enormity

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /ɪˈnɔrməti/ UK /ɪˈnɔːməti/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the great or extreme scale of something, especially of wickedness

Only later did they grasp the full enormity of the disaster.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the great or extreme scale... wickedness atrocitymonstrousnessheinousness outrage enormousness immensity

Opposites

triviality insignificance pettiness

Word family

Related forms enormous enormously norm

Etymology

From Old French enormité, from Latin enormitas ('hugeness, irregularity'), from enormis ('irregular, immense'), from e- (ex-, 'out of') + norma ('rule, pattern').

enormitas Latin enormis Latin norma Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# enormity

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ɪˈnɔrməti/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪˈnɔːməti/

## Meanings
1. the great or extreme scale of something, especially of wickedness

## Examples
- Only later did they grasp the full enormity of the disaster.

## Synonyms
- wickedness
- atrocity
- monstrousness
- heinousness
- outrage
- enormousness
- immensity

## Antonyms
- triviality
- insignificance
- pettiness

## Related Forms
- enormous
- enormously
- norm

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: enormitas
- Root: enormis
- Root: norma

## Etymology
From Old French enormité, from Latin enormitas ('hugeness, irregularity'), from enormis ('irregular, immense'), from e- (ex-, 'out of') + norma ('rule, pattern').

## AI Etymology
Enormity is from Old French enormité, from Latin enormitas ('hugeness, irregularity'), from enormis ('irregular, immense'), from e- (ex-, 'out of') + norma ('rule, pattern'). Important recorded forms include enormitas (Latin), enormis (Latin), and norma (Latin). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers the great or extreme scale of something, especially of wickedness. The wider family includes related words such as enormous, enormously, and norm.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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