massacre
das Massaker, die Massaker
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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.
massacre
Colloquial and exaggerated for a crushing defeat, especially in sports.
Das Spiel endete 10:0 – es war ein reines Massaker für die Gastmannschaft.
The game ended 10–0 — it was a complete massacre for the visiting team.
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| plural | die Massaker |
| genitive | des Massakers |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Massaker | die Massaker |
| accusative | das Massaker | die Massaker |
| dative | dem Massaker | den Massakern |
| genitive | des Massakers | der Massaker |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
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.
genocide
A Massaker refers to a specific, brutal killing event with many victims. “Genozid,” by contrast, describes the systematic and intentional destruction of a particular national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. Therefore, “Massaker” is more appropriate for a single attack, while “Genozid” is used when there is an overarching intent to exterminate the group.
Bei dem einzelnen Angriff auf das Dorf wurden viele wehrlose Menschen getötet, und die Tat wurde als Massaker bezeichnet.
In the single attack on the village, many defenseless people were killed, and the act was called a massacre.
Die jahrelange systematische Vernichtung der religiösen Gruppe wurde als Genozid bezeichnet.
The years-long, systematic extermination of the religious group was called genocide.
