tragic massacre
- noun
- /ˈtrædʒɪk ˈmæsəˌkɚ/
- NSFW
:
masacre trágica
- The memorial honors those lost in the tragic massacre a century ago.
Examples
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The historian gave a talk on the tragic massacre that occurred in the village.
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News reports detailed the aftermath of the tragic massacre with interviews from survivors.
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The tragic massacre shocked the entire nation.
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Many people mourned after the tragic massacre occurred.
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The community held a memorial service to honor the victims of the tragic massacre that left many families devastated.
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News reports highlighted the tragic massacre that occurred in the small town, shocking the nation and prompting calls for change.
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Witnesses recounted the horrifying details of the tragic massacre that unfolded in the city, leaving a lasting impact on all who were affected.
Synonyms
915
3.0
A very sad event that causes much suffering and loss
198
7.0
The violent killing of many people in a cruel way
151
8.1
A very cruel or violent act that shocks people, often against innocent people
107
4.6
Killing or hurting many people in war and other violence
80
5.7
Violent killing of a large number of people
65
8.2
A mass killing of people, often during war or attacks
45
7.0
A violent event in which many people are killed or a situation with very large losses
38
6.7
Killing many people on purpose at the same time or in a short time
6
9.3
A large-scale killing of people during war or political violence
1
8.1
The very violent killing of many people
Antonyms
How Violent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'tragic' (causing great sadness) modifies 'massacre' (the killing of many people), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a particularly sorrowful large-scale killing. This adjective+noun combination follows normal semantic composition patterns and is cross-linguistically transparent, so the phrase is predictable from its parts.
Etymology
Tragic massacre comes from joining tragic (meaning 'very sad') and massacre (meaning 'the killing of many people'). Picture a place where many people are suddenly killed and everyone is left in deep sadness and shock; that strong image is why the phrase means 'an extremely violent event where many people are killed and that causes great sorrow and shock'.