1
as in horror
the quality of inspiring intense dread or dismay
the undeniable atrocity of the forced march of Cherokees known as the Trail of Tears
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in badness
the state or quality of being utterly evil
was appalled by the atrocity of Stalin's mass executions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
wars often unleash a level of atrocity that would be unimaginable in peacetime
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of atrocity
This is despite the Russian military’s atrocities committed against Ukrainian military forces and civilians in the war Russia began in 2022, and Russia’s intensifying hybrid war against Europeans in the form of covert spy attacks across Europe.
—
John Deni, The Conversation, 27 May 2025
In 2012, 34 striking workers at a South African platinum mine were fatally shot by security forces in a massacre that ignited outrage across the country and invited comparisons to the atrocities of the apartheid era.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 23 May 2025
Pakistan, which has a history of providing clandestine support to the Taliban, has blamed the latter for providing a safe haven to terrorists who commit atrocities on Pakistani soil.
—Hasan Ali, Christian Science Monitor, 19 May 2025
But fighting had broken out across Sudan, and reports of atrocities were filtering in from the countryside: mass rapes, mass executions, torture.
—Nicolas Niarchos, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for atrocity
John Deni, The Conversation, 27 May 2025
In 2012, 34 striking workers at a South African platinum mine were fatally shot by security forces in a massacre that ignited outrage across the country and invited comparisons to the atrocities of the apartheid era.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 23 May 2025
Pakistan, which has a history of providing clandestine support to the Taliban, has blamed the latter for providing a safe haven to terrorists who commit atrocities on Pakistani soil.
—Hasan Ali, Christian Science Monitor, 19 May 2025
But fighting had broken out across Sudan, and reports of atrocities were filtering in from the countryside: mass rapes, mass executions, torture.
—Nicolas Niarchos, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for atrocity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocity
Noun
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Signature Entertainment has acquired the U.K. and Irish rights to horror film Eye for an Eye from HanWay Films, The Hollywood Reporter can exclusively reveal.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
23 May 2025
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In a classic horror premise (a school dance in the ’80s, no less), a killer is picking off Shadyside High’s prom-queen candidates one by one.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Currently there are no comprehensive animal cruelty laws in China, which experts say has created a culture of impunity among cat torturers.—
Rebecca Wright,
CNN Money,
30 May 2025
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That's why the spectacular cruelty with which the cuts were carried out tanked Musk's personal brand and triggered Trump's inexorable decline in approval.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
Noun
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Trump’s allusions to police brutality – the very thing demonstrators were protesting – only seemed to rile them and underscore what was at stake.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
24 May 2025
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The jury has seen his brutality in the harrowing video at the InterContinental Hotel and photographs of her injuries.—
Elizabeth Geddes,
Rolling Stone,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Atrocity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrocity. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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