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
Despite a committed Viggo Mortensen, playing one of the murderous Sawyer clan, this is the most cookie-cutter of the Chainsaw movies.
—
Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Sep. 2025
Big Sur has enjoyed a reputation as a dream destination long before Big Little Lies and its merry band of accidentally murderous suburban mothers came around.
—Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 20 Sep. 2025
Jon Voight as Paul Serone Jon Voight brought his acting chops to Anaconda, playing the sketchy and murderous snake hunter Paul Serone.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
Then again, the right time to tell a violent story about murderous greed is a matter of debate.
—Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for murderous
Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Sep. 2025
Big Sur has enjoyed a reputation as a dream destination long before Big Little Lies and its merry band of accidentally murderous suburban mothers came around.
—Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 20 Sep. 2025
Jon Voight as Paul Serone Jon Voight brought his acting chops to Anaconda, playing the sketchy and murderous snake hunter Paul Serone.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
Then again, the right time to tell a violent story about murderous greed is a matter of debate.
—Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for murderous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for murderous
Adjective
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Global organization Human Rights Watch accused the festival of diverting attention away from allegations of the government’s severe repression of free speech and criticized comedians for performing on the behest of an oppressive regime.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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The oppressive rule has led to nations cutting off aid, leading to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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For once, the bulk of the anger was directed not at Fosun — the investment group and majority shareholder – and the Molineux hierarchy who have conspired to deal Pereira a difficult hand, but at the head coach himself and his players.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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Romancelandia’s social world, harnessed by its business-minded authors, may make its success exceedingly difficult to replicate.—
Rebecca Ackermann,
The Atlantic,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Tennessee law holds that those who committed crimes before 1999 can choose between being put to death by lethal injection or the electric chair.—
Evan Mealins,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Oct. 2025
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And of course 100% lethal to the child.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The triumphant narrative began to fray when exceedingly harsh lockdown measures could no longer contain the spread of the virus, and the staggering human cost in the name of protecting lives defied all logic.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
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There are no easy fixes, so figuring out how to cushion the harsh impact will be the basis of negotiations with other parties in the Japanese legislature, the Diet.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The big story Immigration anxieties and a challenging job market have sparked an online backlash over China's latest attempt at attracting global talent — a new visa program announced in August.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
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His expertise could greatly benefit Ott, ahead of what is destined to be a challenging year in Phoenix.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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During a three-day rampage of gang violence, some 80 people died — the deadliest days in El Salvador since its civil war.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
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One Pasteurella-like microbe carried genetic hints of virulence and has ties to deadly outbreaks in modern African elephants.—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Africa’s transformation proved far bloodier than many had hoped, yet Mamdani still insists that the continent’s independence leaders have something to teach the world.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
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The film had its world premiere in September at the Toronto International Film Festival as part of its Midnight Madness section, which is largely home to bloody horror and wildly NSFW fare.—
William Earl,
Variety,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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His own divorce from actress Jennifer Jason Leigh informed his Oscar-winning Marriage Story (2019), a searing look at love unraveling.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
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And McConaughey, as a nervy reluctant hero, steers the searing, intense narrative about normal people living through the most hellish of circumstances.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Murderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/murderous. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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