mass murderer
Loading your saved state.
mass murderer
A person who kills a large number of people, either in a single act or over a short period of time.
Der Täter des Anschlags wurde als Massenmörder verurteilt.
The perpetrator of the attack was convicted as a mass murderer.
The word is composed of 'die Masse' (a large number of people) and 'der Mörder' (the murderer). A 'Massenmörder' is therefore literally a 'murderer of masses'.
Die Medien berichteten über die Jagd nach dem Massenmörder.
The media reported on the hunt for the mass murderer.
'Massenmörder' (mass murderer) is a very strongly negative term used mainly in reporting (media) and in legal contexts (court, police). In everyday conversation, it is only used when talking about such crimes.
Der Angeklagte wurde als Massenmörder zu einer lebenslangen Haftstrafe verurteilt.
The defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment as a mass murderer.
Common verbs used with 'Massenmörder' (mass murderer) describe criminal prosecution. Typical phrases include 'einen Massenmörder fassen' (to catch a mass murderer), 'jagen' (to hunt), or 'verurteilen' (to convict).
Die Polizei hat den mutmaßlichen Massenmörder nach langer Suche gefasst.
The police caught the suspected mass murderer after a long search.
war criminal
'Kriegsverbrecher' and 'Massenmörder' can both refer to very serious crimes against people. The important difference is the context. A 'Kriegsverbrecher' commits acts during a war that violate the law of war, for example against civilians or prisoners. A 'Massenmörder' kills many people, but this does not have to happen in a war and is not automatically a legal term from the law of war. The words can be confused because a 'Kriegsverbrecher' may also have killed many people. Still, 'Kriegsverbrecher' mainly describes the type of crime in war, while 'Massenmörder' emphasizes the large number of people killed.
In dem Bericht geht es um einen Massenmörder, der viele Menschen in kurzer Zeit tötete.
The report is about a mass murderer who killed many people in a short time.
Das Gericht verurteilt den Kriegsverbrecher wegen Angriffen auf Zivilisten.
The court convicts the war criminal for attacks on civilians.