bloodletting
noun
blood·let·ting
ˈbləd-ˌle-tiŋ 
1
2
3
: elimination of personnel or resources
4
: severe criticism
Take the English, the undisputed champions at verbal bloodletting.—
Bill Ott
: a harsh verbal or written attack
Bill OttBut what makes "Cinderella & Company" more than just a book-length bloodletting is Hoelterhoff's unexpected sympathy for most of the singers about whom she writes.—Terry Teachout
Terry TeachoutExamples of bloodletting in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Indeed, if anyone thought the entertainment business’ bloodletting was over after last year’s series of layoffs, Walt Disney Co. and Warner Bros. Discovery disabused them of that notion in recent days.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2025
In the midst of such bloodletting, the launch of such a project may seem surprising at best and a waste of resources at worst.
—Kendall Bianchi, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2017
That bloodletting is after accounting for the market’s bounce late Monday and into Tuesday.
—Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Both of these aspects set the tone for the raw carnage that would be reproduced in Doom Eternal (2020), a solid sequel that doubled down on the gratuitous bloodletting and amped up the industrial sound of the Doom (2016) OST to a new level.
—Kazuma Hashimoto, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bloodletting
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Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2025
In the midst of such bloodletting, the launch of such a project may seem surprising at best and a waste of resources at worst.
—Kendall Bianchi, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2017
That bloodletting is after accounting for the market’s bounce late Monday and into Tuesday.
—Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Both of these aspects set the tone for the raw carnage that would be reproduced in Doom Eternal (2020), a solid sequel that doubled down on the gratuitous bloodletting and amped up the industrial sound of the Doom (2016) OST to a new level.
—Kazuma Hashimoto, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bloodletting
Cite this Entry
“Bloodletting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bloodletting. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bloodletting
noun
blood·let·ting
ˈbləd-ˌlet-iŋ
1
: the opening of a vein for the purpose of drawing blood
Medical Definition
bloodletting
noun
blood·let·ting
-ˌlet-iŋ
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