in the sense of great size as nonstandard. WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH enormity enormity , enormousness (see confusables note at the current entry) Words nearby enormity enolize, enology, enophile, enophthalmos, enorm, enormity, enormous, enormousness, Enos, e-nose, enosis Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for enormity To look at her in tears was to behold the enormity of her loss. Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss\|Michael Daly\|January 5, 2015\|DAILY BEAST It was an objective test that, for the first time, let the enormity of the drug problem in America rear its ugly head. Gov't Abandons Best Survey for Counting U.S. Drug Users\|Abby Haglage\|April 8, 2014\|DAILY BEAST A real-life drama proving the enormity of what just one bullet can do continued to unfold. The Movie Murder 911 Tape: Victim’s Last Breaths, With Shooter Nearby\|Michael Daly\|January 25, 2014\|DAILY BEAST Even if it was a crutch, the Biblical language in these older writings did justice to the enormity of the forces at play. Polar Explorer vs. Reality TV Crew: Tim Jarvis in the Footsteps of Shackleton\|Darrell Hartman\|January 12, 2014\|DAILY BEAST And what better way to rally the troops (and they're all troops, in a pinch) than by pointing out the enormity of the enemy? North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un’s Game of Thrones\|Kevin Bleyer\|December 15, 2013\|DAILY BEAST A sense of the enormity of the task that he had undertaken now overwhelmed him. Unfettered\|Sutton E. Griggs Long and patiently Moffat argued with him, showing him the enormity of his crimes. Robert Moffat\|David J. Deane He would take Harry to task for his enormity, and then think no more about it. Chambers's Edinburgh Journal Vol. XVII. No. 418. New Series.\|William and Robert Chambers I cannot help suspecting, however, that the desire to know has a greater share in the enormity than the desire to help. Hope of the Gospel\|George MacDonald She had called the culprit to her desk just before the noon recess and now showed her the enormity of her offenses. The Girls of Central High on the Stage\|Gertrude W. Morrison British Dictionary definitions for enormity enormity / (ɪˈnɔːmɪtɪ) / noun plural -ties the quality or character of being outrageous; extreme wickedness an act of great wickedness; atrocity informal vastness of size or extent Word Origin for enormity C15: from Old French enormite, from Late Latin ēnormitās hugeness; see enormous usage for enormity In modern English, it is common to talk about the enormity of something such as a task or a problem, but one should not talk about the enormity of an object or area: distribution is a problem because of India's enormous size (not India's enormity) Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Words related to enormity horror, depravity, greatness, magnitude, immensity, vastness, disgrace, atrociousness, vice, outrageousness, rankness, evil, crime, turpitude, monstrosity, heinousness, grossness, outrage, abomination, atrocity
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enormity

noun, plural e·nor·mi·ties

Origin of enormity

SYNONYMS FOR enormity

words often confused with enormity

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH enormity

Words nearby enormity

Example sentences from the Web for enormity

British Dictionary definitions for enormity

noun plural -ties

Word Origin for enormity

usage for enormity

Words related to enormity