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enormity

[ih-nawr-mi-tee]

noun, plural -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:
1425–75; late Middle English enormite < Middle French < Latin ēnormitās. See enorm, -ty²

Can be confused: enormity, enormousness (see usage note at the current entry).

Synonyms
1. monstrousness, heinousness. 3. hugeness, vastness.

Usage note
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. EXPANDEnormity 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

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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To enormity

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Enormity is always a great word to know.

So is doohickey. Does it mean:

the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

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Example Sentences

Enormity does not mean enormous but great wickedness, a monstrous act.

Memories of an earlier enormity are one reason for the hysteria.

As the fire truck drives away you can see the enormity of the fire.

EXPAND

Enormity does not mean enormous but great wickedness, a monstrous act.

Memories of an earlier enormity are one reason for the hysteria.

As the fire truck drives away you can see the enormity of the fire.

When you know how much you can learn from a single, apparently mudane artifact, the enormity of the crime is a true jawdropper.

The enormity of the neighborhood's affliction will take a few more years to come to light.

The enormity of our loss can not be expressed in words.

Surviving villagers are still struggling to cope with the enormity of the disaster.

The sheer enormity of the human suffering is something few are prepared to experience.

The enormity of global warming can be daunting and dispiriting.

The enormity of the disaster is beginning to be realized.

But the enormity of what happened means that sharp slap in the face will involve criminal prosecution.

As a spiritual leader and a human being, she is still struggling to comprehend the enormity of the catastrophe.

The idea is to stop crime before it starts, rather than sweeping in with blue lights flashing after an enormity has occurred.

Others are overwhelmed by the enormity of the task of coping with the street's needy people.

The bosses of big drugs firms have been horribly slow to grasp the enormity of their problems.

Sears executives acknowledge the enormity of the job but say they are up to it.

And the enormity of her premise tends to overshadow her characters.

Seeing the actual faces of men and women, young and old, personalized the enormity of this crime against humanity.

Without making excuses for him, there seems to be little regard for the enormity of the challenge he has taken on.

At long last, the enormity of the nation's budget deficit has added momentum to the forces of reason.

Neither can quite believe the enormity of what they're contemplating.

The enormity of the plant and its large flowers at the top caught their eyes.

After a great effort at rehabilitation, he seems to have no grasp of the enormity of his actions.

The enormity of what is at stake is evidenced by how many cosmologists are hustling to figure this out.

The enormity of the loss he feels is evident from the footage of his words.

Skylarks and song thrushes failed to thrive, but the enormity of his success with starlings continues to haunt.

Such profoundly unsettling events demanded a more sweeping explanation, a criminal conspiracy equal to the enormity of the crime.

Perhaps its only parallels, in terms of scope and the enormity of the.

But they have yet to come to terms with the sheer enormity of the operation that has to be mounted.

Despite the enormity of recent events, the principles of economics are largely unchanged.

Souter cited the states' unanimity as evidence of the enormity of what the court was being asked by the plaintiffs to do.

But he wants to pay tribute to her strength and courage, and to bear witness to the enormity of the injury that was done to her.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

enormity (ɪˈnɔːmɪtɪ)

—n , pl -ties
1.	the quality or character of being outrageous; extreme wickedness
2.	an act of great wickedness; atrocity
3.	informal vastness of size or extent

usage 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 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

enormity

late 15c., from Fr. énormité, from L. enormitatem, from enormis (see enormous).

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enormity

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