atrocity
atrocity
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "atrocity" is:
/əˈtɹɒsɪti/
Here's a breakdown of the sounds by syllable:
a (ə) - Schwa, a short, neutral vowel sound found in many unstressed syllables in English.
tro (ˈtɹɒ) -
tr (ˈt) - voiceless alveolar plosive consonant, similar to the "t" sound in "trip."
r (ɹ) - alveolar approximant, a consonant sound produced by vibrating the tip of the tongue near the alveolar ridge.
o (ɒ) - short open back rounded vowel sound, similar to the "o" in "cot."
city (sɪti) -
c (s) - voiceless alveolar fricative consonant, similar to the "s" sound in "sip."
i (ɪ) - near-close near-front unrounded vowel sound, shorter than the "ee" sound in "see."
t (t) - voiceless alveolar plosive consonant, similar to the "t" sound in "trip."
y (i) - voiced palatal approximant consonant, similar to the "y" sound in "yes."
Word Form Variations
""Atrocity" has just two main word form variations:
Singular: atrocity (This is the base form you'd use most often)
Plural: atrocities (This is simply adding an "ies" to the end for the plural form)
There are no verb forms or other derivations directly connected to "atrocity." However, there is a related adjective:
Atrocious: This means extremely cruel, wicked, or unpleasant.
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Definitions, Synonyms, Antonyms
Part of Speech: Noun
Definition 1: An act of shocking cruelty, violence, or barbarity. (This is the most common definition)
Synonyms: barbarity, brutality, savagery, inhumanity, outrage, wickedness, enormity
Antonyms: kindness, compassion, mercy, decency, humanity
Definition 2: The state of being shockingly cruel or inhumane. (Less common, but emphasizes the overall situation)
Synonyms: atrociousness, barbarity, inhumanity, cruelty
Antonyms: kindness, compassion, decency, humanity
Not Included (but related):
Adjective: Atrocious (extremely cruel, wicked, or unpleasant) - Synonyms: horrific, terrible, awful, dreadful, monstrous - Antonyms: kind, compassionate, merciful, decent, humane
Examples of Use
Books:
"The war crimes committed were unspeakable atrocities that defied human decency." (Excerpt from a fictional historical novel about World War II)
Newspapers:
"The UN report detailed numerous atrocities committed against civilians in the conflict zone." (The New York Times)
Online Publications:
"The social media post contained graphic images of atrocities, prompting a warning from the platform." (BBC News)
Entertainment Mediums:
"The superhero vowed to bring an end to the villain's reign of atrocities." (Comic book dialogue)
"The documentary explored the long-lasting impact of atrocities committed during the genocide." (Historical documentary film)
General Public Discourse:
"The protestors condemned the government's use of violence against its own people, calling it an atrocity." (News report on a political demonstration)
"In casual conversation, someone might say 'That traffic jam was an atrocity!' to express extreme frustration." (Informal conversation)
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10 Famous Quotes Using the term Atrocity
"Atrocity is recognized as such by victim and perpetrator alike, by all who learn about it at whatever remove. Atrocity has no excuses, no mitigating argument. Atrocity never balances or rectifies the past. Atrocity merely arms the future for more atrocity." (Frank Herbert, science fiction author) Goodreads
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." (Edmund Burke, philosopher and statesman) This quote, though not directly mentioning atrocity, highlights the idea of allowing evil to flourish.
"War is an atrocity that makes a nation life as cheap as insect life." (Mark Twain, satirist and author)
"One murder is a tragedy. A million murders is a statistic." (Joseph Stalin, Soviet dictator) This quote uses a chilling comparison to downplay the atrocity of mass killings.
"The things that I saw for four years I wouldn't dream of telling you. They were too monstrous." (Wilfred Owen, World War I poet) This quote, though not using the word atrocity directly, describes the horrors of war that constitute atrocities.
"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has transformed my life for ever. Never shall I forget the smoke in the sky and the smell of burning human flesh." (Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and author) A harrowing description of the atrocities of the Holocaust.
"A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." (Charles Spurgeon, Baptist preacher) This quote connects to the atrocity of spreading misinformation that can fuel violence.
"The world must unite or we will divide. There is no salvation for mankind in perpetual conflict." (John F. Kennedy, US President) This quote emphasises the importance of unity to prevent future atrocities.
"Silence in the face of injustice is complicity with the oppressor." (Desmond Tutu, South African Anglican cleric) Speaks to the atrocity of remaining silent when faced with cruelty.
“The history of war is a history of atrocities, a long temporal catalogue of negation." (Jean Cocteau, French poet, playwright, filmmaker, and artist) This quote highlights the repetitive nature of atrocities throughout history.
Etymology
The word "atrocity" actually comes from a much older language – Latin! Way back in the 1500s, English borrowed the word "atrocity" directly from Latin.
The Latin word for "atrocity" was "atrocitas." This Latin word was formed from two smaller parts: "atrox" which meant "fierce" or "cruel," and "-tas" which is a suffix meaning "state" or "quality." So, literally translated from Latin, "atrocity" meant something like "the state of being fierce" or "the quality of being cruel."
The first time we see "atrocity" used in English writing was in the 1530s. Back then, it had the same meaning it does today – referring to an act of extreme cruelty or violence.
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Phrases + Idioms Containing the term Atrocity
Compound Nouns:
War Atrocity: An act of extreme cruelty committed during wartime, often against civilians.
Crime Against Humanity: A severe violation of human rights that is widespread or systematic.
Figurative Language:
An Atrocity to Say: Used to express strong disapproval of something, even if not literally cruel. (e.g., "That outfit is an atrocity to say!")
Get Away with an Atrocity: To avoid punishment for a cruel or violent act.
Idioms (less common):
To Atrocize: This is a less common verb form that means to commit an atrocity, but it's not widely used in everyday speech.
Note: While not technically idioms, some phrases combine "atrocity" with other words for emphasis:
Unspeakable Atrocity: An atrocity so horrific it cannot be described.
Heinous Atrocity: An atrocity that is particularly evil or wicked.
Senseless Atrocity: An atrocity that seems to have no purpose or reason.
Posts Related to Atrocity
Source Information
Definition of atrocity from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
