bloody

verb

bloodied; bloodying

transitive verb

1

: to make bloody or bloodred

a punch that bloodied his nose

2

: harm, damage

an administration bloodied by scandal

Synonyms of bloody

• damage
• mar
• injure
• hurt
• cripple
• compromise
• spoil
• break

Examples of bloody in a Sentence

He hit me and bloodied my nose.

the politician's reputation was permanently bloodied by the rumors of corruption

Recent Examples on the Web

Jones found success using a left hook to the body followed by a straight right hand down the middle that bloodied Gualtieri’s nose. —Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 23 May 2026

Perry won the welterweight matchup on a doctor's stoppage after bloodying Diaz. —ABC News, 20 May 2026

Festivities kicked off with a trailer narrated by Uma Thurman (objectively cool), and a handful of mostly uncompetitive undercard bouts (save the always game and bloodied Nate Diaz), the crowd loudly booing MVP promoter Jake Paul at his own event, and the graphic getting Rousey’s age wrong. —Marlow Stern, Variety, 17 May 2026

Cellphone video showed officers handcuffing and pressing him against an unmarked sedan, with his forehead bloodied. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 16 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing bloody

• beat them to a (bloody) pulp
• bloody hell
• bloody-minded
• bloody murder
• bloody shirt
• bloody well
• not bloody likely!
• scream bloody murder
• the bloody hell

Rhymes for bloody

• buddy
• cuddy
• muddy
• ruddy
• scudi
• study
• restudy
• understudy

Kids Definition

bloody

adjective

ˈbləd-ē

bloodier; bloodiest

1

a

: containing, smeared, or stained with blood

a bloody handkerchief

b

: dripping blood

a bloody nose

2

: causing or accompanied by bloodshed

a bloody battle

3

: bloodthirsty, murderous

a bloody deed

bloodily

ˈbləd-ᵊl-ē

adverb

bloodiness

ˈbləd-ē-nəs

noun

bloody verb

Medical Definition

bloody

adjective

ˈbləd-ē 

bloodier; bloodiest

1

a

: containing or made up of blood

b

: of or contained in the blood

2

a

: smeared or stained with blood

b

: dripping blood : bleeding

a bloody nose

bloodily

ˈbləd-ᵊl-ē 

adverb

bloodiness

ˈbləd-ē-nəs 

noun