atrocity
Unforgivable mass cruelty
An atrocity is an act of extreme cruelty or brutality, especially one committed during war or conflict: The massacre was among the worst atrocities of the civil war.
The word implies not just violence but moral horror—acts that shock the conscience.
In looser use, atrocity describes anything appallingly bad: That haircut is an atrocity.
Extreme, violent cruelty
- inhumanityExtreme cruelty toward others
- barbarismSavage, uncivilized behavior
- crueltyDeliberate harm-causing disposition
- viciousnessExtreme cruelty or spite
heinousness · monstrosity · ferocity · sadism · ruthlessness · mercilessness · pitilessness · depravity
Illegal act in combat
- crime against humanitySystematic attack on civilians
- genocideSystematic annihilation of a people
- ethnic cleansingSystematic removal of populations
- mass murderKilling multiple people simultaneously
pogrom · holocaust · extermination · killing fields · death squad · tribunal · Nuremberg · prosecution
Extreme fear or disgust
- revulsionIntense physical disgust
- shockViolent sudden disturbance
- condemnationSevere disapproval expressed formally
- disgustIntense physical aversion
indignation · scandal · infamy · outcry · denunciation · uproar · backlash · protest
savagery
Extreme, violent cruelty
- inhumanityExtreme cruelty toward others
- barbarismSavage, uncivilized behavior
- crueltyDeliberate harm-causing disposition
viciousness · heinousness · monstrosity · ferocity · sadism · ruthlessness · mercilessness · pitilessness · depravity · barbarity
war crime
Illegal act in combat
- crime against humanitySystematic attack on civilians
- genocideSystematic annihilation of a people
- ethnic cleansingSystematic removal of populations
mass murder · pogrom · holocaust · extermination · killing fields · death squad · tribunal · Nuremberg · prosecution · perpetrator
horror
Extreme fear or disgust
- revulsionIntense physical disgust
- shockViolent sudden disturbance
- condemnationSevere disapproval expressed formally
disgust · indignation · scandal · infamy · outcry · denunciation · uproar · backlash · protest · fury
- warcombat, warfare, battle scenes, battles, soldier
- warfarebattle, combat, attack, war, armed conflict
- HolocaustHolocaust, Auschwitz, concentration camps, Holocaust survivors, gas chambers
- crueltycruelty, brutality, inhumanity, viciousness, ruthlessness
- Historical TragediesHolocaust, genocide, massacre, ethnic cleansing, 9/11
- savagerybarbarism, barbarity, brutality, brutishness, cruelty
atrocityheroic deed
Brave, notable act
righteousness · heroism · noble deed · noble act · good deed
atrocitycompassion
Concern for others' distress
humaneness · humanity · kindness · clemency · act of grace
atrocitybeauty
Aesthetic excellence
pleasantness · delightfulness · attractiveness · desirability · agreeableness
- war atrocitiesBrutal acts during conflict