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

Only instead of ignoring or burying this awful truth, Kai travels the world, speaking at synagogues and in Jewish community centers about his family’s dark past — and at high schools and colleges to ensure that the atrocities of Nazi Germany are never forgotten or sanitized. —Johnny Dodd, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025

In times of mass atrocity, processing personal sorrow becomes more complicated. —Reem Kassis, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2025

Peace must be pursued through diplomacy, not war crimes, and our government must act to end these atrocities and hold those responsible to account. —Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2025

And when that happens, that makes atrocities all that much easier to perpetrate. —Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 9 Oct. 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