crime against humanity

American  

noun

1. a crime or series of crimes, such as genocide, directed against a large group because of religion, ethnicity, country of origin, or other reason unconnected with any individual's responsibility for having committed a criminal act.

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Etymology

Origin of crime against humanity

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

crime against humanity

On Monday, the leader of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy, called for prayers for the salvation of the cathedral, calling the damage “another Russian crime against humanity, against history, against Christianity.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

Kyiv's Metropolitan Epiphanius also denounced the attack as a "crime against humanity, history and Christianity."

From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026

Reform's policy proposal comes a fortnight after the United Nations General Assembly backed a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade "the gravest crime against humanity".

From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday designated the transatlantic African slave trade as "the gravest crime against humanity," despite opposition by the United States and some European countries.

From Barron's ● Mar. 25, 2026

She made it sound as if selling conservatory windows was a crime against humanity.

From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd