bloody 1 of 2

Definition of bloodynext

bloody

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective bloody contrast with its synonyms?

The words gory and sanguinary are common synonyms of bloody. While all three words 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

Where would gory be a reasonable alternative to bloody?

In some situations, the words gory and bloody are roughly equivalent. However, gory suggests a profusion of blood and slaughter.

exceptionally gory, even for a horror movie

When could sanguinary be used to replace bloody?

The meanings of sanguinary and bloody largely overlap; however, sanguinary applies especially to something attended by, or someone inclined to, bloodshed.

the Civil War was America's most sanguinary conflict

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 bloody
Adjective
Spielberg didn’t film those terrifying closeups of the shark – like when Jaws pops up as Brody is shoveling the bloody chump slick in the water — until Day 92. Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 22 June 2026 There is a real distinction between a city unified by five fine starting players in a game that originally involved throwing a ball into a peach basket and that, however improbably, became the city game, and the bloody display in the nation’s capital. Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
Verb
Cellphone video showed officers handcuffing and pressing him against an unmarked sedan, with his forehead bloodied. Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 16 May 2026 The play was widely denounced after Greig bloodied a defenseless Walker with an uppercut to the face while Walker was held in a headlock by another Senators player. James Mirtle, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bloody
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bloody
Adjective
  • Van Hecke jogged to the sideline after his blond hair had turned red from the blood.
    Andrew Greif, NBC news, 30 June 2026
  • Green means habitable, yellow means moderately damaged, and red signifies that the building is unsafe.
    Max Saltman, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
Adjective
  • Maybe Othello was primed and ready to be worked into a murderous rage.
    David Frum, The Atlantic, 17 June 2026
  • Pure white cloth, born in the murderous toil of slavery, formed in debilitating factory conditions, and finished through the agony of Sicilian children, was bleached in more ways than one.
    Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 15 June 2026
Verb
  • Driving through deep water can also damage a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 29 June 2026
  • Bahrain and Kuwait say they were targeted by Tehran, with a residential building in Bahrain heavily damaged in the attack.
    Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 29 June 2026
Adjective
  • The reddish glow of the auroras can even be seen against the outside of the space station in this photograph.
    Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 26 June 2026
  • Chinese fringe flower blooms white, pink, creamy white, or reddish-purple.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 24 June 2026
Adjective
  • The New York Mets are in disarray thanks to a brutal start to what was supposed to be a promising season.
    Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026
  • In 1972, a year after a brutal conflict—one in which India helped with the rebirth of the eastern wing of Pakistan as Bangladesh—New Delhi and Islamabad concluded an agreement that resumed limited trade.
    Michael Kugelman, Time, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • Jacob Whitehead Homophobic chant mars Mexico’s win Before the World Cup, the Mexican football federation launched a campaign that featured the heroes of the country’s 1986 World Cup side.
    Jack Lang, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • Starmer is leaving after two years in office marred by missteps and judgment errors that eroded his standing with his party and the public.
    ABC News, ABC News, 24 June 2026
Adjective
  • That said, Kimble was asked to scale back one scene with the creature — an attack on a solider in episode two that turned out so gory, Hawley deemed it too much for even FX.
    James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 13 June 2026
  • The killing of an East Village man and brutal stabbing of two others in a gory 2024 street fight resulted in an 18-year prison term for the knifeman at his Manhattan Supreme Court sentencing Tuesday.
    Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 26 May 2026
Adjective
  • For my microgeneration, the disillusionment crept in with the savage failure of the Iraq War.
    Christopher Hooks, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
  • Set in the fictional lands of Westeros, House of the Dragon depicts a savage succession struggle within House Targaryen and a resulting civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Bloody.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bloody. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.

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