noun
pogrom
POH-grum/ˈpəʊɡrəm/
An organized violent attack on an ethnic or religious group.
During the pogrom, a mob attacks a synagogue as an elderly couple recoils.
Etymology
The root meaning “thunder, roar” underlies a Russian word for “devastation, destruction.” In English, this became a term for organized massacres targeting a particular people, especially Jews.
In context
the entire Jewish population of the northern English city of York was massacred in a pogrom
More examples
- The museum documents pogroms against Jewish communities.
- Survivors of the pogrom seek shelter in a neighboring town.
- Local officials help organize a pogrom against the religious minority.
Forms
pogrom · pogroms
Similar words
- massacre
- Massacre emphasizes mass killing, not necessarily targeting an ethnic or religious group.
- persecution
- Persecution includes sustained oppression and need not involve physical attacks.