Definition of "atrocity" []

• Appalling or atrocious condition, quality, or behavior; monstrousness. (noun)
• An appalling or atrocious act, situation, or object, especially an act of unusual or illegal cruelty inflicted by an armed force on civilians or prisoners. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "He brought up what he called an atrocity: the case of Isa Mohammed Ali, 71, who he said died after suffocating on tear gas."
• "Just an observation – I notice the VDT is busy, but will not show his/her face to defend this latest atrocity from the right."
• "His transformation, his finding himself, after witnessing a horrible atrocity, is a miracle."