1
as in inferno
a destructive burning
the holocaust caused by the ignited chemicals completely destroyed the factory and several surrounding homes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 holocaust
Zbur said this while in the presence of a descendant of a holocaust survivor, who had to excuse herself from the chamber, according to GOP Assembly member Kate Sanchez.
—
Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 26 Dec. 2025
The film is cosmic Rocky, a thriller-comedy-blockbuster whose scope reaches all the way from the atom bomb to the holocaust and back to the pyramids, locating that beautiful and terrible human need to strive for the impossible, no matter the toll.
—Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 23 Dec. 2025
Hours earlier, two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah by the Sea celebration near Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, killing at least 16 people including a rabbi and a holocaust survivor.
—Hannah Ruhoff, Sacbee.com, 15 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for holocaust
Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 26 Dec. 2025
The film is cosmic Rocky, a thriller-comedy-blockbuster whose scope reaches all the way from the atom bomb to the holocaust and back to the pyramids, locating that beautiful and terrible human need to strive for the impossible, no matter the toll.
—Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 23 Dec. 2025
Hours earlier, two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah by the Sea celebration near Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, killing at least 16 people including a rabbi and a holocaust survivor.
—Hannah Ruhoff, Sacbee.com, 15 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for holocaust
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holocaust
Noun
-
The inferno killed 12 people, destroyed more than 6,500 structures across the Palisades and Malibu and caused billions of dollars in damage.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
-
The complaints also allege that sparking or downed power lines exacerbated the inferno.—
Tony Saavedra,
Daily News,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Smiley Martin died in 2024 in Sacramento County Main Jail awaiting trial in the massacre.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
19 June 2026
-
Six years later, 49 people were killed and and more than 50 were injured on June 12, 2016, in the Orlando, Florida, massacre at Pulse, a nightclub popular with LGBTQ+ men of color.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
At the same time, that quote and Ruth’s attitude also implies that nothing can be done to extinguish the fire in the perpetually burning building.—
Jen Chaney,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
-
Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Fulda all but ditches his ambitious partner Chaton (Vincent Dedienne), in order to team up with Stéphane to get to the bottom of the endless pig-slaughter, and to put paid to the local superstition that Brun’s ghost may be the culprit.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
16 June 2026
-
The coup ended with the slaughter or imprisonment of most of its participants.—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holocaust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holocaust. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
