genocide
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- genocidal adjective
Etymology
Origin of genocide
First recorded in 1940–45; from Greek géno(s) “race” + -cide
Compare meaning
How does genocide compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Genocide refers to the systematic destruction of a race or cultural group. In the Rwandan genocide of 1994, members of one ethnic group, the Hutus, killed some 850,000 Tutsis in an attempt to wipe them out completely. Genocide was coined in 1944 by a Polish-Jewish scholar named Raphael Lemkin in response to the Holocaust. In 1948, the United Nations defined genocide as any of several acts (including murder) "committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group..."
Vocabulary lists containing genocide
Frankenwords: Words with Roots from Different Languages
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Human Geography - High School
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President Trump's Second State of the Union Address (2019)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Several attendees accused the pair of being "genocide supporters", shouting "boo" and "get out of here" as a mosque leader gave a speech calling for the government to better engage with Muslim Australians.
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026
Rwanda denies supporting M23 and says its troops are in eastern Congo for “defensive measures” against a rebel group formed by Hutu extremists who orchestrated the 1994 genocide in Rwanda before fleeing to Congo.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026
On Tuesday, JD Vance’s official X account posted a message acknowledging the Armenian genocide during his visit to Armenia.
From Salon • Feb. 11, 2026
Australia's federal police have ruled out an arrest, with senior officials telling lawmakers this week that they received legal advice Herzog had "full immunity" covering civil and criminal matters, including genocide.
From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026
The word genocide shares its root with gene—and for good reason: the Nazis used the vocabulary of genes and genetics to launch, justify, and sustain their agenda.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
