1
as in inferno
a destructive burning
the holocaust caused by the ignited chemicals completely destroyed the factory and several surrounding homes
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2
as in massacre
the killing of a large number of people
as many as 2,000,000 people may have perished in the holocaust perpetrated by Cambodia's Khmer Rouge
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Recent Examples of holocaust
The film is cosmic Rocky, a thriller-comedy-blockbuster whose scope reaches all the way from the atom bomb to the holocaust and back to the pyramids, locating that beautiful and terrible human need to strive for the impossible, no matter the toll.
—
Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 23 Dec. 2025
Hours earlier, two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah by the Sea celebration near Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, killing at least 16 people including a rabbi and a holocaust survivor.
—Hannah Ruhoff, Sacbee.com, 15 Dec. 2025
But the graphic visions of nuclear holocaust in those films conjured no more dread than the explosion of the Death Star.
—Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
In his director’s statement, the filmmaker reveals that the historical drama mines from his own family’s trauma, linking the effects that both the holocaust and the rise in communism in Hungary had on him and his loved ones.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for holocaust
Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 23 Dec. 2025
Hours earlier, two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah by the Sea celebration near Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, killing at least 16 people including a rabbi and a holocaust survivor.
—Hannah Ruhoff, Sacbee.com, 15 Dec. 2025
But the graphic visions of nuclear holocaust in those films conjured no more dread than the explosion of the Death Star.
—Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
In his director’s statement, the filmmaker reveals that the historical drama mines from his own family’s trauma, linking the effects that both the holocaust and the rise in communism in Hungary had on him and his loved ones.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for holocaust
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holocaust
Noun
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Chile’s inferno was fueled by extreme heat, with temperatures pushing above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and abnormally dry conditions — but it was also driven by human changes to the landscape.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
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After last year’s disastrous Eaton fire, Southern California Edison executives vowed to be transparent about what caused the inferno that killed at least 19 people and left thousands of families homeless in Altadena.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Infowars is facing liquidation because of the more than $1 billion in defamation lawsuit judgments Jones owes relatives of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting for calling the massacre a hoax.—
Jim Vertuno,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
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Valente began plotting the Brown University massacre as early as 2022, renting a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, to stash his weapons.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In the wrong hands, connections like that can lead to cronyism and profiteering — and there were times when Gray’s relationships came under fire.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
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The cause of the plane’s malfunctions is, duh, random sparks from annoying Dan’s charger starting a fire in cargo.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But Serkis prefers his Trojan horse without the slaughter.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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Peace journalism is a form of news reporting by which reporters frame their stories in ways that facilitate nonviolent responses to conflict, for example, by avoiding inflammatory words such as massacre, slaughter, or brutal.—
Karen McIntyre,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holocaust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holocaust. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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