as in massacres
the organized killing of many helpless people usually because of their race or religion
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Recent Examples of pogroms
Though the mass of Jewish migration, escaping Russian pogroms and Nazi Germany in succeeding waves, occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some arrived before the revolution; but the Constitution, which enshrined religious freedom, granted them legal rights.
—
Robert Lloyd, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2026
Though the mass of Jewish migration, escaping Russian pogroms and Nazi Germany in succeeding waves, occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some arrived before the revolution; but the Constitution, which enshrined religious freedom, granted them legal rights.
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Gluckowsky likened the Bondi Beach attack to the pogroms that European Jews endured for centuries.
—Matt Bradley, NBC news, 16 Dec. 2025
In 1881, in reaction to pogroms in Russia, Jewish groups that called themselves Lovers of Zion began organizing migration to Palestine and helped establish agricultural settlements there.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
In Iași alone over a three-day period in June 1941, more than 13,000 Jews — more than a third of the city’s Jewish population — were massacred, marking one of the worst pogroms of World War II.
—Larry Luxner, Sun Sentinel, 21 Aug. 2025
Over centuries of living under Christian rule, Jews were subject to periods of favor and periods of persecution, pogroms, and expulsions.
—Daniel May, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
During the Crusades, the Inquisition, and countless pogroms, Jews were demonized as infidels who refused to abandon their faith, even under threat of death.
—Avi Weiss, New York Daily News, 10 Aug. 2025
Thousands were killed during two years of unrest following the first Russian Revolution in 1905, while over 100,000 Jews were killed in Ukrainian pogroms from 1918 to 1921.
—Joshua Shanes, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2023
Robert Lloyd, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2026
Though the mass of Jewish migration, escaping Russian pogroms and Nazi Germany in succeeding waves, occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some arrived before the revolution; but the Constitution, which enshrined religious freedom, granted them legal rights.
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Gluckowsky likened the Bondi Beach attack to the pogroms that European Jews endured for centuries.
—Matt Bradley, NBC news, 16 Dec. 2025
In 1881, in reaction to pogroms in Russia, Jewish groups that called themselves Lovers of Zion began organizing migration to Palestine and helped establish agricultural settlements there.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
In Iași alone over a three-day period in June 1941, more than 13,000 Jews — more than a third of the city’s Jewish population — were massacred, marking one of the worst pogroms of World War II.
—Larry Luxner, Sun Sentinel, 21 Aug. 2025
Over centuries of living under Christian rule, Jews were subject to periods of favor and periods of persecution, pogroms, and expulsions.
—Daniel May, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
During the Crusades, the Inquisition, and countless pogroms, Jews were demonized as infidels who refused to abandon their faith, even under threat of death.
—Avi Weiss, New York Daily News, 10 Aug. 2025
Thousands were killed during two years of unrest following the first Russian Revolution in 1905, while over 100,000 Jews were killed in Ukrainian pogroms from 1918 to 1921.
—Joshua Shanes, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pogroms
Noun
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The regime is resorting to massacres to suppress the unrest.—
Shahrnush Parsipur,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
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This could include the National Information Network—the country’s internet-and-tech agency, which imposed a dayslong internet blackout as security forces carried out massacres against protesters.—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Translating them today, while multiple genocides unfold in real time, means resisting the urge to soften language, avoid comparison, or shelter the past from the present.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
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Thus could Samantha Power berate American governments for their failure to intervene in genocides everywhere.—
Victor J. Blue,
Harpers Magazine,
23 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Naturally, the theft of the ghost shirt by the stooges in the employ of Roy Lee is accompanied by many deceased bodies — the first of the many bloodbaths in Americana, which has a distressingly expedient approach to on-screen carnage.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Hands-down one of the most disgusting movies ever made (a compliment), the film finds the indefatigable slasher, who was decapitated at the end of Terrifier 2, reattaching his head and commencing his ritual slaughters.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pogroms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pogroms. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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