Synonyms of massacre

massacre 1 of 2

noun

ˈma-si-kər 

as in slaughter

the killing of a large number of people

the infamous massacre of more than 200 Sioux at Wounded Knee, South Dakota

Synonyms & Similar Words

• slaughter
• carnage
• death
• genocide
• holocaust
• murder
• bloodbath
• butchery
• killing
• slaying
• bloodshed
• extermination
• destruction
• homicide
• devastation
• manslaughter
• assassination
• mortality
• annihilation
• execution
• pogrom
• bloodletting
• eradication
• decimation
• foul play
• demolishing

massacre

2 of 2

verb

as in to slaughter

to kill on a large scale

the country's rival ethnic groups began massacring one another

Synonyms & Similar Words

• slaughter
• murder
• butcher
• slay
• assassinate
• dispatch
• execute
• destroy
• mow (down)
• eradicate
• fell
• exterminate
• wipe out
• smite
• demolish
• snuff
• annihilate
• waste
• decimate
• blot out
• do in
• devastate
• croak

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of massacre

Noun

For his third time selected at Annecy, Papa brings a feature-length non-fiction animation film which recounts the 2009 Maguindanao massacre. —Kevin Giraud, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026

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

Verb

But vigilante movements in Mexico historically get co-opted by rival cartels or massacred, creating a dangerous spiral that could worsen after recent cartel leadership deaths. —Megan Janetsky, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026

But in places where criminal groups are more present than law enforcement, nearly every vigilante movement that has emerged in recent history has either been coopted by rival cartels or massacred. —ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026