atrocità

atrocity; horror

noun ah-troh-chee-TAH Rare

Origin: Latin atrocitas, from atrox (savage, cruel).

Also means

cruelty

Usage Note

Atrocità is invariable in the plural — le atrocità — like all Italian nouns ending in an accented vowel. It refers to an act of extreme cruelty or horror, often in war or violence contexts. The adjective is atroce (atrocious). A related false-friend caution: English 'atrocity' and atrocità align well, but atroce can also mean 'terrible' in colloquial understatement (un dolore atroce = terrible pain).

Examples

"Le atrocità della guerra non devono essere dimenticate."

Natural Translation

The atrocities of war must not be forgotten.

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