atrocity

noun

atroc·​i·​ty ə-ˈträ-sə-tē 

plural atrocities

1

: a shockingly bad or atrocious act, object, or situation

the atrocities of war

2

: the quality or state of being atrocious

… the paralysing atrocity of the thought which occupied her.

—Joseph Conrad

Synonyms

• horror
• dreadfulness
• awfulness
• frightfulness

Examples of atrocity in a Sentence

Atrocities were committed by forces on both sides of the conflict.

Who could be capable of such atrocity?

Recent Examples on the Web

While Israel has every right to defend itself and respond to the atrocities of Oct. 7th, nothing can justify the horrors currently committed in Gaza. —Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, Time, 7 July 2025

Some three decades after the genocide in Srebrenica, there are several early warning signs and risk factors indicating the serious risk of atrocity crimes in the region. —Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025

In recent days, the Shiite community in Syria has also faced atrocities by terrorists. —Nuri Kino, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 July 2025

There is nothing that compares to the horrific atrocities of slavery and Jim Crow. —Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

see atrocious

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for atrocity

• ferocity
• monstrosity
• pomposity
• porosity
• precocity
• schistosity
• velocity
• verbosity
• viscosity
• animosity
• curiosity
• generosity

Kids Definition

atrocity

noun

atroc·​i·​ty ə-ˈträs-ət-ē 

plural atrocities

1

: the quality or state of being atrocious

2

: something that is atrocious