genocide

[ jen-uh-sahyd ]

/ ˈdʒɛn əˌsaɪd /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: genocide / genocides on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of genocide

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

OTHER WORDS FROM genocide

gen·o·cid·al, adjective

Words nearby genocide

Gennaro, genoa, Genoa cake, Genoa salami, genocidaire, genocide, Genoese, genogram, génoise, genome, genomic DNA

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use genocide in a sentence

When taken to an extreme, hateful rhetoric by political leaders can precipitate civil wars and genocides, as was the case in the 1990s in Rwanda, where Hutu extremists used anti-Tutsi radio broadcasts to foment widespread violence.
When Politicians Use Hate Speech, Political Violence Increases|LGBTQ-Editor|September 29, 2020|No Straight News
More still are protesting the movie since parts were filmed in Xinjiang, a minority region of China facing cultural genocide from the government.
Amid geopolitical tensions, ‘Mulan’ is a litmus test for loyalties|rhhackettfortune|September 9, 2020|Fortune
The starkest example of that is the human rights abuses taking place against Uyghurs and other Muslim groups in Xinjiang, where some argue a full-blown genocide is underway.
China’s insatiable appetite for control is forcing even its “model minority” to rebel|Isabella Steger|September 4, 2020|Quartz
The war-on-fire mentality found especially fertile ground in California, a state that had emerged from the genocide and cultural destruction of tribes who understood fire and relied on its benefits to tend their land.
They Know How to Prevent Megafires. Why Won’t Anybody Listen?|by Elizabeth Weil|August 28, 2020|ProPublica

Kitty Genovese is not in Bosnia, but genocide resides there now.
5 Psychology Terms You’re Probably Misusing (Ep. 334 Rebroadcast)|Stephen J. Dubner|January 9, 2020|Freakonomics
While the world fixated on Ukraine and Syria, a near-genocide ripped through central Africa, to little international fanfare.
The Year’s Most Forgotten Humanitarian Crisis|Nina Strochlic|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He was referring to the genocide of Muslims during the Bosnian War.
When Countries Lose Their Shit Over American Movies|Asawin Suebsaeng|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His latest book is An Inconvenient Genocide: Who Now Remembers The Armenians?
Britain Has Lost Its Marbles: Elgin Loan Will Appease Putin|Geoffrey Robertson|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To get a resolution about genocide passed, he devised a letter-writing campaign.
The Man Who Invented the Word ‘Genocide’|Nina Strochlic|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Watchers of the Sky examines the legacy of Raphael Lemkin, the man who succeeded in making genocide an international crime.
The Man Who Invented the Word ‘Genocide’|Nina Strochlic|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nuclear nightmares intermingled with Armenian and Jewish flashbacks of genocide.
After the Rain|Sam Vaknin
The mystery of our failure at genocide forced an unpleasant decision on Benson.
The Test Colony|Winston Marks
In a chance encounter with angry Serb mobs in the streets of Pristina he accused the Albanians of genocide.
After the Rain|Sam Vaknin
Genocide is defined as the extermination of a race of sapient beings.
Little Fuzzy|Henry Beam Piper
He didn't want to be accused of genocide, since the Lani were so human in appearance.
The Lani People|J. F. Bone

British Dictionary definitions for genocide

genocide

/ (ˈdʒɛnəʊˌsaɪd) /

noun

the policy of deliberately killing a nationality or ethnic group

Derived forms of genocide

genocidal, adjective

Word Origin for genocide

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

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.

genocide

COMPARE MEANINGS

Origin of genocide

OTHER WORDS FROM genocide

Words nearby genocide

Words related to genocide

How to use genocide in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for genocide

Derived forms of genocide

Word Origin for genocide

Cultural definitions for genocide