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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of atrocity
For a media ecosystem that seldom reports on the atrocities of the counterinsurgency, this episode has drawn weeks of political scrutiny.
—
Patrick Peralta, The Conversation, 28 May 2026
Its new report is the latest by an international rights group accusing the wealthy Gulf monarchy of financially and militarily aiding the Rapid Support Forces that have been widely accused of committing atrocities amounting to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
—ABC News, 25 May 2026
The deadliest so far was the mass slaughter at a Hanukkah party on Sydney’s Bondi Beach in December, but perhaps only luck and good police work have prevented an even worse atrocity on American soil.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
Witnesses to the atrocities included Capt.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for atrocity
Patrick Peralta, The Conversation, 28 May 2026
Its new report is the latest by an international rights group accusing the wealthy Gulf monarchy of financially and militarily aiding the Rapid Support Forces that have been widely accused of committing atrocities amounting to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
—ABC News, 25 May 2026
The deadliest so far was the mass slaughter at a Hanukkah party on Sydney’s Bondi Beach in December, but perhaps only luck and good police work have prevented an even worse atrocity on American soil.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
Witnesses to the atrocities included Capt.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for atrocity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocity
Noun
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Nilsson admits to suffering from horror vacui—a fear of empty space, which in her case reads less like a neurotic affliction than like compulsive conviviality.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
One of the only calendar moments the site leans into is Halloween, where thousands upon thousands of videos flood the platform, from DIY Halloween costume tutorials to full-length horror films, a YouTube spokesman tells me.—
Marlow Stern,
Variety,
2 June 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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To make the musical masterpiece of his dreams, Lestat will have to break on through his shell of witty cruelty and hope an authentic soul remains intact beneath it.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
2 June 2026
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She was arrested at a hotel near the barn and booked at the Clark County Juvenile Hall on 12 counts of animal cruelty, including intentionally aiming or torturing a horse, as well as three counts of malicious destruction of property.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Noun
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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
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This lawless crew shares dramaturgical DNA with the vice figures from medieval morality plays, personifications of sinfulness who would confide their schemes to the audience and make theatergoers their co-conspirators in a riveting game that obviously left its mark on a young Shakespeare.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Lyrics by Ahrens and dialogue by McNally about the discrimination and brutality that Black Americans and immigrants face can seem straight out of the current moment.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
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Where the movie’s true eccentricity comes in is in its combination of breezy comedy with shocking brutality and gore, perhaps most exemplified in an oddly casual moment in a morgue where Seagal and Wayans find a clue in the form of a serial number on a dead woman’s breast implant.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
5 June 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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 10 Jun. 2026.
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