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Definition of atrocity noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

atrocity

noun
 
 
/əˈtrɒsəti/
 
/əˈtrɑːsəti/
[countable, usually plural, uncountable]
(plural atrocities)
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  1. a cruel and violent act, especially in a war
    • In the war, both sides committed atrocities.
    Extra Examples
    • atrocities against the civilian population
    • one of the worst atrocities of the war
    • reports of atrocities by gunmen
    Topics War and conflictc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • appalling
    • terrible
    • worst
    • …
    verb + atrocity
    • be responsible for
    • carry out
    • commit
    • …
    atrocity + verb
    • occur
    • take place
    atrocity + noun
    • stories
    preposition
    • atrocity against
    • atrocity by
    phrases
    • accounts of atrocities
    • allegations of atrocities
    • reports of atrocities
    • …
    See full entry
    Word Originmid 16th cent. (in the sense ‘cruelty’): from French atrocité or Latin atrocitas, from atrox, atroc- ‘cruel’.
See atrocity in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee atrocity in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: atrocity

Nearby words

perspective
noun
 
 
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