1
as in oppressive
difficult to endure
the murderous heat of the desert
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
those exams were murderous
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lethal
likely to cause or capable of causing death
braved murderous machine-gun fire to capture the hill from the enemy
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4
as in murdering
eager for or marked by the shedding of blood, extreme violence, or killing
Viking warriors became legendary for the murderous fury they displayed in battle
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of murderous
All of Ibsen is there – the murderous marital ennui, the broiling rage under the bourgeois façade – but DaCosta has made one key change to the original play.
—
Ben Jureidini, Them., 22 Aug. 2025
My innards weren’t roiled by low expectations toward the summit — that was a given — but by the long list of Putin critics and political opponents who have died under mysterious circumstances over his murderous decadeslong reign.
—Andy Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
His effort to schmaltz Putin with a display of royal pageantry obviously pleased this murderous dictator to no end.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Aug. 2025
Moorjani’s character—a rebel tied to a cannon, desperately trying to placate a cheerfully murderous British officer (Jonathan Oldfield)—emphasizes the complexity of accurately telling the story of a war.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for murderous
Ben Jureidini, Them., 22 Aug. 2025
My innards weren’t roiled by low expectations toward the summit — that was a given — but by the long list of Putin critics and political opponents who have died under mysterious circumstances over his murderous decadeslong reign.
—Andy Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
His effort to schmaltz Putin with a display of royal pageantry obviously pleased this murderous dictator to no end.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Aug. 2025
Moorjani’s character—a rebel tied to a cannon, desperately trying to placate a cheerfully murderous British officer (Jonathan Oldfield)—emphasizes the complexity of accurately telling the story of a war.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for murderous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for murderous
Adjective
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Related Stories Farrelly thinks that kind of oppressive political correctness is fading and that audiences are eager to see movies that eviscerate good taste in order to land a joke again.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
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Pitted against the unforgettably evil Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher), a sadist who drugs and abuses the unlucky patients in her care, McMurphy’s stand against the oppressive powers that be is tragic and poignant and spoke to the spirit of a time in which so many felt misunderstood.—
Christina Newland,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The Bulls look to be the best team in the Group of Five conferences, while the Gators and coach Billy Napier are now under pressure with a difficult SEC schedule ahead.—
Erick Smith,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
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Usually the final day of boot camp is most difficult.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This mix of impulsivity and ambivalence highlights why a safe environment – without access to firearms or other lethal methods – can be the difference between life and death for someone in crisis.—
Emmy Betz,
The Conversation,
5 Sep. 2025
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Executions are on hold in Idaho as the state prison system remodels its execution chamber in the transition from lethal injection to a firing squad as the lead method.—
Kevin Fixler
September 5,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The once-beloved pastels will become harsh.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
6 Sep. 2025
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The pilgrimage, listed on the official calendar of jubilee events, comes as gay Catholics look to Pope Leo XIV to continue down the bold path of his predecessor to welcome into the church a group that has in the past faced alienation and sometimes harsh treatment.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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To be sure, the last few years have been more challenging, with Gucci rapidly losing momentum — and Kering’s debt load swelling after an acquisition spree that included Creed, Maui Jim, a 30 percent stake in Valentino, and large chunks of prime real estate.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
9 Sep. 2025
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Ultimately, gig engineering is becoming an attractive but challenging path.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Over the past 48 hours, Nepal has been rocked by deadly mass protests led by young people who are frustrated over the country's leadership.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
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Rip currents are the deadliest of surf-zone dangers, making up the majority of deaths among beach swimmers every year, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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As the moon slipped into the deepest part of our planet's shadow — a period known as totality — a phenomenon known as Rayleigh scattering saw the moon adopt a bloody red hue, as sunlight scattered by Earth's atmosphere was bent onto the lunar surface.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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In a similar vein, Mandela also oversaw the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, largely credited with helping South Africa avoid a bloody civil war that many saw as inevitable.—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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There’s a significant battery life tax to pay for the microLED model’s searing brightness, too.—
Andrew Williams,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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But the gifted Argentinian auteur has never tackled the issue as directly as in Landmarks (Nuestra Tierra), a searing and detailed chronicle of murder, bigotry and robbery on a massive scale that also marks the director’s first feature-length documentary.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Murderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/murderous. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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