1 November 2017
enormity
[ih-nawr-mi-tee]
noun, plural enormities
1. outrageous or heinous character; atrociousness:
the enormity of war crimes.
2. something outrageous or heinous, as an offense:
The bombing of the defenseless population was an enormity beyond belief.
3. greatness of size, scope, extent, or influence; immensity:
The enormity of such an act of generosity is staggering.
Origin of enormity
Latin late Middle English Middle French
1425-1475; 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. 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.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for enormity
Contemporary Examples
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
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
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
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
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
Historical Examples
His pessimism about his play caused him to exaggerate the enormity of his offences.
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine
These chaps seemed to value a man by the enormity and number of his crimes.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
Until now the enormity of his offence had not penetrated her understanding.
Meadow Grass
Alice Brown
I never dreamed of any enormity greater than I have committed.
Mountain Meditations
L. Lind-af-Hageby
Jon stood motionless, his head reeling at the enormity of what he had done.
The Velvet Glove
Harry Harrison
Anagram
toy miner
my orient
Today’s quote
The moving finger writes, and having written moves on. Nor all thy piety nor all thy wit, can cancel half a line of it.
– Omar Khayyam
On this day
1 – 2 November – Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), celebrated around the world, but particularly in Mexico, where it is a public holiday. On this day people pray for loved ones who have died. Coincides with the Catholic holidays of All Saints’ Day (originally introduced in 609AD) and All Souls’ Day.
1 November 1952 – The U.S. detonates the world’s first thermonuclear weapon, the Hydrogen Bomb, at Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
1 November 1993 – The European Union formally established as a result of the Maastricht Treaty, which had been ratified by 12 nations in February 1993. The nations were Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Denmark, Greece, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Irish Republic.