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
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
Scholars of the Holocaust and other atrocities continue to grapple with questions around Kelley’s uncomfortable conclusion, and how to make sense of the willingness of seemingly ordinary people to do horrible things.
—B.b. Blaber, The Conversation, 8 Dec. 2025
Peace talks are currently deadlocked, made worse by the Sudanese Armed Forces’s anger over the atrocities committed in El Fasher.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 5 Dec. 2025
Though the book largely revolves around spurious media coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza, El Akkad’s great talent is in showing how, over the past few decades, corporate journalism and western powers have undermined our ability to confront global atrocities.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atrocity
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Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025
Scholars of the Holocaust and other atrocities continue to grapple with questions around Kelley’s uncomfortable conclusion, and how to make sense of the willingness of seemingly ordinary people to do horrible things.
—B.b. Blaber, The Conversation, 8 Dec. 2025
Peace talks are currently deadlocked, made worse by the Sudanese Armed Forces’s anger over the atrocities committed in El Fasher.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 5 Dec. 2025
Though the book largely revolves around spurious media coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza, El Akkad’s great talent is in showing how, over the past few decades, corporate journalism and western powers have undermined our ability to confront global atrocities.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 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 19 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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