murderous

adjective

ˈmər-d(ə-)rəs How to pronounce murderous (audio)
Definition of murderousnext
1
as in oppressive
difficult to endure the murderous heat of the desert

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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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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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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 murderous If, say, Sydney Sweeney was cast in the role, they’d be driven to murderous violence. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2026 The robbers fought with murderous determination, and the police answered with their truncheons. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 July 2026 The last piece of the murderous puzzle that day was to seize political power. — Lee Cowan, CBS News, 12 July 2026 His long white oval scleras and perfect-circle black pupils, sometimes open and sometimes closed, are always inexplicably expressive—managing to seem happy, sad, scared, sleepy, shifty, angry, eager, alarmed, mischievous, or murderous. — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for murderous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for murderous
  1. oppressive
  2. difficult
  3. lethal
  4. bloody
  5. harsh
  6. challenging
  7. deadly
  8. brutal
Adjective
  • The trope, fair or not, has often overshadowed the fact that science fiction and horror are absolutely perfect bedfellows, with outer space's total isolation, tiny quarters, and oppressive vastness perfectly suited for the horror genre.
    — Matthew Razak, Space.com, 26 July 2026
  • Crews are working nonstop to meet Mayor Karen Bass’ mid-August deadline to clear out 85 million pounds of food that continues to rot in oppressive heat.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026
Definition of oppressive
Adjective
  • For a long time, we’ve all been told that remastering the older Super Robot Wars games was extremely difficult, due to all the licensing and other costs involved.
    — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • After three difficult years, armed groups loyal to Tehran appear to be bouncing back across the Middle East, reinforcing Iran’s leverage in its war with the US and Israel.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of difficult
Adjective
  • The scheduling of two executions – both via lethal injection – in one day comes as Florida has accelerated its pace of executions, even as other states have abolished or paused the practice.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 26 July 2026
  • Filing murder charges against people who provide lethal doses of fentanyl is relatively new in California.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026
Definition of lethal
Adjective
  • Aemond is eager to leave, eager to find Vhagar and get back to the bloody business of war.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • Zacatecas has long been the site of bloody turf battles between Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation and Sinaloa cartels.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026
Definition of bloody
Adjective
  • In both premise and execution, the show is hugely reminiscent of the Showtime series of the aughts and early 2010s that featured women in harsh circumstances going to extremes in order to get one over on a society that didn’t care about them.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Although he would not be drawn on future product pricing, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are set for release in September and will be affected by the harsh trading conditions.
    — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of harsh
Adjective
  • Even during a challenging season, Stanek continued to showcase one of baseball's hardest fastballs with a plus slider, splitter and sweeper.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • There’s also 20-year-old Connor Zilisch, who’s had a challenging rookie season but is still one of the most prized young drivers to ever join the Cup Series.
    — Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of challenging
Adjective
  • Now, the community is about to enter what could be the final chapter in the criminal cases stemming from the state’s deadliest school shooting.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 July 2026
  • The deadliest animal to have ever roamed the earth is not the great white shark, or snakes, or even rats that caused three great plagues in history, decimating the human population at the time.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 July 2026
Definition of deadly
Adjective
  • And, as the Punisher, Frank is known to enact particularly brutal, bloody vengeance.
    — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 31 July 2026
  • After opening the season on the big-league roster and then suffering a demotion after a brutal debut, Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter could be poised to make a stunning return to the mound against the Orioles.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of brutal

Browse Nearby Words

murdering
murderous
murderousness
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Cite this Entry

“Murderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/murderous. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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