bloodlust

noun

Definition of bloodlustnext
as in brutality
the desire to kill or to see people killed warriors inflamed by bloodlust

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bloodlust But surely in addition to terrorizing the locals for centuries while Warren was hanging out in a coffin, the island looked toward other solutions for its bloodlust. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 17 June 2026 The sisters’ mission involves a dangerous and violent road trip; the fierce Racine outdoes the sensitive Anaia in her bloodlust, and the drama, reminiscent of classical tragedy, resounds with mythopoetic overtones. — Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 15 May 2026 Jones was prepared for the bloodlust of the rivalry, the physicality required. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 28 Apr. 2026 Do better, or consider hiring people who paint a vivid enough picture with words rather than having to lean on photographers who seem to have an obscene bloodlust. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bloodlust
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bloodlust
  1. brutality
  2. murderousness
  3. bloodthirstiness
  4. meanness
  5. savagery
  6. cruelty
  7. sadism
  8. barbarity
Noun
  • Notable releases include a novel about police brutality, the return of Barbara Kingsolver, 1980s fiction and a deep dive into the very real specter of artificial intelligence.
    — Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The government suspended the use of stun grenades after a 15-year-old ​boy's hand was blown off earlier in the week, fueling accusations of police brutality.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of brutality
Noun
  • The guy was a sleaze, but there’s a pretty big gap between sleaziness and murderousness.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
Definition of murderousness
Noun
  • The findings can’t be extrapolated to the real world — the scenarios were extreme, with the regimes often facing first strikes or annihilation — but revealed AIs’ skill at strategic reasoning, as well as a certain bloodthirstiness.
    — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Definition of bloodthirstiness
Noun
  • Don’t give in to that meanness, and that false belief in scarcity.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Amid so much belabored meanness, meager appeals to conscience scan more like self-conscious obligation, easily subsumed by impotence.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of meanness
Noun
  • After the Nuremberg tribunal, the top Nazi leadership were rightly hanged for their crimes, yet even these were not open for public viewing, because that is savagery.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • As attendees, including Ariana DeBose and Patricia Clarkson, tucked into sweet Forelle pears and a main course of Branzino, the atmosphere was decidedly more serene than the savagery witnessed earlier on stage.
    — Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of savagery
Noun
  • Luhansk, this terra incognita of the independent Ukraine, is described in almost carnivalesque terms, but this is a carnival infused with absurdity and even cruelty.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Artistaya Arriyawongsa directed and co-wrote the film, which uses the supernatural to probe online cruelty and the public shaming it fuels.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of cruelty
Noun
  • School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, might well come closest in approach to Kimberly Belflower’s urgent John Proctor Is The Villain in its insistence that homeroom sadism doesn’t just spring from hormones or reindeer game competition.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Lagioia’s book goes into disturbing detail about what came next; suffice it to say that Luca’s murder tested the bounds of sadism.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of sadism
Noun
  • What wasn’t new was the continuation of the kind of barbarity that dominated conflicts of recent memory, from Cambodia to Rwanda.
    — David Friend, Vanity Fair, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The report comes as the RSF lays siege to El Obeid, where analysts say similar barbarity is imminent.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 9 July 2026
Definition of barbarity

Browse Nearby Words

bloodlines
bloodlust
bloodred
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Cite this Entry

“Bloodlust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bloodlust. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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