as in slaughters
the killing of a large number of people
the infamous massacre of more than 200 Sioux at Wounded Knee, South Dakota
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in murders
to kill on a large scale
the country's rival ethnic groups began massacring one another
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of massacres
Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 15 Feb. 2026
Shriver’s many strange enthusiasms have provided her with a wellspring of ideas, which in the past have produced highly topical novels—about school massacres, obesity, religion, and, yes, the national debt.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
The regime is resorting to massacres to suppress the unrest.
—Shahrnush Parsipur, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
Today’s massacres, whether one believes the most conservative or liberal casualty estimates, are on an order of magnitude deadlier in every conceivable aspect.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
The phrase evokes memories of the mass executions of political prisoners during that decade, culminating in the 1988 prison massacres, for which no official has ever been held accountable.
—Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
They are used as a pretext to justify the siege, shelling and massacres committed against civilians.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Kurdistan was the exception, where resistance, military confrontation and state violence, including massacres, continued for several years.
—Shukriya Bradost, The Conversation, 13 Jan. 2026
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 25 Aug. 2025
Noun
Unfortunately massacres seems to have become quite timely.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 15 Feb. 2026
Shriver’s many strange enthusiasms have provided her with a wellspring of ideas, which in the past have produced highly topical novels—about school massacres, obesity, religion, and, yes, the national debt.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
The regime is resorting to massacres to suppress the unrest.
—Shahrnush Parsipur, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
Today’s massacres, whether one believes the most conservative or liberal casualty estimates, are on an order of magnitude deadlier in every conceivable aspect.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
The phrase evokes memories of the mass executions of political prisoners during that decade, culminating in the 1988 prison massacres, for which no official has ever been held accountable.
—Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
They are used as a pretext to justify the siege, shelling and massacres committed against civilians.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Kurdistan was the exception, where resistance, military confrontation and state violence, including massacres, continued for several years.
—Shukriya Bradost, The Conversation, 13 Jan. 2026
Verb
The Polish government considers the Volhynia and Galicia massacres a genocide, and holds Bandera equal in infamy to Nazi war criminals of the same era.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for massacres
Noun
-
Hands-down one of the most disgusting movies ever made (a compliment), the film finds the indefatigable slasher, who was decapitated at the end of Terrifier 2, reattaching his head and commencing his ritual slaughters.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Her unscrupulous, power-hungry uncle Claudius (Kôji Yakusho) murders his own brother to become king.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
That’s partly because its senseless violence, inspired by the Manson murders among other grisly homicides, feels all too plausible.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Society is gripped by disbelief, collective trauma and the aftermath of more than 30,000 deaths.—
Pegah Banihashemi,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
-
This, in my view, would have kept these agitators away from ICE agents, and almost certainly would have prevented both deaths.—
Michael Zais,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Massacres.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/massacres. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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