This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
genocide
[ jen-uh-sahyd ]
/ ˈdʒɛn əˌsaɪd /
See the most commonly confused word associated with ethnic cleansing
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
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…
Origin of genocide
First recorded in 1940–45; from Greek géno(s) “race” + -cide
OTHER WORDS FROM genocide
gen·o·cid·al, adjectiveWords 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
British Dictionary definitions for genocide
genocide
/ (ˈdʒɛnəʊˌsaɪd) /
noun
the policy of deliberately killing a nationality or ethnic group
Derived forms of genocide
genocidal, adjectiveWord 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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.