murderous

adjective

mur·​der·​ous ˈmər-d(ə-)rəs 

1

a

: having the purpose or capability of murder

a murderous machine gun

b

: characterized by or causing murder or bloodshed

a murderous dictator

2

: having the ability or power to overwhelm : devastating

murderous heat

murderously adverb

murderousness noun

Synonyms of murderous

• oppressive
• harsh
• searing
• brutal
• tough
• severe
• rough
• cruel
• hard
• grim
• inhuman

Examples of murderous in a Sentence

I can't stand this murderous heat.

The lead runner set a murderous pace.

Recent Examples on the Web

Performers who flirt with murderous rhetoric and ideologies hardly make ideal mascots for the pro-Palestine movement, or for anyone else who advocates to end, not intensify, violence in the Middle East. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026

Both address the consequences of Brazil’s murderous 21-year military dictatorship. —Lisa Rosen, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026

The film follows a Border Patrol agent, Charlie Smith (Jack Nicholson), who gets drawn into a human-smuggling operation by his new partner, the venal and murderous Cat, played by Harvey Keitel. —Alexander Nazaryan, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026

Villainous weirdos like Bronze Age Pervert, Curtis Yarvin, or Jack Donovan who populate the ranks of far-right intellectuals are obsessed with their own fabulism about antiquity, reminding one of the murderous gaggle of privileged college kids in Donna Tart’s 1993 campus novel The Secret History. —Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

murderous

adjective

mur·​der·​ous ˈmərd-(ə-)rəs 

1

: intending or capable of causing murder or bloodshed : deadly

murderous machine-gun fire

2

: very difficult to bear or withstand

a murderous glance

murderous heat

murderously adverb