Slaughter: meaning, definitions and examples

Used primarily to refer to the killing of animals for food. It can also describe large-scale, violent killing of people, often with a sense of brutality and lack of mercy.

• The farmer prepared for the cattle slaughter.
• The battle turned into a brutal slaughter.

Often associated with the profession of cutting and selling meat but can also describe a violent scene with dismemberment and extreme violence. It may carry a sense of unprofessionalism or extreme violence when referring to people.

• He owns a small butchery downtown.
• The crime scene was a butchery, with bodies scattered everywhere.

Used to describe a scene with extreme destruction and mass killing, often in a context like war or a severe disaster. This word carries a strong negative connotation.

• The battlefield was a scene of unimaginable carnage.
• The aftermath of the bombing left nothing but carnage.

Refers to the indiscriminate and brutal killing of a large number of people, usually with a strong emphasis on the horror and unjustness of the event.

• The historical event is remembered as a tragic massacre.
• Survivors recounted the horrors of the massacre.

Typically used to describe the killing of animals for food or a large number of entities in a particularly violent manner. It can also describe a brutal or ruthless large-scale killing of people but can carry a negative or gruesome connotation.

• The farmers gathered to slaughter the cattle for the upcoming festival.
• The battle resulted in the slaughter of many innocent civilians.

Describes the brutal, violent killing of many people or animals, often with an implication of needless cruelty or violence. This term carries a distinctly negative and horrific connotation.

• The massacre of the villagers left the community in shock and grief.
• The historical event was marked by a massacre that claimed thousands of lives.

A general term for causing the death of an organism. It can be used in a wide range of contexts, from discussing the death of animals to human confrontations, and does not necessarily carry as strong a negative connotation as some of the other words.

• The hunter aims to kill a deer for sport.
• He was forced to kill the spider in his room.

Refers specifically to the act of killing multiple people, typically in a single event, and usually implies a horrific and deliberate intent. It highlights the scale and premeditation of the act and carries a very strong negative connotation.

• The criminal was charged with mass murder after the tragedy.
• Mass murder during wartime remains one of the darkest chapters in history.