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
Joseph ConradExamples 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
Fonda was in her mid-30s, entrenched in civil rights activism, and horrified by the atrocities of the Vietnam War.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 21 Dec. 2025
His Gazan interlocutors were speaking in the midst of the Second Intifada, when past atrocities were referenced by militants and politicians alike to justify new violence against civilians.
—Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025
While governments debate definitions, mobs commit atrocities.
—Jay Rosenzweig, Time, 14 Dec. 2025
El Akkad takes the atrocities committed by the American war machine in the Middle East and brings them home, to an empire in flames.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atrocity
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Hannah Coates, Vogue, 21 Dec. 2025
His Gazan interlocutors were speaking in the midst of the Second Intifada, when past atrocities were referenced by militants and politicians alike to justify new violence against civilians.
—Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025
While governments debate definitions, mobs commit atrocities.
—Jay Rosenzweig, Time, 14 Dec. 2025
El Akkad takes the atrocities committed by the American war machine in the Middle East and brings them home, to an empire in flames.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atrocity
Cite this Entry
“Atrocity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atrocity. Accessed 28 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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