foulness
noun
the state or quality of being foul.
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foulness
American
[faul-nis]
/ ˈfaʊl nɪs /
noun
-
the state or quality of being foul.
The foulness of the accusation incensed us all.
-
something that is foul; foul matter; filth.
foulness
1
British
/ ˈfaʊlnɪs /
noun
-
the state or quality of being foul
-
obscenity; vulgarity
-
viciousness or inhumanity
-
foul matter; filth
Foulness
2
British
/ faʊlˈnɛs /
noun
Etymology
Origin of foulness
before 1150; Middle English; Old English fūlnes. See foul, -ness
Vocabulary lists containing foulness
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.
See Examples For:
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
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
The throng haint’s foulness seeped into her mouth like the aftertaste of sour milk.
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
The Broomway is a route across flat sands from the shore near Southend-on-Sea to Foulness Island and is home to a Ministry of Defence firing range.
From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2026
Foulness, for the most part, wins the day, and thus the beautiful paean, by Duncan and Banquo, to the home of the Macbeths—“a pleasant seat,” where “the air is delicate”—is expunged.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 7, 2015
In East Yorkshire there is a flood alert on the River Foulness and Market Weighton canal.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2012
They were all stalking seaward, as if to intercept the escape of the multitudinous vessels that were crowded between Foulness and the Naze.
From The War of the Worlds by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
"Foulness and filth are too sweet and fair for me," said the dark woman; "and I have been too long idle already."
From Trumps by George William Curtis
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
