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
To Kennedy, the enormity of such a scientific and public achievement would provide unimpeachable proof to the world that the American way was superior to life behind the Iron Curtain.
—
Michael Carrafiello, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026
Still, America knows little of Glass’ operatic enormity.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Out of respect for his family and the enormity of this loss, Jeff has suspended his campaign for Governor of Minnesota.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 10 Feb. 2026
The latter pushes for showing the bodies of dead Palestinian children on screen, to convey the enormity of the carnage in the war on Gaza.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for enormity
Michael Carrafiello, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026
Still, America knows little of Glass’ operatic enormity.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Out of respect for his family and the enormity of this loss, Jeff has suspended his campaign for Governor of Minnesota.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 10 Feb. 2026
The latter pushes for showing the bodies of dead Palestinian children on screen, to convey the enormity of the carnage in the war on Gaza.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for enormity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enormity
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
Noun
-
The proposal remains under consideration by the prime minister, who has expressed reservations regarding its overall magnitude.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Benefit cuts of this magnitude could increase the number of beneficiaries living in poverty by more than 50%, with more than 16 million Americans over age 65 potentially falling below the poverty line.—
Martha Shedden,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
His novels, especially the later ones, were rigorous, ecstatic immensities unlike anything that anticipated them.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
-
This is the brilliance and haunting immensity of Cauleen Smith’s The Warden, 2025.—
Horace D. Ballard,
Artforum,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Since insurgents ousted former President Bashar Assad in December 2024, dozens of members of his security agencies that were blamed for atrocities during the conflict have been arrested.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
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.—
Brande Victorian,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Originally staged at Avignon in 2025, the play follows a father and daughter whose bond is tested across the vastness of space as one of them starts a new life on Mars while Earth deteriorates.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The majesty of the natural world and the incomprehensible vastness of space are almost infinitely rearrangeable variables for documentarians.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That was really what helped me into the character and into her evilness.—
William Earl,
Variety,
4 Oct. 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Enormity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enormity. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
