TEM8 TOEFL CET6

atrocity

[ATROCITY]

英 [ə'trɒsəti] 美 [ə'trɑːsəti]

n.暴行；残暴

◉词源

Atrocity（暴行）约1530年代进入英语，源自拉丁语 atrocitas（残暴、严厉），来自 atrox（凶残的、可怕的），由 ater（黑的）+ okw-（看）组成，字面义为“看起来像火/可怕的”。演变过程：从“巨大邪恶”或“残暴性质”发展为特指“残暴行为”，1793年起常用此义。前缀无；词根 atr-（黑的、可怕的，PIE ater- “火” + okw- “看”）；后缀 -ity（表示性质或状态，来自拉丁 -itas）。

◉外刊例句

The Guardian, 2025:

They slaughtered us like animals: the inside story of how one of the biggest atrocities of the Sudan war unfolded in Zamzam.

他们像屠宰动物一样屠杀我们：苏丹战争最大暴行之一在Zamzam展开的内幕故事。

The New York Times, 2025:

Twenty Years Later, Atrocities Haunt Darfur Again.

二十年后，暴行再次笼罩达尔富尔。

◉ Usage Examples

(1) People were annoyed by his atrocity.

(2) This atrocity shocked the world opinion.

(3) I am shocked by the atrocity of this man's crimes.

(1) 他的暴行激怒了人们。

(2) 这暴行使全世界舆论感到震惊。

(3) 这个人行凶手段残忍狠毒使我震惊。

◉ Usage Notes

Atrocities, acts of outrageous cruelty, are often committed during wars and armed conflicts.

The word atrocity describes both the act of cruelty as well as the sense of cruelty. If you go to visit a poorly run prison, you might be overwhelmed by the atrocity of the place when you see that no one is treated with respect, and torture is rampant. The word atrocity is also often used in the context of warfare and frequently as a plural. There were numerous atrocities on both sides, as the war raged on and the fighters’ capacity for cruelty seemed to increase.

◉柯林斯词典

1. [N-VAR 可变名词]暴行；滔天罪行 An atrocity is a very cruel, shocking action.

The killing was cold-blooded, and those who committed this atrocity should be tried and punished.

杀戮异常残暴。那些犯下如此暴行的人都应该受到审判和惩罚。