Meaning & use
genocide
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable or uncountable
The deliberate and systematic killing of a large group of people, especially of a particular nation or ethnic group.
Grammar: Can be countable (a genocide) or uncountable (the crime of genocide); often used with 'commit' or 'perpetrate'.
Patterns
- commit genocide
- the genocide against a group
- a genocide
The international community vowed never to let such a genocide happen again.
The tribunal was set up to prosecute those who committed genocide.
Survivors of the genocide shared their stories with the court.
Word forms
| plural | genocides |
|---|
Common combinations
- commit genocide
- The regime was accused of committing genocide against its own people.
- genocide prevention
- The UN focuses on genocide prevention and early warning.
- genocide trial
- The genocide trial lasted for several years.
- acts of genocide
- The report documented acts of genocide in the region.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mass murder
- A broader term for killing many people, not necessarily targeting a specific group.
- ethnic cleansing
- Often involves forced displacement as well as killing, and is not always legally defined as genocide.
Word family
- genocidal adjective
- Relating to or involving genocide.
- genocidaire noun
- A person who commits genocide.
Commonly confused: genocide or homicide?
genocide vs homicide
Homicide is the killing of one person; genocide is the mass killing of a group.
Practice
Which verb is most commonly used with 'genocide'?
Choose one answer.
'Commit genocide' is the standard collocation, like 'commit a crime'. 'Do', 'make', and 'perform' do not collocate naturally with genocide.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “genocide”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.