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

Both sides have denied committing war crimes, but Amnesty International last week said the RSF carried out ethnic cleansing and other atrocities in the city of el-Fasher. — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 7 July 2026

Syria was for years politically and economically isolated due to sweeping concerns about its leadership, in part for committing atrocities against its own civilians. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 7 July 2026

Should England go on to win their quarterfinal or entire tournament, their run will be tainted by this scandal, forever laden with an asterisk over this unacceptable atrocity. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 July 2026

Four orphans flee the atrocities of Lincoln Indian Training School in the Depression-era Midwest to travel down the Mississippi River for one memorable summer. — Shyla Watson, PEOPLE, 6 July 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