enormity

American  

[ih-nawr-mi-tee] / ɪˈnɔr mɪ ti /

noun

plural

enormities

1. outrageous or heinous character; atrociousness.

   the enormity of war crimes.

   Synonyms:

   heinousness, monstrousness

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.

   Synonyms:

   vastness, hugeness

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enormity British  

/ ɪˈnɔːmɪtɪ /

noun

1. the quality or character of being outrageous; extreme wickedness

2. an act of great wickedness; atrocity

3. informal vastness of size or extent

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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 )

Commonly Confused

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.

Etymology

Origin of enormity

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English enormite, from Middle French, from Latin ēnormitās; enorm, -ty ²

Example Sentences

"Instead of being dumbstruck by the enormity of it, we can actually make progress toward an answer about why we're here in the universe."

From Science Daily • Mar. 3, 2026

Also notice that the true enormity of Africa comes across on this map.

From Slate • Jan. 21, 2026

Together, they represent overkill of an enormity that should be considered essentially unfathomable.

From Salon • Dec. 7, 2025

The company calls these “third-party factoring irregularities” in its bankruptcy documents, which lawyers for a lender criticized as unduly “euphemistic,” given “the enormity of this potential defalcation.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2025

My ideas would be like demons rushing from a hellish cave, and my fellow intellectuals, startled by the truth and enormity of my observations, would try to bottle them up before they spread.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

• greatness
• immensity
• magnitude
• vastness