1
as in horror
the quality of inspiring intense dread or dismay
the undeniable atrocity of the forced march of Cherokees known as the Trail of Tears
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in badness
the state or quality of being utterly evil
was appalled by the atrocity of Stalin's mass executions
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3
as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
wars often unleash a level of atrocity that would be unimaginable in peacetime
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of atrocity
He’s been mocked and bullied because of the atrocities Ray is said to have committed during the Troubles.
—
Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Rewarding terrorism only fuels more atrocities against Israel, and emboldens those who target Jews around the world.
—Ofir Akunis, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Bloch explains that Gein (played in the series by Sons of Anarchy‘s Charlie Hunnam) was diagnosed with schizophrenia and seems to have been triggered after seeing photographs of Nazi atrocities.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 7 Oct. 2025
The evening news reported on atrocities committed by Russian forces in Chechnya and on corruption schemes that implicated top officials in the Kremlin.
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atrocity
Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Rewarding terrorism only fuels more atrocities against Israel, and emboldens those who target Jews around the world.
—Ofir Akunis, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Bloch explains that Gein (played in the series by Sons of Anarchy‘s Charlie Hunnam) was diagnosed with schizophrenia and seems to have been triggered after seeing photographs of Nazi atrocities.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 7 Oct. 2025
The evening news reported on atrocities committed by Russian forces in Chechnya and on corruption schemes that implicated top officials in the Kremlin.
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atrocity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocity
Noun
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O’Hara made her directorial debut on Tubi pic Root Letter, starring Danny Ramirez, before directing the Lionsgate horror movie, Mid-Century (Peacock), starring Stephan Lang and Bruce Dern.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
9 Oct. 2025
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Some of the best horror film fashions have been unexpectedly glamorous.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Also on Sunday, Jacqueline’s aunt, Jackelyn Garcia, 28, was arrested and charged with intentional cruelty to a child under the age of 19, risk of injury to a child and first-degree unlawful restraint.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
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Other scary asylum stories highlighted a fear of institutional cruelty — of authority figures with total power over vulnerable patients.—
Jen Rose Smith,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The hard-hitting police brutality drama was released in 2018 simultaneously in Italian cinemas and on Netflix, sparking controversy from distributors in Italy who clamored for a theatrical window.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
9 Oct. 2025
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Courts have sometimes concluded the government's conduct was outrageous when police have used brutality against a defendant or government agents entrapped a defendant.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The real-life 2005 story involving a Canadian couple who inspired this film is horrifying, and the movie does a great job of capturing the awfulness of being mauled by a bear.—
Vanessa Maki,
Vulture,
8 Oct. 2025
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Up-market producer David Susskind railed for four hours about the awfulness of the boob tube.—
Thomas Doherty,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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That was really what helped me into the character and into her evilness.—
William Earl,
Variety,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Atrocity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrocity. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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