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Synonyms

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.

foulness 1 British  
/ ˈfaʊlnɪs /

noun

  1. the state or quality of being foul

  2. obscenity; vulgarity

  3. viciousness or inhumanity

  4. foul matter; filth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Foulness 2 British  
/ faʊlˈnɛs /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of foulness

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A romp in the swamp or failure in the foulness of a Rome afternoon?

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

When he finally arrived, he idled in the driveway for a moment, hoping his foulness might dissipate before he had to encounter his young family.

From Slate • Nov. 26, 2022

The foulness is in the very air they breathe; they might choke if they thought about it.

From New York Times • Nov. 15, 2022

How does she have time to throw such petty foulness into the town square?

From Washington Post • Nov. 30, 2021

The stench hit them like a wall of foulness about thirty feet out.

From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.