enormity
noun/ɪˈnɔːməti/
/ɪˈnɔːrməti/
(plural enormities)
- [uncountable] the enormity of something (of a problem, etc.) the very great size, effect, etc. of something; the fact of something being very serious
- the enormity of the task
- People are still coming to terms with the enormity of the disaster.
- The full enormity of the crime has not yet been revealed.
- It took time for the full enormity of the attack to sink in.
- It’s difficult to grasp the sheer enormity of the tragedy.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- full
- sheer
- appreciate
- grasp
- realize
- …
- [countable, usually plural] (formal) a very serious crime
- the enormities of the Hitler regime
Word Originlate Middle English: via Old French from Latin enormitas, from enormis, from e- (variant of ex-) ‘out of’ + norma ‘pattern, standard’. The word originally meant ‘deviation from legal or moral rectitude’ and ‘transgression’. Current senses have been influenced by enormous.
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