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The difference between massacre and genocide

Reviewed and edited by

Anwar Kareem 28/09/2024, 19:15

English.me team member

Massacre and genocide. What's the difference?

What is similar?

Both involve the killing of a large number of people.

What is different?

Massacre refers to the indiscriminate and brutal slaughter of people, often without regard to who they are. Genocide specifically involves killing with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a particular national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

Which one is more common?

Internet search results for massacre) and genocide

Examples of usage

Massacre

The massacre left hundreds dead in the village.
Witnesses described the event as a horrific massacre.

Genocide

The international community recognized the atrocity as genocide.
Efforts were made to hold those responsible for the genocide accountable.

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