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
Japanese Imperial troops killed more than 200,000 unarmed men and civilians, and raped and tortured tens of thousands of women and girls, in what is known as the Nanjing Massacre – one of the most notorious wartime atrocities of the 20th century.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 12 Nov. 2025
Because to accept Douglas Kelley's conclusions that the capacity for the most unspeakable atrocity is latent in our own reality is shockingly quotidian and perhaps too frightening to hear; a responsibility too terrible to accept and yet too prescient to ignore.
—NPR, 11 Nov. 2025
Mainstream opinion viewed the devastation of Gaza—the killing of more than 68,000 Palestinians, razing of entire cities and villages, and preparations for mass expulsions—as justified responses to Hamas’s atrocities.
—Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2025
These satellite images from late October appearing to show bodies in the streets and bloodstains on the ground, gruesome signs of the atrocities visible from space.
—ABC News, 9 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atrocity
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 12 Nov. 2025
Because to accept Douglas Kelley's conclusions that the capacity for the most unspeakable atrocity is latent in our own reality is shockingly quotidian and perhaps too frightening to hear; a responsibility too terrible to accept and yet too prescient to ignore.
—NPR, 11 Nov. 2025
Mainstream opinion viewed the devastation of Gaza—the killing of more than 68,000 Palestinians, razing of entire cities and villages, and preparations for mass expulsions—as justified responses to Hamas’s atrocities.
—Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2025
These satellite images from late October appearing to show bodies in the streets and bloodstains on the ground, gruesome signs of the atrocities visible from space.
—ABC News, 9 Nov. 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 21 Nov. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share