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

Then she’d look at me with those tired eyes, and even my foulness would be stilled for a moment.

From Literature

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

From BBC

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

From New York Times

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

From New York Times

The foulness of these places, for the animals that live in them and the people who live near them, truly defies words.

From New York Times