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
David Wild5
: bloodred
6
British, informal + sometimes offensive
: damned
—often used as an intensive
acting like a bloody fool
British, informal + sometimes offensive
—used as an intensive
a bloody awful mistake
had a bloody good time
Synonyms
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 WebKaren 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
Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
There’s a mass indoor gunfight (screaming, blood spatters), and a daughter watches her dad get beaten to death while a crowd jeers, his face bloodied and mangled.
—Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
When those interest rates more than quadrupled, the balance sheets of many insurers were bloodied.
—Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
While trying to duck under the very first beam in the very first challenge at the marooning, Bruce banged and bloodied his head, suffering a concussion.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024
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
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
Photos and videos circulated on social media showing bodies and passports — some bloodied — from Poland, the United Kingdom and Australia, reportedly belonging to the deceased members of the World Central Kitchen team deployed in Gaza.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
There’s a mass indoor gunfight (screaming, blood spatters), and a daughter watches her dad get beaten to death while a crowd jeers, his face bloodied and mangled.
—Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
When those interest rates more than quadrupled, the balance sheets of many insurers were bloodied.
—Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
While trying to duck under the very first beam in the very first challenge at the marooning, Bruce banged and bloodied his head, suffering a concussion.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024
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
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
Phrases Containing bloody
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Dictionary Entries Near bloody
Cite this Entry
“Bloody.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bloody. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
bloody
adjectiveˈbləd-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
adverb
ˈbləd-ᵊl-ē
bloodiness
noun
ˈbləd-ē-nəs
bloody
verb
More from Merriam-Webster on bloody
Nglish: Translation of bloody for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of bloody for Arabic Speakers
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