Atrociousness — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /ə-ˈtrō-shəs/ atro·cious

Meaning & Definition of Atrociousness

Atrociousness (adjective)

  1. extremely wicked, brutal, or cruel, barbaric
  2. appalling, horrifying
  3. utterly revolting, abominable

Atrociousness (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the quality of inspiring intense dread or dismay

    "George Orwell's novel 1984 captures the atrociousness of tyranny"

    similar: atrocity, awfulness, dreadfulness, frightfulness, ghastliness, grisliness, gruesomeness, hideousness, horridness, horror, monstrosity, repulsiveness
    related: badness, baseness, depravedness, depravity, diabolicalness, evil, evilness, foulness, heinousness, immorality, iniquitousness, iniquity, invidiousness, sinfulness, ungodliness, viciousness, vileness, wickedness, accursedness, cursedness, deplorableness, despicableness, detestableness, execrableness, hatefulness, loathsomeness, reprehensibleness, creepiness, eeriness, fearfulness, fearsomeness, ghostliness, ghoulishness, scariness, agony, anguish, hellishness, misery, torment, torture
    near: agreeableness, delightfulness, pleasantness, pleasurableness, allurement, appeal, attraction, attractiveness, desirability, desirableness

  2. the state or quality of being utterly evil

    "the unspeakable atrociousness of the mass genocide that was perpetrated in that African nation"

    similar: atrocity, badness, depravedness, depravity, diabolicalness, enormity, evilness, heinousness, hideousness, monstrosity, sinfulness, vileness, wickedness
    related: accursedness, baseness, cursedness, devilishness, execrableness, fiendishness, hellishness, corruption, decadence, degeneracy, pervertedness, immorality, infamy, notoriety
    opposite: goodness, righteousness, virtuousness
    near: morality, chasteness, innocence, purity

  3. disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others

    "for sheer atrociousness the murders committed by Jack the Ripper occupy a special place in the annals of crime"

    similar: atrocity, barbarity, barbarousness, brutality, cruelness, cruelty, fiendishness, heartlessness, inhumanity, inhumanness, sadism, savageness, savagery, truculence, viciousness, wantonness
    related: hard-heartedness, mercilessness, pitilessness, ruthlessness, unfeelingness, fellness, ferociousness, ferocity, fierceness, grimness, bloodlust, bloodthirstiness, murderousness, sanguineness, sanguinity, cattiness, despitefulness, hatefulness, malevolence, maliciousness, malignity, meanness, nastiness, spitefulness, hardhandedness, harshness, heavy-handedness, oppressiveness
    opposite: benignity, compassion, good-heartedness, humaneness, humanity, kindheartedness, kindness, sympathy, tenderheartedness
    near: tenderness, warmheartedness, warmness, warmth, charitableness, clemency, leniency, mercifulness, mercy, pity

Related Entry: Atrocious (adjective)

Atrocious is a different word from Atrociousness. The synonyms below are for atrocious, not for atrociousness.

  1. extremely disturbing or repellent

    "an atrocious crime that shocked even hardened members of the police force"

    similar: appalling, awful, dreadful, frightful, ghastly, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, horrific, horrifying, lurid, macabre, monstrous, nightmare, nightmarish, shocking, terrible, terrific
    related: alarming, bloodcurdling, dire, direful, fearful, fearsome, forbidding, formidable, frightening, gut-wrenching, hair-raising, heart-stopping, intimidating, redoubtable, scary, terrifying, abhorrent, deplorable, disagreeable, disgusting, distasteful, loathsome, nauseating, noisome, obnoxious, obscene, offensive, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, sickening, abominable, evil, foul, heinous, noxious, odious, unspeakable, vile, grotesque, ugly, unsightly
    near: agreeable, appealing, attractive, delectable, delicious, delightful, enjoyable, enticing, inviting, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, welcome, cheering, comforting, soothing

  2. extremely unsatisfactory

    "the picture quality on the pirated DVD was atrocious"

    similar: abysmal, awful, dismal, execrable, horrible, lousy, punk, rotten, sucky (slang), terrible, wretched
    related: bad, deficient, inferior, off, poor, substandard, wanting, contemptible, miserable, shameful, defective, faulty, flawed, low-grade, mediocre, reprehensible, second-rate, bum, useless, valueless, worthless, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, abominable, damnable, fiendish, odious, vile
    opposite: bitchin' (slang), great, marvelous, wonderful
    near: choice, excellent, exceptional, first-class, first-rate, premium, prime, superior, adequate, sufficient, acceptable, satisfactory

  3. having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others

    "the atrocious treatment of prisoners at the camps"

    similar: barbaric, barbarous, brutal, brute, butcherly, cruel, fiendish, heartless, inhuman, inhumane, sadistic, savage, truculent, vicious, wanton, red in tooth and claw
    related: hard-hearted, ironhearted, merciless, pitiless, ruthless, stonyhearted, unfeeling, fell, ferocious, grim, bloodthirsty, cutthroat, murderous, sanguinary, sanguine, catty, despiteful, hateful, malevolent, malicious, malign, malignant, mean, nasty, spiteful, vindictive, draconian, draconic, hardhanded, harsh, heavy-handed, oppressive
    opposite: benign, benignant, compassionate, good-hearted, humane, kind, kindhearted, sympathetic, tenderhearted
    near: tender, warm, warmhearted, charitable, clement, lenient, merciful, pitying, pacific, peaceable, peaceful

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Atrociousness

The most common words with a similar meaning to Atrociousness:

atrocity, awfulness, dreadfulness, frightfulness, ghastliness, grisliness, gruesomeness, hideousness, horridness, horror, monstrosity, repulsiveness, badness, depravedness, depravity, diabolicalness, enormity, evilness, heinousness, sinfulness, vileness, wickedness, barbarity, barbarousness, brutality, cruelness, cruelty, fiendishness, heartlessness, inhumanity, inhumanness, sadism, savageness, savagery, truculence, viciousness, wantonness

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Atrociousness

Words with the opposite meaning of Atrociousness:

goodness, righteousness, virtuousness, benignity, compassion, good-heartedness, humaneness, humanity, kindheartedness, kindness, sympathy, tenderheartedness

Related Words for Atrociousness

baseness, evil, foulness, immorality, iniquitousness, iniquity, invidiousness, ungodliness, accursedness, cursedness, deplorableness, despicableness, detestableness, execrableness, hatefulness, loathsomeness, reprehensibleness, creepiness, eeriness, fearfulness, fearsomeness, ghostliness, ghoulishness, scariness, agony, anguish, hellishness, misery, torment, torture

Near Antonyms of Atrociousness

agreeableness, delightfulness, pleasantness, pleasurableness, allurement, appeal, attraction, attractiveness, desirability, desirableness, morality, chasteness, innocence, purity, tenderness, warmheartedness, warmness, warmth, charitableness, clemency, leniency, mercifulness, mercy, pity

Word Forms of Atrociousness

Derived words: atrociously (adverb), atrociousness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Atrociousness

Latin atroc-, atrox gloomy, atrocious, from atr-, ater black + -oc-, -ox (akin to Greek ōps eye) eye

First known use: 1604

Frequently Asked Questions about Atrociousness

What does "Atrociousness" mean?

"Atrociousness" means extremely wicked, brutal, or cruel, barbaric. As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: extremely wicked, brutal, or cruel, barbaric. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Atrociousness"?

Other words for "Atrociousness" include atrocity, awfulness, dreadfulness, frightfulness, ghastliness, grisliness, gruesomeness and hideousness. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Atrociousness" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Atrociousness"?

There are 101 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Atrociousness". Common alternatives include atrocity, awfulness, dreadfulness, frightfulness, ghastliness, grisliness, gruesomeness, hideousness, horridness and horror.

What is the opposite of "Atrociousness"?

Antonyms of "Atrociousness" include goodness, righteousness, virtuousness, benignity, compassion, good-heartedness, humaneness and humanity. Near antonyms include agreeableness, delightfulness, pleasantness and pleasurableness.

How do you use "Atrociousness" in a sentence?

Examples of "Atrociousness" in a sentence: "George Orwell's novel 1984 captures the atrociousness of tyranny"; "the unspeakable atrociousness of the mass genocide that was perpetrated in that African nation"; "for sheer atrociousness the murders committed by Jack the Ripper occupy a special place in the annals of crime".

Is "Atrociousness" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Atrociousness" can be used as an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Atrociousness"?

"Atrociousness" is pronounced /ə-ˈtrō-shəs/ and divided into syllables as atro·cious.

What is the origin of the word "Atrociousness"?

"Atrociousness" comes from Latin atroc-, atrox gloomy, atrocious, from atr-, ater black + -oc-, -ox (akin to Greek ōps eye) eye. First known use: 1604.