The slaughter of the prisoners was a barbarous act.
Source: tatoeba (320489)
Slaughter
/ˈslɔtɚ/
Synonyms for "slaughter" (191 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (39)
Strong matches (57)
damnationdealing deathdecimatedecimationdepopulatedepredationdesolationdespoilmentdespoliationdestroydestructiondestruction of lifedevastationdisintegrationdisorderlinessdisorganizationdispatchdispose ofdisruptiondissolution
Show 24 more words
do away withdressendeuthanasiaexecutionexterminateexterminationfinishfinish offflow of bloodforcible seizureget rid ofgo ongorehammerhavochecatombholocaustimmolationkillkillinglapidationlay wastelaying waste
Related words (95)
lootlootingmaimmake away withmanglemartyrdommartyrizationmassacremaulmercy killingmugmurdermurder wholesalemutilatenipnip in the budobstreperousnessoccisiononslaughtperdition
Show 57 more words
pillagepillagingpoisoningpurgeput paid torageramprampagerantraperavageraveremovalremoveridriotriotingritual killingritual murderroarruinruinationsacksackingsacrificesavageshamblesshootingslaughteringslayslay en masseslayingsow chaossowing with saltspoliationstickstoningstormtake offtaking of lifeteartear aroundterrorizetotorturetotalundoingunrulinessvandalismvandalizeviolateviolationwastewipe outwrackwrack and ruinwreck
Noun(13 words)
Verb(5 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: butchery, mass murder, massacre, annihilate, annihilation.
- Sentence evidence is available for slaughter, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "slaughter".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "slaughter"
Keep "slaughter" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "slaughter" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "slaughter", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "slaughter" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
10 entriesMore specific
11 entriesCollocations
9 entriesanimal slaughtercattle slaughtermass slaughterpoultry slaughtersheep slaughterslaughter policyslaughter rateslaughtered animalsslaughterhouse
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
3 entriesTranslations
110 translations across 50 languages.
Albanian
2 entries- masakër noun (killing of many people)
- therje noun (killing of many people)
Arabic
2 entries- تَقْتِيل noun (killing of many people)
- مَذْبَحَة noun (killing of many people)
Armenian
2 entries- կոտորած noun (killing of many people)
- սպանդ noun (killing of many people)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- qətliam noun (killing of many people)
Belarusian
3 entries- бо́йня noun (killing of many people)
- разня́ noun (killing of many people)
- разні́ца noun (killing of many people)
Bulgarian
2 entries- клане́ noun (killing of many people)
- сеч noun (killing of many people)
Catalan
2 entries- massacre noun (killing of many people)
- matança noun (killing of many people)
Central Kurdish
1 entries- سەر بڕین noun (killing of many people)
Chinese Mandarin
4 entries- 屠殺 /屠杀 noun (killing of many people)
- 慘案 /惨案 noun (killing of many people)
- 慘殺 /惨杀 noun (killing of many people)
- 殺戮 /杀戮 noun (killing of many people)
Cyrillic
1 entries- хядлага noun (killing of many people)
Czech
1 entries- masakr noun (killing of many people)
Dutch
3 entries- afslachting noun (killing of many people)
- bloedbad noun (killing of many people)
- slachtpartij noun (killing of many people)
Esperanto
1 entries- masakro noun (killing of many people)
Estonian
1 entries- tapatalg noun (killing of many people)
Finnish
4 entries- joukkomurha noun (killing of many people)
- lahtaus noun (killing of many people)
- teurastus noun (killing of many people)
- verilöyly noun (killing of many people)
French
3 entries- carnage noun (killing of many people)
- massacre noun (killing of many people)
- tuerie noun (killing of many people)
Galician
1 entries- matanza noun (killing of many people)
Georgian
1 entries- ხოცვა-ჟლეტა noun (killing of many people)
German
4 entries- Gemetzel noun (killing of many people)
- Metzelei noun (killing of many people)
- Schlachtung noun (killing of many people)
- Schlächterei noun (killing of many people)
Greek
1 entries- σφαγή noun (killing of many people)
Hebrew
1 entries- טֶבַח noun (killing of many people)
Hungarian
2 entries- mészárlás noun (killing of many people)
- öldöklés noun (killing of many people)
Icelandic
1 entries- slátrun noun (killing of many people)
Irish
2 entries- eirleach noun (killing of many people)
- ár noun (killing of many people)
Italian
3 entries- carneficina noun (killing of many people)
- massacro noun (killing of many people)
- mattanza noun (killing of many people)
Japanese
3 entries- 惨殺 noun (killing of many people)
- 殺戮 noun (killing of many people)
- 虐殺 noun (killing of many people)
Korean
1 entries- 학살 noun (killing of many people)
Latin
2 entries- nex noun (killing of many people)
- trucīdātiō noun (killing of many people)
Latvian
1 entries- slaktiņš noun (killing of many people)
Lithuanian
2 entries- skerdynės noun (killing of many people)
- žudynės noun (killing of many people)
Macedonian
2 entries- колеж noun (killing of many people)
- масакр noun (killing of many people)
Māori
4 entries- hingahinga noun (killing of many people)
- parekura noun (killing of many people)
- parewhero noun (killing of many people)
- tārukenga noun (killing of many people)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- slakt noun (killing of many people)
Ojibwe
1 entries- niiwana' noun (killing of many people)
Old Irish
1 entries- ár noun (killing of many people)
Persian
1 entries- کشتار noun (killing of many people)
Polish
3 entries- masakra noun (killing of many people)
- pogrom noun (killing of many people)
- rzeź noun (killing of many people)
Portuguese
4 entries- carnificina noun (killing of many people)
- chacina noun (killing of many people)
- massacre noun (killing of many people)
- matança noun (killing of many people)
Romanian
1 entries- măcel noun (killing of many people)
Russian
4 entries- бо́йня noun (killing of many people)
- истребле́ние noun (killing of many people)
- крова́вая ба́ня noun (killing of many people)
- кровопроли́тие noun (killing of many people)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- àr noun (killing of many people)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- klánje noun (killing of many people)
- pòkolj noun (killing of many people)
- кла́ње noun (killing of many people)
- по̀кољ noun (killing of many people)
Slovak
2 entries- masaker noun (killing of many people)
- masakra noun (killing of many people)
Slovene
2 entries- masaker noun (killing of many people)
- pokol noun (killing of many people)
Spanish
3 entries- carnicería noun (killing of many people)
- masacre noun (killing of many people)
- matanza noun (killing of many people)
Swedish
2 entries- massaker noun (killing of many people)
- slakt noun (killing of many people)
Turkish
2 entries- katletme noun (killing of many people)
- katliam noun (killing of many people)
Ukrainian
4 entries- бо́йня noun (killing of many people)
- маса́кра noun (killing of many people)
- різани́на noun (killing of many people)
- різня́ noun (killing of many people)
Volapük
1 entries- mipug noun (killing of many people)
Yiddish
1 entries- הריגה noun (killing of many people)
Sample sentences
15 total sentences available.
Commentators have variously described the sound of vuvuzelas as "annoying" and "satanic" and compared it with "a stampede of noisy elephants", "a deafening swarm of locusts", "a goat on the way to slaughter", "a giant hive full of very angry bees", and "a duck on speed".
Source: tatoeba (404966)
Slaughter is the best medicine.
Source: tatoeba (411149)
A merciless slaughter was committed in Srebrenica in 1995.
Source: tatoeba (1030271)
Showing 4 of 15 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "slaughter"?
Closest matches include butchery, mass murder, massacre, annihilate, annihilation.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "slaughter"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.