ATROCITIES Synonyms: 137 Similar and Opposite Words

atrocity

noun

ə-ˈträ-sə-tē

Definition of atrocity

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in badness

the state or quality of being utterly evil was appalled by the atrocity of Stalin's mass executions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of atrocity 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 The respected 13th-century Spanish rabbi Nachmanides (Ramban) chastises Lot for the atrocity of offering his daughters in place of the angels. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026 While younger generations were taught in school about the atrocities of the Holocaust, the book found that family lore continued to sanitize the past with grandparents often painted as heroes, rescuers or victims themselves. — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 28 June 2026 Its very facility means that atrocities and wars can be instantly recorded and viewed everywhere in our new virtual-arena world. — Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for atrocity

Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocity

Noun

Ganfield described the ordeal as a scene straight out of a horror movie.

— Jazmin Alvarado, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
The series proceeds from a premise that immediately calls to mind the darkly comic horror movie The Substance, an underdog 2024 Best Picture contender that earned Oscar nominations for both its director, Coralie Fargeat, and its star, Demi Moore.

— Judy Berman, Time, 8 July 2026

Definition of horror

Noun

On one side, a satanic figure named Randall Flagg who gathers his forces of badness to Las Vegas; on the other, the good guys, led by 108-year-old Mother Abigail in, of all places, Boulder.

— Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2026
The show premiered over Thanksgiving weekend, when people were tired and full and bored (and probably also horny), and countered our world’s unceasing badness with its world’s buoyant sweetness.

— Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026

Definition of badness

Noun

Assembly Bill 2344 by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) would give animals seized in cruelty cases a respite from crowded shelters by allowing them to be placed in foster homes or with animal rescue groups.

— Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
The stupidity of losing his car was one thing; the cruelty of forcing her to make that choice was quite another.

— Emily Ruskovich, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026

Definition of cruelty

Noun

In a world so full of dread and awfulness, why not take a moment to read anonymous petty literary gossip on the internet?

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
The relative excitement around the Rockies having arrived in San Diego at 6-6 is a reaction based on their relative awfulness.

— Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2026

Definition of awfulness

Noun

But soon after, in Genesis 18, God tells Abraham of plans to investigate reports of sinfulness in Sodom and Gomorrah.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
Denver author Josiah Hesse was raised by Evangelical parents in churches that believe in the torments of hell, that their poverty is due to their sinfulness and lack of faith.

— Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026

Definition of sinfulness

Noun

Lee learned much about the systemic oppression that Black Americans faced from his first student, Jesse Glover, who had been a victim of police brutality.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
These early precedents in fictional brutality also weaken Thomson’s next point, about literature’s superiority.

— Michael O’Donnell, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026

Definition of brutality

Browse Nearby Words

atrociousness

atrocity

atrophied

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“Atrocity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrocity. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of atrocity

noun

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