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
Relevance
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
The next atrocity captured on a scared bystander’s shaking phone?
—
Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026
Italy has a colonial past, of course, and its government forces committed atrocities in areas under Italian dominion in East Africa between the 1880s and 1941.
—Kaitlyn Rabe, The Conversation, 16 June 2026
As a survivor of the Armenian Genocide during World War I, Galentz’s oeuvre serves not only as a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit but also the power of creativity amid some of the worst imaginable atrocities.
—The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 12 June 2026
To be sure, anti-immigrant violence in the United States does not approach the scale of the atrocities Valentino usually studies.
—M. Gessen, Mercury News, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for atrocity
Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026
Italy has a colonial past, of course, and its government forces committed atrocities in areas under Italian dominion in East Africa between the 1880s and 1941.
—Kaitlyn Rabe, The Conversation, 16 June 2026
As a survivor of the Armenian Genocide during World War I, Galentz’s oeuvre serves not only as a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit but also the power of creativity amid some of the worst imaginable atrocities.
—The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 12 June 2026
To be sure, anti-immigrant violence in the United States does not approach the scale of the atrocities Valentino usually studies.
—M. Gessen, Mercury News, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for atrocity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocity
Noun
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Last year, voters showed a growing acceptance of the horror genre by awarding Oscars to Sinners and Weapons.—
Sophia Morano,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
-
This was to be a video game for horror fans, rather than targeted at people who were already inclined to seek out digital games.—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
23 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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These passages highlight the typically human cruelty and hypocrisy of fighting for one’s own liberty while denying it to one’s neighbors.—
Ann Manov,
Harpers Magazine,
23 June 2026
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Last week, Dixon also pleaded no contest to the three felony animal cruelty charges.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
23 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
-
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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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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Unfortunately, Florida’s leaders seem to have set their sights on any reminder that the state’s historic brutality should still inspire action today.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 June 2026
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More than a decade later, Ike Barinholtz is opening up about the Police Academy reboot that was scrapped amid a rise in lethal police brutality.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
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 25 Jun. 2026.
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