massacre
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massacre
A cruel slaughter in which a large number of defenseless people or animals are brutally killed.
Das Massaker an der Zivilbevölkerung löste weltweit Entsetzen aus.
The massacre of the civilian population caused horror around the world.
To name the victim group, 'Massaker' (massacre) is almost always used with the preposition 'an' followed by the dative. For example: 'ein Massaker an jemandem' (a massacre of someone).
Der Film handelt von einem Massaker an unschuldigen Dorfbewohnern.
The film is about a massacre of innocent villagers.
A massacre is not 'gemacht' (made). The typical verbs used in this serious context are 'anrichten' (to cause), 'verüben' (to commit), or 'begehen' (to commit).
Die Täter haben ein furchtbares Massaker angerichtet.
The perpetrators caused a terrible massacre.
Using the word in sports or competitions is highly exaggerated and colloquial. It describes a very decisive defeat in a dramatic way.
Unsere Mannschaft hat 1:9 verloren, es war ein totales Massaker.
Our team lost 1–9; it was a total massacre.
defeat
'die Niederlage' and 'das Massaker' can both refer to a lost game in sports. 'Niederlage' is neutral and simply describes the fact that someone lost. 'Massaker' is colloquial and strongly exaggerated in this context. It means a very clear, almost crushing defeat. You should use 'Massaker' carefully, because the word actually means something very brutal. For normal or factual situations, 'Niederlage' is the better choice.
Nach dem 1:9 sprachen die Fans von einem Massaker auf dem Platz.
After the 9–1 loss, the fans spoke of a massacre on the pitch.
Die Niederlage im Finale tat den Spielern besonders weh.
The defeat in the final was especially painful for the players.