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 of atrocity

• 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

According to Reuters, the United States and European Union raised concerns that the resolution could be interpreted as creating a hierarchy among crimes against humanity by treating some atrocities as more serious than others. — Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 21 June 2026

The genocidal atrocities uncovered in Bucha were televised internationally. — Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026

The eight-hour limited series — based on yet another pulp mystery novel by Harlan Coben, this one from 2023 — focuses on a guy named David (Sam Worthington), your usual husband and father who’s been wrongly convicted of a very unusual atrocity. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 June 2026

The prospect of Syrian troops entering Lebanon is likely to raise alarm bells, as many come from factions within Islamist and jihadist backgrounds and have been accused of atrocities against minorities within Syria’s own borders. — Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 16 June 2026

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