bloody

1 of 3

adjective

bloodier; bloodiest
1
a
: containing or made up of blood
b
: of or contained in the blood
2
: smeared or stained with blood
3
a
: accompanied by or involving bloodshed
especially : marked by great slaughter
a bloody battle
b
: marked by fierce conflict
In the end the litigation proved exhaustive and bloody but successful.David Wild
4
5
6
British, informal + sometimes offensive : damned
often used as an intensive
acting like a bloody fool
bloodily adverb
bloodiness noun

bloody

2 of 3

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

bloody

3 of 3

adverb

British, informal + sometimes offensive
used as an intensive
a bloody awful mistake
had a bloody good time
Choose the Right Synonym for bloody

bloody, sanguinary, gory mean affected by or involving the shedding of blood.

bloody is applied especially to things that are actually covered with blood or are made up of blood.

bloody hands

sanguinary applies especially to something attended by, or someone inclined to, bloodshed.

the Civil War was America's most sanguinary conflict

gory suggests a profusion of blood and slaughter.

exceptionally gory, even for a horror movie

Examples of bloody in a Sentence

Adjective He hit me and gave me a bloody nose. after the fight, her shirt was all bloody Verb He hit me and bloodied my nose. the politician's reputation was permanently bloodied by the rumors of corruption
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
After watching in terror as a man violently attacked a police officer in an El Cajon fast-food restaurant, Iesha Booker checked for a pulse on the bloody, unconscious officer and yelled into the radio on his belt. Karen Kucher, sandiegouniontribune.com, 19 July 2017 Photos of the man in a hospital bed with a bloody mouth were also posted. Jonece Starr Dunigan, AL.com, 14 July 2017 A man found the baby bloody but still breathing and asked security at the building to call 911, prosecutors said at the time. Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, 10 July 2017 His comments came after weeks of saber-rattling in New Delhi and Beijing, as officials from both sides talk up a potential clash even bloodier than their 1962 war that left thousands dead. Bloomberg.com, 6 July 2017 For example, at Chester’s Roman Amphitheatre, centurion Marcus Aurelius Nepos tells about England’s bloody combat history at the spot. Jennifer Billock, Smithsonian, 30 June 2017 Collapsing the roof isn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing, either—our experience involved about three minutes, two swearing fits, and at least one bloody knuckle. Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 30 June 2017 Instead, there’s glee for Trump’s base in watching Trump bring justice to the streets of media Gotham, flinging Batarangs of acerbic nastiness at Mika Brzezinski’s bloody face. Ben Shapiro, National Review, 5 July 2017 His next memory was waking up on the floor with a bloody nose and painful headache. Michael Osipoff, Post-Tribune, 3 July 2017
Verb
After his wife was found bloodied in their Orlando, Fla., home in 2018, David Tronnes broke down in tears while police questioned him. Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024 Twenty-two more fellow Kansas City Chiefs fans — half of them children — came to celebrate a Super Bowl victory and left Union Station bloodied by bullets. The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 17 Feb. 2024 The cocaine trade pioneer, who made her mark by bloodying Miami’s streets, died the same way she was arrested in 1985: with a Bible on her chest. Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2024 Boyles posted a photo on Facebook last week showing the left side of his face bloodied. Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 16 Oct. 2023 One child lies motionless and partially wrapped in a white shroud, her head bloodied with a deep wound. Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 12 Feb. 2024 Back at the Parra home, Blanchard continued to document the scene and collect evidence — including that gun, which belonged to Dustin; Dustin's shorts, which were bloodied from that slide; and a note, which was discovered on the kitchen counter. David Begnaud, CBS News, 6 Jan. 2024 His trousers were bloodied by bullets and grenade shrapnel. Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2023 Thickly covered in white powder, the man’s face was bloodied. James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bloody.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

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

Verb

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

Adverb

1681, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bloody was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bloody

Cite this Entry

“Bloody.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bloody. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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
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 adverb
bloodiness noun

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