crime against humanity

noun phrase

: atrocity (such as extermination or enslavement) that is directed especially against an entire population or part of a population on specious grounds and without regard to individual guilt or responsibility even on such grounds

Examples of crime against humanity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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French officials condemned the damage to the ancient monastery, comparing it to bombing Notre-Dame, while Ukrainian religious leaders called it a crime against humanity. Mark Temnycky, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 The agreement at a summit hosted in Ghana by President John Dramani Mahama and attended by the presidents of Liberia, Namibia, and Senegal comes on the heels of a UN declaration that the slave trade was a crime against humanity. Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 22 June 2026 Another senator, Ronald dela Rosa, has gone into hiding after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest for an alleged crime against humanity. ABC News, 1 June 2026 The body declared slavery to be a ‘crime against humanity’ The United Nations has taken a major step in trying to correct a historic wrong. Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 30 Mar. 2026 Countries are not blocked, because people are blocked and that must be a crime against humanity. Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Nov. 2025 Drone attacks on civilians in areas along the front line of Russia’s war with Ukraine amount to the crime against humanity of murder, the report says. Catherine Nicholls, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025 Those actions, in addition to a surge in maternity deaths due to restricted access to medical supplies, amounted to the crime against humanity of extermination, the commission said. Olivia Le Poidevin, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025 What the law says: Trump’s Gaza proposal would be a clear violation of international humanitarian law, a war crime and a crime against humanity, experts say. Natasha Frost, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crime against humanity was in 1878

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Cite this Entry

“Crime against humanity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crime%20against%20humanity. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

Legal Definition

crime against humanity

crime against hu·​man·​i·​ty
: an inhumane act (as enslavement) committed against civilians before or during a war for which criminal liability is imposed by a domestic or international tribunal see also war crime

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