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
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2
as in badness
the state or quality of being utterly evil
was appalled by the atrocity of Stalin's mass executions
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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
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Recent Examples of atrocity
Since then, the mass atrocities became too numerous to detail, the death toll impossible to tally, including due to the regime's use of chemical weapons against civilians.
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CBS News, 8 Dec. 2024
Could the same workers who had been loyal to this factory for many years commit such atrocities against its owner?
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Dec. 2024
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/Invision Three years on, the Taliban's atrocities against Afghan women seem to have slipped out of international headlines.
—Ruchi Kumar, NPR, 3 Dec. 2024
The Oscar-contending drama The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent retells what happened on that train as war flared in the former Yugoslavia and old grievances fueled new atrocities.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for atrocity 
CBS News, 8 Dec. 2024
Could the same workers who had been loyal to this factory for many years commit such atrocities against its owner?
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Dec. 2024
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/Invision Three years on, the Taliban's atrocities against Afghan women seem to have slipped out of international headlines.
—Ruchi Kumar, NPR, 3 Dec. 2024
The Oscar-contending drama The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent retells what happened on that train as war flared in the former Yugoslavia and old grievances fueled new atrocities.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for atrocity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocity
Noun
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The horror sequel centers on pop star and drug addict Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), who's anxious about a comeback tour and visits her dealer for pills.Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
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And its treatment of the Mormon faith is surprisingly nuanced for the horror genre.Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
Noun
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His father, Colin Gray, is facing 29 charges — including two counts of involuntary manslaughter, second-degree murder and cruelty to children — related to the shooting at his son’s high school.Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 17 Dec. 2024
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Patole's words can feel shocking to those in the West, where the conversation about eating meat revolves around ethics: the cruelty of animal slaughter and the environmental cost of raising animals for meat.Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 15 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Rasoulof’s story is harrowing, and the movie works as an urgent political thriller, a blunt domestic drama and a document of state brutality.Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2024
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Civil War For a movie about political violence, police brutality, PTSD, and the ethics of journalism, a whole lot of people got a whole lot of mileage out of a single image of Jesse Plemons wearing heart sunglasses.Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 23 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Atrocity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrocity. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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