SLAYING Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

slaying 1 of 2

noun

ˈslā-iŋ

as in murder

the intentional and unlawful taking of another person's life a man wanted for the slaying of seven people during an armed robbery

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slaying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of slay

as in killing

to deprive of life millions have been slain worldwide by this dreadful disease

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in murdering

to put to death deliberately vowed to slay without mercy whoever was responsible for murdering his family

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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 slaying

Noun

On the day of Alejandro’s slaying, Ripley called 911, claiming that two Black men took the boy after running her off the road near a West Kendall Home Depot. —

Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 12 May 2026 Cops are asking the public’s help finding Maykoll Lanuza Morales, wanted for the slaying inside a Richmond Hill apartment building last month. —

Sheetal Banchariya, New York Daily News, 4 May 2026

Verb

Field, 44, was released from prison just last year after serving a 24-year sentence for the April 29, 2000, slaying. —

Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026 Taylor, 35, has been slaying this award season, not only on the red carpet but also by earning an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress in Paul Thomas Anderson's action dramedy. —

Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 16 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for slaying

Recent Examples of Synonyms for slaying

Noun

The cruel cartoon of a constantly shrewish, venal, and disloyal Mary began cementing itself in the public mind when William Herndon, Lincoln’s Springfield law partner, started lecturing about his reminiscences within months of the President’s murder.

— Thomas Mallon, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Last week, the South Carolina Supreme Court delivered an account of how Hill’s conduct during the 2023 double-murder trial crossed ethical and constitutional lines, ultimately unraveling the state’s conviction of Murdaugh.

— Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026