Meanings
- uncountableThe state or quality of being atrocious.
[…] as the day dawned, the atrociousness of his conduct became apparent.
1958, T. H. White, The Once and Future King, New York: Putnam, Book 2, Chapter 12, p. 3092 more examples
1689, Francis Grant, Lord Cullen, The Loyalists Reasons for His Giving Obedience, and Swearing Allegiance, to the Present Government, Edinburgh: J. Reid, pp. 34-35, If there be joyned to [injustice] an other vice […] , if it be frequent and habitual, in a Person of perfect Age, all these Aggravations augment its Atrociousness.
The atrociousness of a crime, depends greatly upon the nature, character, and condition of the victim. […] To steal bread from a full man, is theft; to steal it from a starving man, is both theft and murder.
1830, Theodore Dwight Weld, The Bible against Slavery, New York, page 12Synonyms: atrocity
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe state or quality of being atrocious.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe quality of being shockingly cruel and inhumane
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Cite this entry
atrociousness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/atrociousness
“atrociousness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/atrociousness. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “atrociousness,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/atrociousness.
Source: atrociousness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.