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 The last piece of the murderous puzzle that day was to seize political power. — Lee Cowan, CBS News, 12 July 2026 Like the switch suggests, The Vampire Lestat takes its inspiration from Rice’s 1985 novel of the same name, giving audiences their first taste of a show told entirely from the perspective of the dramatic, flashy, and murderous vampire Lestat. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 7 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 Communist organizers, as Harrington feared, began to reshape the DSA as an ally of any anti-Western force, even the most murderous and oppressive. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 1 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
  • Above 65, the air is much more humid, and the heat can feel oppressive.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
  • Despite the oppressive heat, Xavi signs every single shirt and takes photos with members of the Johan Cruyff Foundation.
    — Jay Harris, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of oppressive
Adjective
  • Unlike dogs, they cannot simply be taken on longer walks, often resist dietary changes, and can be difficult to medicate consistently, making GLP-1 therapies potentially attractive if clinical trials prove successful.
    — Elsa Ohlen,Carolin Roth, CNBC, 18 July 2026
  • Their stories recount the devastation to homes and businesses, life in temporary shelters, and the difficult process of rebuilding or relocating.
    — Michelle Oliva-Espinosa, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026
Definition of difficult
Adjective
  • Mbappe was so dynamic, so consistently a threat even when the ball was 50 yards away, and so lethal except for that one day in Dallas.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • After lighting the fire, Arrabaca also pulled out an airsoft rifle — a device commonly used in sports and recreation resembling a gun, but fires less lethal projectiles rather than bullets — and fired five to seven pellets, officials said.
    — Brynn Gingras, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
Definition of lethal
Adjective
  • Symptoms can include a lump in the armpit, dimpled skin on the chest, red or flaky skin near the nipple, pain or tenderness on the chest or armpit, clear or bloody nipple discharge and an inverted nipple, per the Cleveland Clinic.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
  • The brunch craft cocktails include espresso martini, bloody Marys, and blood orange mimosa white peach Bellini made with Prosecco.
    — Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 17 July 2026
Definition of bloody
Adjective
  • The couple made sure the design included a basement where the kids could spend time, better insulation to handle South Dakota’s harsh weather and plenty of storage — all features their previous home lacked.
    — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
  • Those are some of the harsh conditions that detainees in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody described experiencing in recent weeks at the Federal Detention Center, a Bureau of Prisons facility located in a concrete tower in downtown Miami.
    — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 18 July 2026
Definition of harsh
Adjective
  • The method also relies on multiple Bell tests and assumptions about independent quantum sources, which could make large-scale implementation challenging.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 18 July 2026
  • His 15-point first half Thursday included two threes, a high-degree-of-difficulty turnaround jumper and another challenging jumper.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026
Definition of challenging
Adjective
  • And now Iran has shown US troops face those same dangers around the region – with deadly consequences.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • The war has also affected fertilizer supplies and prices, threatening the planting season and worsening the fate of mostly farming communities in northern Nigeria who have struggled to access their farmlands amid a deadly conflict with armed groups.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
Definition of deadly
Adjective
  • San Francisco has already seen right-hander Hayden Birdsong undergo Tommy John surgery earlier this year, and losing McDonald for an extended period of time would be another brutal blow for the pitching staff.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 25 July 2026
  • This thing—the military—aims, at least in Harlow’s eyes, to turn boys into tools for brutal battlefield aims.
    — Jasper Craven, New Yorker, 24 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 26 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of murderous for Spanish Speakers

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