genocide

[ jen-uh-sahyd ]
See synonyms for: genocidegenocides on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group.

Compare Meanings

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

Origin of genocide

1
First recorded in 1940–45; from Greek géno(s) “race” + -cide

Other words from genocide

  • gen·o·cid·al, adjective

Words Nearby genocide

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use genocide in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for genocide

genocide

/ (ˈdʒɛnəʊˌsaɪd) /


noun
  1. the policy of deliberately killing a nationality or ethnic group

Origin of genocide

1
C20: from geno-, from Greek genos race + -cide

Derived forms of genocide

  • genocidal, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for genocide

genocide

[ (jen-uh-seyed) ]


The deliberate destruction of an entire race or nation. The Holocaust conducted by the Nazis in Germany and the Rwandan genocide are examples of attempts at genocide.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.