(おそ)ろしさ

おそろしさ
noun
fearfulness; terror; dreadfulness
emotion
1. fearfulness; terror; dreadfulness; how frightening (something) is
The quality or degree of being frightening. Formed by attaching the noun-forming suffix さ to the i-adjective (おそ)ろしい (frightening, terrible).
戦争(せんそう)(おそ)ろしさ()
Learn the dreadfulness of war.
無知(むち)(おそ)ろしさ気付(きづ)いた
I realized how frightening ignorance is.
自然災害(しぜんさいがい)(おそ)ろしさ(あらた)めて(かん)じた
I felt anew the terror of natural disasters.

Noun form of (おそ)ろしい (frightening). The suffix さ converts an adjective into a noun denoting the quality or degree.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 恐怖(きょうふ): fear, dread — the emotion itself, as felt by a person
  • (こわ)さ: scariness — more colloquial; everyday register
  • (おそ)ろしさ: dreadfulness — the quality of being terrible, often spoken of objectively