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 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 The Flyers’ bullying and their fans’ bloodlust became synonymous with the building. — Rob Rossi, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026 The film’s most unsettling scenes connect Hans' murder spree with the bloodlust of the German public, foreshadowing the Nazis’ rise to power just a few years later. — Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025 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
  • Mishiali’s filmmaking does not overemphasize the brutality of this situation.
    — Elena Lazic, Variety, 15 July 2026
  • Not a particularly easy watch, to say the least, the complexly plotted film leans into the madness, and intense brutality experienced by the characters.
    — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 13 July 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
  • Sometimes the irony turns bitter and, with a typically Eastern European sensibility, highlights the paradoxes of institutions, as well as the madness and meanness born from the pursuit and preservation of power.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 June 2026
  • After 1965, when African Americans’ right to vote was constitutionally recognized, the meanness continued.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 May 2026
Definition of meanness
Noun
  • This savagery can last up to a week before the mature larvae fall to the ground.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026
  • While our money would be on The Last Son of Krypton in a main card matchup, Lobo fights dirty with a level of primal savagery that just might put the Big Blue Boy Scout and his cousin down for a few rounds.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 6 June 2026
Definition of savagery
Noun
  • The man turned himself in and was charged with misdemeanor breaking and entering, and misdemeanor cruelty to animals, according to court documents.
    — Mark Price July 13, Charlotte Observer, 13 July 2026
  • In cases of cruelty and mistreatment, they can be considered victims and not things, which radically changes the way the future of animals is defined.
    — Sol Amaya, CNN Money, 13 July 2026
Definition of cruelty
Noun
  • Chiarella takes time between bouts of danger to show affection and intimacy that, in defiance of teen-slasher formula, isn’t immediately penalized with sadism.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
  • Here, animals serve as vessels for our worst impulses, suffering at the point where curiosity turns to sadism, domination to cruelty, and self-interest to neglect.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
Definition of sadism
Noun
  • 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
  • The barbarity of the institution, meanwhile, is self-evident—but rarely does an author present its abuses so powerfully and vividly.
    — The Atlantic, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
Definition of barbarity

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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 Jul. 2026.

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