You searched for: “enormities
enormity (s) (i NOR mi tee) (noun), enormities (pl)
1. The quality of passing all moral bounds; excessive wickedness or outrageousness.
2. A monstrous offense or evil; an outrage.

Enormity is frequently misused to refer simply to the property of being great in size or extent, but there are many who prefer that "enormousness" (or a synonym such as "immensity") be used for this general sense and that enormity be limited to situations that demand a "negative moral judgment".

This distinction between enormity and "enormousness" has not always existed historically, but nowadays many observe it.

This entry is located in the following unit: Misleading Meanings of English Words (page 1)