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racial extermination

racial extermination

1 9.9
Planned killing of a whole racial or cultural group
  • noun
  • /ˈreɪʃəl ɪkˌstɜːrmɪˈneɪʃən/
  • Offensive
: exterminio racial
  • During World War II, many countries faced accusations of racial extermination due to their treatment of minority groups.

Examples

  • Witnesses reported the horrifying racial extermination carried out by the regime in the small village.

  • Marc, your argument is that Jewish people may be a special case because they were targeted for racial extermination.

    Blog text (20)
  • Nightingale takes us to turn-of-the-20th-century Chicago, where racial segregation was at times more draconian than it was in South Africa, and where some white segregationists argued for mass deportation or racial extermination.

    Blog text (7)
  • The government implemented a policy of racial extermination that led to the deaths of millions of innocent people.

Synonyms

genocide
vsracial extermination
  • Offensive
157 7.7

Killing many people on purpose because they are the same race, country, or religion

is narrower, focusing only on racial or cultural group destruction
extinction
vsracial extermination
135 4.4

The dying out of a species so it no longer exists

is a deliberate human campaign to kill an entire racial or cultural group
mass murder
vsracial extermination
  • NSFW
48 6.7

Killing many people on purpose at the same time or in a short time

is a planned, systematic campaign aimed at ending a racial or cultural group
annihilation
vsracial extermination
  • NSFW
43 8.1

Complete destruction so nothing is left

is specifically the deliberate campaign to kill a racial or cultural group
ethnic cleansing
vsracial extermination
  • Offensive
32 9.9

Forcing people of one religion or race to leave an area by violence

is focused on destroying an entire racial or cultural group rather than removal
extermination
vsracial extermination
  • NSFW
30 7.4

A complete killing or removal of a group of living things

is specifically about systematic killing of a racial or cultural group
eradication
vsracial extermination
19 6.8

Complete removal of something unwanted

in this case refers specifically to intentional killing of a whole racial group
pogrom
vsracial extermination
  • Offensive
10 9.9

An organized violent attack against a group of people of the same race or religion often allowed by authorities

is broader, meaning an organised policy to eliminate a racial or cultural group
liquidation
vsracial extermination
  • Offensive
2 8.8

Killing people for political or criminal reasons

is broader, targeting a whole racial or cultural group as policy
race murder
vsracial extermination
  • Offensive
1 9.9

Planned killing of a racial or cultural group to destroy them

is the same concept but expressed with different words
battue
vsracial extermination
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A killing of many people at once that is cruel

is a sustained, policy driven effort to destroy a racial or cultural group

How Violent

racial extermination
  • Offensive
1 9.9
ethnic cleansing
  • Offensive
32 9.9
attack
∞ 1.4
harassment
385 4.6
threat
827 1.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

racial + extermination

The noun phrase combines 'racial' (relating to race) with 'extermination' (complete destruction), so its meaning — systematic killing of a racial group — is directly inferable from the constituents. This adjective+noun composition is compositional and cross-linguistically common, making it readily understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Racial extermination uses racial (showing the target is a whole race or cultural group) and extermination (a word for removing or destroying all of something, as when something is completely cleared away). So, it means 'a planned action to kill or destroy a whole racial or cultural group'.