Synonyms of murder

murder 1 of 2

noun

ˈmər-dər 

1

as in nightmare

a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness

this weather is murder on my sinuses

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nightmare
• torture
• agony
• horror
• misery
• torment
• curse
• tragedy
• hell
• ordeal
• misfortune
• trial
• cross
• Gehenna
• calamity
• tribulation
• calvary
• affliction
• drag
• thorn
• gall
• downer
• bummer

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• heaven
• pleasure
• joy
• recreation
• entertainment
• fun
• diversion
• delight
• paradise
• riot
• picnic
• lark

2

as in homicide

the intentional and unlawful taking of another person's life

arrested for attempting to commit murder

Synonyms & Similar Words

• homicide
• slaying
• killing
• blood
• massacre
• assassination
• foul play
• slaughter
• manslaughter
• execution
• rubout
• destruction
• bloodshed
• carnage
• butchery
• decimation
• euthanasia
• parricide
• regicide
• matricide
• mercy killing
• hit
• fratricide
• chance-medley
• patricide
• filicide
• uxoricide

murder

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to assassinate

to put to death deliberately

those people made me so mad I felt like I wanted to murder them

Synonyms & Similar Words

• assassinate
• slay
• execute
• kill
• slaughter
• dispatch
• neutralize
• get
• snuff
• off
• destroy
• put away
• take out
• liquidate
• terminate
• ice
• shoot
• whack
• massacre
• knock off
• do away with
• bump off
• rub out
• do in
• croak
• blow away
• cut down
• butcher
• shoot down
• claim
• carry off
• fell
• blot out
• eliminate
• eradicate
• mow (down)
• smite
• wipe out
• exterminate
• annihilate
• zap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• raise
• restore
• revive
• resurrect
• animate
• resuscitate

2

as in to fumble

to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way

we listened in horror as she murdered our favorite song on stage

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fumble
• blow
• ruin
• butcher
• destroy
• dub
• spoil
• foul up
• botch
• bungle
• boot
• screw up
• goof (up)
• damage
• muff
• mangle
• injure
• boggle
• fluff
• muck up
• bugger (up)
• mar
• mess (up)
• wreck
• mutilate
• hurt
• flub
• gum (up)
• foozle
• harm
• blunder
• louse up
• flaw
• bumble
• bollix (up)
• bobble
• impair
• muddle
• blight
• blemish
• vitiate
• piffle
• mismanage
• mishandle

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• help
• improve
• better
• reform
• enhance
• remedy
• rectify
• ameliorate
• refine
• repair
• patch
• fix
• meliorate
• renovate
• revamp
• doctor
• recondition

Synonym Chooser

How is the word murder distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of murder are assassinate, dispatch, execute, kill, and slay. While all these words mean "to deprive of life," murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

When could assassinate be used to replace murder?

Although the words assassinate and murder have much in common, assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

When might dispatch be a better fit than murder?

The words dispatch and murder can be used in similar contexts, but dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

Where would execute be a reasonable alternative to murder?

In some situations, the words execute and murder are roughly equivalent. However, execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

When would kill be a good substitute for murder?

While in some cases nearly identical to murder, kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident

frost killed the plants

When is it sensible to use slay instead of murder?

While the synonyms slay and murder are close in meaning, slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of murder

Noun

The surveillance footage released by police in 2012 from the night before the murder showed a person in a hoodie and baggy pants walking up the stairs outside Chavez’s apartment and knocking on the door. — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026

The singer has pleaded not guilty to charges that include first-degree murder. — Alex Stone, ABC News, 21 July 2026

Verb

But Nolan also throws a meditative new wrinkle into the story, as Odysseus comes to grips with his role in the Trojan War, leading the charge as his men raped, murdered and pillaged in his name. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 18 July 2026

Prosecutors said Peterson murdered Laci, who was eight months pregnant, on Christmas Eve 2002 before dumping her body in San Francisco Bay. — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 18 July 2026