n.
Pronunciation: i- ' no ̇ r-m ə -t ē
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
Date: 15th century
1 : an outrageous, improper, vicious, or immoral act <the enormities of state power ― Susan Sontag> <other enormities too juvenile to mention ― Richard Freedman>
2 : the quality or state of being immoderate, monstrous, or outrageous especially : great wickedness <the enormity of the crimes committed during the Third Reich ― G. A. Craig>
3 : the quality or state of being huge : IMMENSITY <the inconceivable enormity of the universe>
4 : a quality of momentous importance or impact <the enormity of the decision>
usage Enormity, some people insist, is improperly used to denote large size. They insist on enormousness for this meaning, and would limit enormity to the meaning “ great wickedness. ” Those who urge such a limitation may not recognize the subtlety with which enormity is actually used. It regularly denotes a considerable departure from the expected or normal <they awakened; they sat up; and then the enormity of their situation burst upon them. “ How did the fire start? ” ― John Steinbeck>. When used to denote large size, either literal or figurative, it usually suggests something so large as to seem overwhelming <no intermediate zone of study. Either the enormity of the desert or the sight of a tiny flower ― Paul Theroux> <the enormity of the task of teachers in slum schools ― J. B. Conant> and may even be used to suggest both great size and deviation from morality <the enormity of existing stockpiles of atomic weapons ― New Republic >. It can also emphasize the momentousness of what has happened <the sombre enormity of the Russian Revolution ― George Steiner> or of its consequences <perceived as no one in the family could the enormity of the misfortune ― E. L. Doctorow>.