Attila the Hun

Cultural  

1. A king of the Huns in the fifth century. Attila's forces overran many parts of central and eastern Europe. His armies were known for their cruelty and wholesale destruction, and Attila himself was called the “scourge of God.”

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Example Sentences

Unfortunately, sanitized politicians have this shortcoming—they are not quite as interesting on stage as Attila the Hun or Boris Godunov.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

All you need to know about Newhart’s sense of humor is in the album’s subtitle: The Most Celebrated New Comedian Since Attila the Hun.

From The Guardian • Mar. 7, 2017

“If Attila the Hun were alive today, he’d be a drama critic,” he said in 1988.

From New York Times • Sep. 16, 2016

“He was constantly telling stories about great warriors of the past, like Attila the Hun, people who had slain empires,” Mount said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 30, 2016

Liszt spearheaded a shift from orchestral to illustrative music, using this 1850 painting of Attila the Hun in battle as the basis for his symphonic poem Hunnenschlacht.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall