hideousness

noun

Definition of hideousnessnext
1
as in dreadfulness
the quality of inspiring intense dread or dismay the indescribable hideousness of the squalor in which the villagers are forced to live

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in badness
the state or quality of being utterly evil the hideousness of the defendant's alleged crimes should not prevent him from getting a fair trial

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hideousness What makes your own skin crawl isn’t just the hideousness of the violence but the unblinking matter-of-factness with which DaCosta films it. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hideousness
  1. horror
  2. badness
  3. atrocity
  4. sinfulness
  5. awfulness
  6. evilness
  7. ghastliness
  8. vileness
Noun
  • This grief-horror debut centers on the Nakba, the 1948 Arab-Israeli War’s displacement of Palestinians.
    — Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • There’s even a nod to 28 Days Later, with Zeta-Jones hobbling across a deserted Westminster Bridge in London wearing blue hospital scrubs, just like Cillian Murphy’s Jim in the 2002 horror movie.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of horror
Noun
  • On one side, a satanic figure named Randall Flagg who gathers his forces of badness to Las Vegas; on the other, the good guys, led by 108-year-old Mother Abigail in, of all places, Boulder.
    — Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2026
  • The show premiered over Thanksgiving weekend, when people were tired and full and bored (and probably also horny), and countered our world’s unceasing badness with its world’s buoyant sweetness.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Definition of badness
Noun
  • From the new arrivals, Dresdeners heard the harrowing tales of mass rapes, murders, and atrocities perpetrated by Russian soldiers eager for revenge.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 31 Aug. 2026
  • But a drumbeat of doubt began in Elwood’s head in 2010 on a tour of Sarajevo, where Bosnian-Serb forces had committed atrocities during the war that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of atrocity
Noun
  • But soon after, in Genesis 18, God tells Abraham of plans to investigate reports of sinfulness in Sodom and Gomorrah.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
  • Denver author Josiah Hesse was raised by Evangelical parents in churches that believe in the torments of hell, that their poverty is due to their sinfulness and lack of faith.
    — Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026
Definition of sinfulness
Noun
  • In a world so full of dread and awfulness, why not take a moment to read anonymous petty literary gossip on the internet?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
  • The relative excitement around the Rockies having arrived in San Diego at 6-6 is a reaction based on their relative awfulness.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2026
Definition of awfulness
Noun
  • That was really what helped me into the character and into her evilness.
    — William Earl, Variety, 4 Oct. 2025
Definition of evilness
Noun
  • No amount of gore or ghastliness is off limits for the series, produced by horror champions Blumhouse, as Nicole Kidman's titular medical examiner pores over the remains of the dead.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
Definition of ghastliness
Noun
  • Many have used numbers and moral philosophy to fathom the vileness of slavery in America, for example.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of vileness

Browse Nearby Words

hideous
hideousness
hideout
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Cite this Entry

“Hideousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hideousness. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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