What does "massacre" mean?
The killing of a considerable number (usually limited to people) where little or no resistance can be made, with indiscriminate violence, without necessity, and/or contrary to civilized norms.
Massacre
/ˈmæs.ə.kə(ɹ)/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The killing of a considerable number (usually limited to people) where little or no resistance can be made, with indiscriminate violence, without necessity, and/or contrary to civilized norms.
- Grammar: massacre is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: mass murder, slaughter, annihilate, annihilating.
- Useful contrasts: conservation, improve, nonviolence.
- Usage evidence: I watched the film named "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" with my girlfriend yesterday. She was very afraid.
How to use "massacre"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "massacre" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "massacre" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "massacre" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "massacre" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "massacre" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "mass murder" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "massacre", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The killing of a considerable number (usually limited to people) where little or no resistance can be made, with indiscriminate violence, without necessity, and/or contrary to civilized norms. countable, uncountable
"St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre"
- 2 the savage and excessive killing of many people wordnet
- 3 Murder. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"The tyrannous and bloody act is done,— The most arch deed of piteous massacre That ever yet this land was guilty of."
- 4 Any overwhelming defeat, as in a game or sport. countable, figuratively, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To kill in considerable numbers where little or no resistance can be made, with indiscriminate violence, without necessity, and contrary to civilized norms. (Often limited to the killing of human beings.) transitive
"If James should be pleased to massacre them all, as Maximilian had massacred the Theban legion"
- 2 kill a large number of people indiscriminately wordnet
- 3 To win against (an opponent) very decisively. figuratively, transitive
- 4 To perform (a work, such as a musical piece or a play) very poorly. figuratively, transitive
- 5 To kill with great force or brutality. proscribed, transitive
"Look how they massacred my boy."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"I watched the film named "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" with my girlfriend yesterday. She was very afraid."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "massacre"?
Common synonyms include: mass murder, slaughter, annihilate, annihilating, annihilation, assassination.
How do you use "massacre" in a sentence?
I watched the film named "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" with my girlfriend yesterday. She was very afraid.
How do you pronounce "massacre"?
Pronounced /ˈmæs.ə.kə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
1580, from Middle French massacre, from Old French macacre, marcacre, macecre, macecle (“slaughterhouse, butchery”), usually thought to be deverbal from Old French macecrer, macecler (“to slaughter”), though the noun seems to be attested somewhat earlier. It is also found in Medieval Latin mazacrium (“massacre, slaughter, killing”, also “the head of a newly killed stag”). Further origin disputed: * From Latin macellum (“butcher shop”). * From Vulgar Latin *matteuculāre, from *matteuca (cf. massue), from Late Latin mattea, mattia, from Latin mateola. * From Middle Low German *matskelen (“to massacre”) (compare German metzeln (“massacre”)), frequentative of matsken, matzgen (“to cut, hew”), from Proto-West Germanic *maitan, from Proto-Germanic *maitaną (“to cut”), from Proto-Indo-European *mei- (“small”). Akin to Old High German meizan (“to cut”) among others. * Note also Arabic مَجْزَرَة (majzara), originally “spot where animals are slaughtered”, now also “massacre”, and in Maghrebi Arabic “slaughterhouse”. Derived from جَزَرَ (jazara, “to cut, slaughter”).