Synonyms of murderous

murderous

adjective

ˈmər-d(ə-)rəs 

1

as in oppressive

difficult to endure

the murderous heat of the desert

Synonyms & Similar Words

• oppressive
• harsh
• searing
• brutal
• tough
• severe
• rough
• cruel
• hard
• grim
• inhuman
• trying
• heavy
• bitter
• painful
• onerous
• burdensome
• grievous
• bleak
• rugged
• excruciating
• stiff
• unpleasant
• uncomfortable
• unbearable
• hardhanded
• inhospitable
• strict
• bad
• forbidding
• rigorous
• intemperate
• crushing
• overwhelming
• discomforting
• wild
• stringent
• austere
• spartan
• agonizing
• inclement
• biting
• wretched
• hostile
• tortuous
• insufferable
• intolerable
• comfortless
• unendurable
• heartbreaking
• harrowing
• disagreeable
• grinding
• unfriendly
• insupportable
• heartrending
• wearing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• light
• easy
• soft
• comfortable
• friendly
• luxurious
• pleasant
• peaceful
• cozy
• agreeable
• genial
• hospitable
• mild
• gentle
• restful
• moderate
• relaxing
• tolerable
• snug
• calm
• painless
• bearable
• temperate
• balmy
• reposeful
• endurable
• clement

2

as in difficult

requiring considerable physical or mental effort

those exams were murderous

Synonyms & Similar Words

• difficult
• challenging
• tough
• rigorous
• formidable
• demanding
• heavy
• hard
• complicated
• killer
• sweaty
• rough
• rugged
• severe
• tall
• strenuous
• effortful
• exacting
• arduous
• painful
• intricate
• laborious
• testing
• grueling
• exhausting
• backbreaking
• uphill
• herculean
• complex
• serious
• stiff
• toilsome
• brutal
• hellacious
• oppressive
• annoying
• grim
• problematic
• pick-and-shovel
• stubborn
• elusive
• moiling
• bruising
• hairy
• troublesome
• Augean
• abstract
• thorny
• involved
• stressful
• cruel
• tricky
• spiny
• onerous
• burdensome
• vexatious
• insoluble
• recondite
• abstruse
• opaque
• tight
• knotty
• inhuman
• irksome
• strict
• bothersome
• ticklish
• stringent
• distressing
• labored
• trying
• grievous
• taxing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• simple
• light
• mindless
• easy
• soft
• cheap
• effortless
• clear
• undemanding
• elementary
• facile
• uncomplicated
• achievable
• manageable
• gentle
• smooth
• doable
• soothing
• comforting
• friendly
• painless
• relaxed
• accessible
• user-friendly
• idiotproof

3

as in lethal

likely to cause or capable of causing death

braved murderous machine-gun fire to capture the hill from the enemy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lethal
• deadly
• poisonous
• fatal
• infectious
• killer
• infective
• harmful
• dangerous
• toxic
• deathly
• baleful
• terminal
• destructive
• mortal
• pestilent
• pernicious
• injurious
• fell
• hazardous
• virulent
• baneful
• vital
• deleterious
• pestilential
• noxious
• truculent
• menacing
• perilous
• serious
• risky
• threatening
• ugly
• bloody
• sanguinary
• sublethal
• unhealthy
• grievous
• grave
• parlous
• internecine
• unsound
• sanguine
• jeopardizing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• healthy
• healthful
• wholesome
• beneficial
• nonfatal
• nonlethal
• salutary
• salubrious
• restorative
• corrective
• remedial
• curative
• useful
• tonic
• advantageous
• safe
• nontoxic
• alleviative
• nonpoisonous

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• murdering
• bloody
• brutal
• savage
• violent
• vicious
• bloodthirsty
• ferocious
• homicidal
• fierce
• sanguinary
• cruel
• ruthless
• contentious
• sanguine
• aggressive
• sanguineous
• sadistic
• bloody-minded
• merciless
• hostile
• barbarous
• barbaric
• hateful
• heartless
• inhumane
• antagonistic
• malicious
• pitiless
• belligerent
• bellicose
• pugnacious
• malevolent
• malignant
• truculent
• gladiatorial
• combative
• cold-blooded
• quarrelsome
• grim
• spiteful
• assertive
• wanton
• scrappy
• bloodstained
• discordant
• gory
• malign
• nasty
• fell
• despiteful
• mean

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• peaceful
• peaceable
• conciliatory
• sympathetic
• pacific
• benign
• disarming
• kind
• humane
• compassionate
• propitiatory
• warm
• unaggressive
• unassertive
• dovish
• kindhearted
• benignant
• placatory
• merciful
• benevolent
• appeasing
• tenderhearted
• placative
• peacemaking
• mollifying
• placating
• amiable
• lenient
• gentle
• pacifying
• warmhearted
• good-hearted
• tender
• affable
• amicable
• kindly
• clement
• submissive
• surrendering
• yielding

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of murderous

And our terrifying capacity to dehumanize others only accelerates, at a murderous rate, in a touchless world. — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026

Children of the Corn is about a couple who end up in a remote Nebraska town where a murderous cult of kids have slaughtered everyone over the age of 18. — Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 12 Oct. 2026

Fear of the wilderness and its potentially lethal native creatures is hardwired into the human brain and fueled tales of haunted forests and murderous animals throughout history. — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026

During that week, Flynn’s mistress Alleigha Botner, 24, a worship leader at the same Tipp City church as Flynn, read from more than 100,000 text messages between herself and Flynn, some of which indicated Flynn’s murderous intentions. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026