bloody

adjective

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\ ˈblə-dē

bloodier; bloodiest

Definition of bloody

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : containing or made up of blood

b : of or contained in the blood

2 : smeared or stained with blood

3a : 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

4a : murderous

b : merciless, cruel

5 : bloodred

6 British, informal + sometimes offensive : damned —often used as an intensive acting like a bloody fool

bloody

verb

bloodied; bloodying

Definition of bloody (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to make bloody or bloodred a punch that bloodied his nose

2 : harm, damage an administration bloodied by scandal

bloody

adverb

Definition of bloody (Entry 3 of 3)

British, informal + sometimes offensive

—used as an intensive a bloody awful mistakehad a bloody good time

Other Words from bloody Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about bloody

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Choose the Right Synonym for bloody

Adjective

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, "Bus driver screams 'Officer down!' into radio of injured cop," 19 July 2017 Photos of the man in a hospital bed with a bloody mouth were also posted. — Jonece Starr Dunigan, AL.com, "Man accuses Rainbow City police of brutality; police refute," 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, "Woman admits to dropping baby to death in Uptown, gets probation," 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, "China Demands India Leave Himalayan Plateau in Rising Spat," 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, "Five Augmented Reality Experiences That Bring Museum Exhibits to Life," 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, "2018 Morgan 4/4," 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, "No One Emerges from Trump’s Feud with the Media Looking Good," 5 July 2017 His next memory was waking up on the floor with a bloody nose and painful headache. — Michael Osipoff, Post-Tribune, "RailCats release former Portage star after criminal charges filed," 3 July 2017 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Bruised, bloodied, and reeking of fuel, the three men were handcuffed in the back of a police truck and driven to a hospital in Toluca. — Seth Harp, Harper's Magazine, "In Harm’s Way," 27 Apr. 2020 Videos showed people being beaten on the floor and left bloodied and dazed. — James Griffiths, CNN, "After his parents' graves are vandalized, Hong Kong lawmaker says opponents walking 'path of not being alive'," 24 July 2019 Bruised, bloodied, and reeking of fuel, the three men were handcuffed in the back of a police truck and driven to a hospital in Toluca. — Seth Harp, Harper's Magazine, "In Harm’s Way," 27 Apr. 2020 Cordon’s face was bloodied during a home invasion in the early hours of July 10. — John Wawrow, The Seattle Times, "Bills’ McCoy sued by ex-girlfriend following home invasion," 13 Aug. 2018 The woman was bloodied, and her hair was cut by the blades of the arrow, the sheriff’s office said. — oregonlive, "Kelso man arrested on suspicion of shooting ex-girlfriend with compound bow, deputies say," 24 Mar. 2020 Meanwhile, Democrats bloodied each other in a debate battle ahead of today’s Nevada caucuses that candidate Michael Bloomberg said Trump won. — Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, "White House Report Card: Trump winning the Democratic race," 22 Feb. 2020 News photos showed rescue workers with lights bringing out people, some bloodied by the collapse. — USA TODAY, "10 dead, 23 missing after collapse of Chinese hotel housing refugees from virus' epicenter," 9 Mar. 2020 Bruised, bloodied, and reeking of fuel, the three men were handcuffed in the back of a police truck and driven to a hospital in Toluca. — Seth Harp, Harper's magazine, "In Harm’s Way," 2 Mar. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bloody.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.