1
as in inferno
a destructive burning
the holocaust caused by the ignited chemicals completely destroyed the factory and several surrounding homes
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2
as in massacre
the killing of a large number of people
as many as 2,000,000 people may have perished in the holocaust perpetrated by Cambodia's Khmer Rouge
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of holocaust
But the graphic visions of nuclear holocaust in those films conjured no more dread than the explosion of the Death Star.
—
Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
In his director’s statement, the filmmaker reveals that the historical drama mines from his own family’s trauma, linking the effects that both the holocaust and the rise in communism in Hungary had on him and his loved ones.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2025
In the holocaust of the South Bronx, lighting a match could seem like just hastening the inevitable.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Those souls who, through miracles, unlikely coincidences, or pure dumb luck somehow survived the nuclear holocaust and lived to tell their tales.
—Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for holocaust
Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
In his director’s statement, the filmmaker reveals that the historical drama mines from his own family’s trauma, linking the effects that both the holocaust and the rise in communism in Hungary had on him and his loved ones.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2025
In the holocaust of the South Bronx, lighting a match could seem like just hastening the inevitable.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Those souls who, through miracles, unlikely coincidences, or pure dumb luck somehow survived the nuclear holocaust and lived to tell their tales.
—Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for holocaust
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holocaust
Noun
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In a disturbing incident in the northern city of Rasht, regime forces shot unarmed civilians trying to escape an inferno engulfing its bazaar.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Jonathan Rinderknecht has been charged with setting the fire that grew into the massive inferno.—
Michelle Edgar,
Daily News,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In a shocking piece of reporting, Cora Engelbrecht speaks to five Iranians who were present at the massacre and—with the help of video evidence and illustrations by Matt Huynh—shares their stories.—
Ian Crouch,
New Yorker,
29 Jan. 2026
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What the massacre destroyed, a century of disinvestment calcified.—
Caleb Gayle,
The Atlantic,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Jets fire Engstrand The New York Jets are searching for a new offensive coordinator after parting ways with Tanner Engstrand.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
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For Ramsay, who was personally impacted by the fires, the night carried emotional weight.—
Michelle Edgar,
Daily News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The animal rights activist saved two cows from slaughter, Liberty and Indigo, in 2020.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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Operating for over a century, Manning Beef was said to be one of the last remaining large-scale cattle slaughter operations in the region.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holocaust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holocaust. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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