atrocity

[ uh-tros-i-tee ]

/ əˈtrɒs ɪ ti /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR atrocity ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural a·troc·i·ties.

the quality or state of being atrocious.

an atrocious act, thing, or circumstance.

Nearby words

atrip, atrium, atroceruleous, atrocious, atrocious assault and battery, atrocity, atropatene, atrophedema, atrophia, atrophic arthritis, atrophic excavation

Origin of atrocity

1525–35; < Latin atrōcitās, equivalent to atrōci- (stem of atrōx) fierce + -tās -ty²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for atrocity

In this other video, 29-year-old Crawford is not committing an atrocity such as might be expected of ISIS.
ISIS Has a Bigger Coalition Than We Do|Michael Daly|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Fueled by atrocity and a blitzkrieg of gains in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State has enjoyed a meteoric climb to notoriety.
Watching ISIS Come to Power Again|Elliot Ackerman|September 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But thankfully, spurred in large part by social media, the world is finally addressing this atrocity.
Boko Loco: A View From Nigeria|Lola Ogunnaike|May 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Suffice it to say, eight years after the Halimi atrocity, the case still inflames opinion.
A Horror Story of True-Life Anti-Semitism in France|Tracy McNicoll|April 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Whittam told the jury that any attempts to justify the atrocity were irrelevant.
U.K. Beheading Trial’s Grisly Start|Nico Hines|November 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In her present state of dread she did not know of what atrocity he might venture to be guilty.
Barchester Towers|Anthony Trollope
Some of the atrocity stories many of us will recognise as not so reliable as Miss Macnaughten supposed.
The Better Germany in War Time|Harold Picton
The country, a little later England and the entire civilized world, stood aghast at the atrocity of the incident.
Peggy Owen and Liberty|Lucy Foster Madison
The honest, pitiless joy of a fanatic in the full flood of his atrocity preserves a certain lugubriously venerable radiance.
Les Misrables|Victor Hugo
He charges that person with the atrocity of crucifying anew the Son of God.
Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians|Martin Luther

British Dictionary definitions for atrocity

atrocity

/ (əˈtrɒsɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

behaviour or an action that is wicked or ruthless

the fact or quality of being atrocious

(usually plural) acts of extreme cruelty, esp against prisoners or civilians in wartime

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