1
as in murderous
eager for or marked by the shedding of blood, extreme violence, or killing
The outlaw was bloody-minded in pursuit of vengeance against the authorities.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in irritable
chiefly British
having or showing a habitually bad temper
according to palace gossip, behind closed doors the prince was a bloody-minded bore
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bloody-minded
Arsenal need to be bloody-minded and show a bit more courage and conviction than in recent meetings.
—
Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
But this was an emotional display of bloody-minded defiance.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 6 July 2025
Suffice to say that Marseille, the oldest city in France, also developed a bloody-minded streak that would have no doubt impressed Caesar himself in the coming centuries.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 20 June 2025
This exchange is emblematic of their close but often adversarial relationship: two similarly bloody-minded women who are always butting heads.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2025
How could a team in black and white be this unflinching, so bloody-minded and determined?
—Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 6 Feb. 2025
The International Olympic Committee has functioned as financier and enabler of autocrats with world-destructive designs as bloody-minded as any historical tyrant.
—Sally Jenkins, Washington Post, 27 July 2024
Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
But this was an emotional display of bloody-minded defiance.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 6 July 2025
Suffice to say that Marseille, the oldest city in France, also developed a bloody-minded streak that would have no doubt impressed Caesar himself in the coming centuries.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 20 June 2025
This exchange is emblematic of their close but often adversarial relationship: two similarly bloody-minded women who are always butting heads.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2025
How could a team in black and white be this unflinching, so bloody-minded and determined?
—Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 6 Feb. 2025
The International Olympic Committee has functioned as financier and enabler of autocrats with world-destructive designs as bloody-minded as any historical tyrant.
—Sally Jenkins, Washington Post, 27 July 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bloody-minded
Adjective
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The whiteprint is irrefutable evidence of the Nazis’ murderous intent.—
Elliott Broidy,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Momoa’s irresponsible, endlessly chatty Jonny is first seen being dumped by his long-suffering girlfriend Valentina (Morena Baccarin) and is the kind of guy who quaffs a beer even while fighting off a gang of murderous yakuza.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
On the contrary, Juventus’ football soothed even the most irritable sections of the crowd.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
This can include feeling irritable, having a low frustration tolerance, feeling easily overstimulated, and having rapid shifts in emotion.—
Korin Miller,
SELF,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Grifters can be analyzed by affect (jolly, cold, angry, greedy, sad) and/or by gender.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Agents made several arrests in supermarket parking lots and at tamale stands while goading angry residents who confronted them and threatening to unleash tear gas.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
As the internet blackout in Iran appears to be easing after weeks of protests across the country, the scale of the Islamic Republic regime’s bloodiest crackdown in decades is now being made public, according to activist groups.—
Somayeh Malekian,
ABC News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
One of the bloodiest moments in that revolution, which deposed the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and led to the rise of the incumbent Islamist regime, occurred on September 8, 1978.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Lori Tan Chinn charms as a cantankerous Chinatown grandmother, while Jamie Lee Curtis makes a memorable meal of her single scene as a mob boss.—
Beandrea July,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Ornery, bizarre, cantankerous, brilliant, talented, stubborn—all characters from our lives.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The barrage of images broadcast out of Minneapolis and surrounding regions depict violent and brutal encounters and capture moments of utter fear, pain and confusion.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
24 Jan. 2026
-
The collective rejection of ICE’s brutal and indefensible assault on Minneapolis is part of a larger wave of solidarity against the federal government.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Sometimes he’d be sent out to deal with the more ornery guests in an effort to calm them.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
-
With its abundance of concrete, startling interior views, and play of deep shadows, the design invokes the ornery inventiveness of Kahn and Paul Rudolph, combined with the corporate sleekness of MoMA’s most recent iterations by Yoshio Taniguchi and Diller Scofidio + Renfro.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Sons of Anarchy was praised for its stellar writing, operatic plotting, and cast of actors who breathed vivid life into their characters, giving even the most savage moments a dose of humanity.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Jan. 2026
-
This league is a savage league.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
22 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bloody-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bloody-minded. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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