atrocity
noun
atroc·i·ty
ə-ˈträ-sə-tē 
plural atrocities
1
: a shockingly bad or atrocious act, object, or situation
the atrocities of war
2
: the quality or state of being atrocious
… the paralysing atrocity of the thought which occupied her.—
Joseph Conrad
Joseph ConradSynonyms
Examples of atrocity in a Sentence
Atrocities were committed by forces on both sides of the conflict.
Who could be capable of such atrocity?
Recent Examples on the Web
The Drina Valley was the scene of its worst atrocities, culminating in the Srebrenica massacre, an opening credit explains in the extract seen at Visions du Réel.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024
Reuters reported earlier this month that support was building among African and Caribbean nations for the creation of such a tribunal on atrocities dating to transatlantic slavery.
—Fox News, 17 Apr. 2024
The public mood in Ukraine hardened with the discovery of Russian atrocities at Irpin and Bucha.
—Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2024
Twenty-five years and nearly 400 school shootings later, the circle of responsibility surrounding this American atrocity is finally widening.
—Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Out of the many recent fatal atrocities in Michigan, only Garcia’s fits Trump’s political agenda.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
In the episode's grisly details, local residents saw echoes of Mississippi's history of racist atrocities by people in authority.
—CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024
Garland also quickly established a special team to focus on possible Russian atrocities, an effort that led to charges late last year against four Russian soldiers for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
—Ryan Lucas, NPR, 4 Apr. 2024
Jordan’s Queen Rania cast doubt in a CNN interview on whether Hamas really committed atrocities on Oct. 7.
—Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 4 Apr. 2024
John Hopewell, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024
Reuters reported earlier this month that support was building among African and Caribbean nations for the creation of such a tribunal on atrocities dating to transatlantic slavery.
—Fox News, 17 Apr. 2024
The public mood in Ukraine hardened with the discovery of Russian atrocities at Irpin and Bucha.
—Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2024
Twenty-five years and nearly 400 school shootings later, the circle of responsibility surrounding this American atrocity is finally widening.
—Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Out of the many recent fatal atrocities in Michigan, only Garcia’s fits Trump’s political agenda.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
In the episode's grisly details, local residents saw echoes of Mississippi's history of racist atrocities by people in authority.
—CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024
Garland also quickly established a special team to focus on possible Russian atrocities, an effort that led to charges late last year against four Russian soldiers for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
—Ryan Lucas, NPR, 4 Apr. 2024
Jordan’s Queen Rania cast doubt in a CNN interview on whether Hamas really committed atrocities on Oct. 7.
—Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'atrocity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Atrocity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atrocity. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
atrocity
noun
atroc·i·ty
ə-ˈträs-ət-ē
plural atrocities
1
: the quality or state of being atrocious
2
: something that is atrocious
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