as in patricide
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Recent Examples of parricide
This is what's known as a parricide, where somebody kills their parents.
—
Lori A Bashian , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 5 Jan. 2026
The double killing of one's parents, known as parricide, is a rare event, according to Dr. Kathleen Heide, Ph.D., professor of criminology at the University of South Florida and author of Why Kids Kill Parents: Child Abuse and Adolescent Homicide.
—Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025
Pancakes and parricide, anyone?
—Joanna O'Leary, Chron, 24 Jan. 2021
The Willoughbys Rated PG for sugarcoated parricide.
—Natalia Winkelman, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2020
Everything seems to be pointing toward parricide, but the future is no simpler than the past.
—Adam Shatz, The New York Review of Books, 2 Jan. 2020
Macron’s ascent to the presidency began, like a certain Greek tragedy, with parricide.
—Arthur Goldhammer, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2018
But University of Florida criminologist Kathleen Heide, who specializes in parricide or children who kill their parents, has said that the majority of kids are driven to kill a parent by severe trauma at the hands of that parent.
—Mary Emily O'Hara, NBC News, 22 May 2017
Though parricide is a rare phenomenon, experts say abuse and neglect play a pivotal role in many cases of children who kill their parents.
—Andrea Simakis, cleveland.com, 21 May 2017
Lori A Bashian , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 5 Jan. 2026
The double killing of one's parents, known as parricide, is a rare event, according to Dr. Kathleen Heide, Ph.D., professor of criminology at the University of South Florida and author of Why Kids Kill Parents: Child Abuse and Adolescent Homicide.
—Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025
Pancakes and parricide, anyone?
—Joanna O'Leary, Chron, 24 Jan. 2021
The Willoughbys Rated PG for sugarcoated parricide.
—Natalia Winkelman, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2020
Everything seems to be pointing toward parricide, but the future is no simpler than the past.
—Adam Shatz, The New York Review of Books, 2 Jan. 2020
Macron’s ascent to the presidency began, like a certain Greek tragedy, with parricide.
—Arthur Goldhammer, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2018
But University of Florida criminologist Kathleen Heide, who specializes in parricide or children who kill their parents, has said that the majority of kids are driven to kill a parent by severe trauma at the hands of that parent.
—Mary Emily O'Hara, NBC News, 22 May 2017
Though parricide is a rare phenomenon, experts say abuse and neglect play a pivotal role in many cases of children who kill their parents.
—Andrea Simakis, cleveland.com, 21 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parricide
Noun
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The second season’s focus on the Menendez brothers’ patricide is loud, confrontational, and approaches the case from multiple perspectives at once, which can either come across as daring or incoherent.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
24 May 2025
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When Joe is implicated in financial misdeeds connected to land deals conducted on the tribe’s behalf, Mack seizes upon the news to banish Joe from the reservation, a symbolic patricide also intended to damage Gloria’s campaign.—
Christopher Sorrentino,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In the illuminated texts of the medieval and early Renaissance periods, artists decided to rachet up the horrors of Agrippina’s matricide.—
Diana Arterian
June 16,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2025
-
Several generate physical action that, besides wickedness, is driven by rage — fights, accidents, assaults, pederasty, filicide, matricide.—
Stuart Dybek,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
With examples drawn from Scripture and across the length of history, Paine commits rhetorical regicide.—
Matthew Redmond
August 13,
Literary Hub,
13 Aug. 2025
-
The raw power grab that excites Lady Macbeth and incites her husband to regicide feels especially pertinent now, when the dangers of autocracy loom over political discussions.—
Peter Marks,
Washington Post,
28 Mar. 2024
Noun
-
But Iran did little to stop the fratricide.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
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But what is absolutely clear to me right now is that this Israeli government is committing suicide, homicide and fratricide.—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Several generate physical action that, besides wickedness, is driven by rage — fights, accidents, assaults, pederasty, filicide, matricide.—
Stuart Dybek,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 2025
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One study of maternal filicide observed that, whereas psychotic mothers often acted suddenly, depressed mothers tended to contemplate killing their children for days or weeks before acting.—
Eren Orbey,
The New Yorker,
14 Oct. 2024
Noun
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The number of killings investigated last year fell to 67, with 57 of those categorized as murders — excluding cases such as justifiable homicides — a total not seen since 1967, according to data compiled by this news organization.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Jackson, who famously won an acquittal in the murder trial of Karen Read and represented disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein, did not explain his decision to withdraw from the case.—
Matt Gutman,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact KCPD homicide unit detectives directly at 816-234-5043 or the anonymous TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.—
Kendrick Calfee
Updated January 9,
Kansas City Star,
9 Jan. 2026
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More information about homicides is available from The Sun’s homicides database.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Parricide.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parricide. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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