genocide

play

noun geno·cide \ˈje-nə-ˌsīd\

Definition of genocide

: the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group

genocidal

play \ˌje-nə-ˈsī-d^əl\ adjective

See genocide defined for English-language learners

See genocide defined for kids

Recent Examples of genocide from the Web

Unfortunately, these incentives led to negative outcomes for many Rwandans, particularly those who were falsely accused of participation in genocide.

— laura seay, Washington Post, "Rwanda’s gacaca courts are hailed as a post-genocide success. The reality is more complicated.", 2 June 2017
A few weeks later the two saw each other at the premiere of The Promise, a film about the Armenian genocide for which both musicians had recorded songs.

— taylor berman, Billboard, "Tom Morello, Serj Tankian, Trent Reznor and Others Recall Final Interactions With Chris Cornell", 29 May 2017
The deaths were considered to be a key reason why the U.N. struggled to find help ahead of the Rwanda genocide in 1994.

— paisley dodds, The Seattle Times, "UN Peacekeepers: How a Haiti child sex ring was whitewashed", 26 May 2017
He was born in Beirut, where his family settled after fleeing the Armenian genocide.

— graydon megan, chicagotribune.com, "Levon Demerdjian, ran Armenian restaurants, dies at 80", 25 May 2017
Last year, Karadzic was sentenced to 40 years in prison for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

— ben macintyre, New York Times, "Scott Turow’s New Thriller Investigates a Massacre in Bosnia", 16 May 2017
Now just imagine doing it at an outdoor mobile lab in the middle of the ongoing genocide in Sudan's Darfur region.

— erin biba, WIRED, "The Best Dangerous Science Jobs: Hurricane Hunter, Volcanologist", 24 July 2007

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'genocide'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of genocide

geno- + -cide

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First Known Use: 1944

See Words from the same year

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

GENOCIDE Defined for English Language Learners

genocide

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noun

Definition of genocide for English Language Learners

: the deliberate killing of people who belong to a particular racial, political, or cultural group

Medical Dictionary

genocide

play

noun geno·cide \ˈjen-ə-ˌsīd\

Medical Definition of genocide

: the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group—compare homicide

genocidal

\ˌjen-ə-ˈsīd-^əl\play adjective

Law Dictionary

genocide

play

noun geno·cide \ˈje-nə-ˌsīd\

Legal Definition of genocide

: acts committed with intent to partially or wholly destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group; also : the crime of committing such an act