Synonyms of slaughter

slaughter 1 of 2

noun

ˈslȯ-tər 

as in massacre

the killing of a large number of people

all civilized nations should protest this senseless slaughter

Synonyms & Similar Words

• massacre
• carnage
• death
• butchery
• genocide
• holocaust
• murder
• bloodbath
• killing
• slaying
• bloodshed
• extermination
• destruction
• mortality
• annihilation
• manslaughter
• homicide
• devastation
• execution
• assassination
• eradication
• bloodletting
• pogrom
• decimation
• foul play
• demolishing

slaughter

2 of 2

verb

as in to massacre

to kill on a large scale

modern poultry farms slaughter a vast number of chickens every day

Synonyms & Similar Words

• massacre
• murder
• butcher
• slay
• assassinate
• destroy
• execute
• dispatch
• mow (down)
• eradicate
• smite
• demolish
• exterminate
• fell
• wipe out
• waste
• annihilate
• snuff
• decimate
• blot out
• do in
• devastate
• croak

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of slaughter

Noun

But the slaughter is not painted as an unmitigated triumph for the Greeks. — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 15 July 2026

He was appalled by the slaughter, but, more than that, by the complacency of his neighbors, their willingness to ignore the bloody work being done under their noses. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026

Verb

The Greeks waited inside, and when the Trojan horse was brought inside the city walls, Odysseus and the Greeks snuck out, opened the gates of the city to the waiting Greek army, and slaughtered the Trojans to win the war. — Eliana Dockterman, Time, 17 July 2026

Notably, this happens after Odysseus slaughters Penelope’s suitors and tells Telemachus to kill the female slaves who have slept with them. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 17 July 2026