1
as in horror
the quality of inspiring intense dread or dismay
the undeniable atrocity of the forced march of Cherokees known as the Trail of Tears
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in badness
the state or quality of being utterly evil
was appalled by the atrocity of Stalin's mass executions
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
wars often unleash a level of atrocity that would be unimaginable in peacetime
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of atrocity
The filmmakers were doing short films, explaining what happened to Israel, what took place, the atrocity.
—
Damon Wise, Deadline, 8 July 2025
Dylan used his influence and power to sing protest songs–many about the atrocities civil rights activists faced–bringing the horrors of human failures to public light and motivating change.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 8 July 2025
Every day there is a new cut to programs that actually help people in need or a new atrocity like Alligator Alcatraz that promotes cruelty to other human beings.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 16 July 2025
Israeli officials have repeatedly compared Hamas’ October 7 attacks to Nazi atrocities during World War II, homing in on the narrative that the conflict in Gaza is a war of survival.
—Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for atrocity
Damon Wise, Deadline, 8 July 2025
Dylan used his influence and power to sing protest songs–many about the atrocities civil rights activists faced–bringing the horrors of human failures to public light and motivating change.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 8 July 2025
Every day there is a new cut to programs that actually help people in need or a new atrocity like Alligator Alcatraz that promotes cruelty to other human beings.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 16 July 2025
Israeli officials have repeatedly compared Hamas’ October 7 attacks to Nazi atrocities during World War II, homing in on the narrative that the conflict in Gaza is a war of survival.
—Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for atrocity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocity
Noun
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Hot off her Emmy nomination for her work in HBO’s The Penguin, Cristin Milioti is jumping into her next screen project, an independent horror thriller titled Buddy.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
22 July 2025
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The pair, who tied the knot in 2017, play a dysfunctional codependent couple in horror film Together directed by Michael Shanks.—
Sharareh Drury,
People.com,
22 July 2025
Noun
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Conversely, Colum, devastated by his disability, has a pension for cruelty.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
31 July 2025
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Not to spoil anything, but the message is that the only cure for cruelty is not revenge, but decency.—
Jesse David Fox,
Vulture,
30 July 2025
Noun
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For Sarah, eros serves as a powerful conduit for the divine, but the divine is not without brutality nor chaos.—
Terry Nguyen
July 23,
Literary Hub,
23 July 2025
-
President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and their supporters are celebrating the brutality of the 3,000-bed detention facility that was hastily built in the Florida Everglades, one of the harshest natural environments in the United States.—
Time,
Time,
17 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Atrocity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrocity. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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