foulness

American  

[foul-nis] / ˈfaʊl nɪs /

noun

1. the state or quality of being foul.

   The foulness of the accusation incensed us all.

2. something that is foul; foul matter; filth.

3. wickedness.

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foulness ¹ British  

/ ˈfaʊlnɪs /

noun

1. the state or quality of being foul

2. obscenity; vulgarity

3. viciousness or inhumanity

4. foul matter; filth

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Foulness ² British  

/ faʊlˈnɛs /

noun

1. a flat marshy island in SE England, in Essex north of the Thames estuary

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Etymology

Origin of foulness

before 1150; Middle English; Old English fūlnes. See foul, -ness

Example Sentences

In the decades since, though, the main charge against the show hasn’t been foulness so much as incoherence.

From New York Times • Oct. 28, 2023

My entirely inadequate advice will remain unchanged: Sit in the foulness of the roiling storm and do your work, whatever that may be, and triangulate by the light of whatever star feels eternal to you.

From Slate • Nov. 4, 2022

You don’t need to see inside sealed legal filings to understand that the foulness wafted down from the top.

From Washington Post • Dec. 8, 2020

If a player throws their arms skyward upon contact like they’ve just crawled through 500 yards of sewage-smelling foulness to escape the Shawshank penitentiary, then yes, they’re probably flopping.

From The Guardian • Oct. 30, 2019

I do not think words can do justice to a description of the foulness and filthiness of this bedding.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela