foulness
Americannoun
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the state or quality of being foul.
The foulness of the accusation incensed us all.
-
something that is foul; foul matter; filth.
noun
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the state or quality of being foul
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obscenity; vulgarity
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viciousness or inhumanity
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foul matter; filth
noun
Etymology
Origin of foulness
before 1150; Middle English; Old English fūlnes. See foul, -ness
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When he finally arrived, he idled in the driveway for a moment, hoping his foulness might dissipate before he had to encounter his young family.
From Slate • Nov. 26, 2022
The foulness is in the very air they breathe; they might choke if they thought about it.
From New York Times • Nov. 15, 2022
You don’t need to see inside sealed legal filings to understand that the foulness wafted down from the top.
From Washington Post • Dec. 8, 2020
If a player throws their arms skyward upon contact like they’ve just crawled through 500 yards of sewage-smelling foulness to escape the Shawshank penitentiary, then yes, they’re probably flopping.
From The Guardian • Oct. 30, 2019
In Great Wexly, foulness lay on the wide road where we walked.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
