as in murderous
eager for or marked by the shedding of blood, extreme violence, or killing
a movie so sanguinary that I covered my eyes during at least half of it
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Recent Examples of sanguinary
Mass shootings scarcely register anymore, unless the death toll reaches a certain sanguinary level.
—
Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2024
Michael Modafferi Lawmakers and order Yonkers: How many more innocents will be murdered, mugged and mauled by sanguinary, recidivist thugs and mentally ill individuals, none of whom belong unfettered on the streets of New York City and state, before the left-wing Democrats restore law and order?
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2024
An appeal to force was an admission of failure, and the pride of the new nation was the sense of overcoming the sanguinary reflexes of the old world.
—TIME, 31 Jan. 2024
That battle would send Bonaparte on a dizzying journey up — and down and up and down — the greasy pole of French politics and military promotions, and it’s staged by Scott with sanguinary detail: Blood will spurt, spray and splatter throughout the battles that made him and undid him.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for sanguinary
Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2024
Michael Modafferi Lawmakers and order Yonkers: How many more innocents will be murdered, mugged and mauled by sanguinary, recidivist thugs and mentally ill individuals, none of whom belong unfettered on the streets of New York City and state, before the left-wing Democrats restore law and order?
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2024
An appeal to force was an admission of failure, and the pride of the new nation was the sense of overcoming the sanguinary reflexes of the old world.
—TIME, 31 Jan. 2024
That battle would send Bonaparte on a dizzying journey up — and down and up and down — the greasy pole of French politics and military promotions, and it’s staged by Scott with sanguinary detail: Blood will spurt, spray and splatter throughout the battles that made him and undid him.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for sanguinary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanguinary
Adjective
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Nothing that reflects the sheer abjection of the murderous dog pounds of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries or the many individual cruelties visited upon dogs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
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This despite its violent, heroic left-leaning revolutionaries and a cabal of right-wing racists with unapologetically murderous intentions.—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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With the myth of Medea as a burning thematic wire, and through the metaphor of bloody dog fights, the novel burns with the rage and despair of those who remain unseen.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
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In a region that's seen decades of bloody wars and a 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak, de Merode says the past few weeks stand out.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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What begins as a desperate family bonding trip rapidly devolves into savage violence and brutal psychological warfare.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
3 June 2026
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Their twiggy legs and bony frames exposed in bathing suits, the kids do indeed look extra vulnerable within the film’s savage landscape.—
Beatrice Loayza,
Variety,
25 May 2026
Adjective
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Bichette is off to a brutal start, Francisco Lindor’s spring hamate injury may have affected his power even before his calf strain knocked him out for the last month, and Jorge Polanco has barely been on the field.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
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Hounded by a loud, impatient Eisenhower and faced with the very real evidence that a brutal trio of storms will make an early June invasion impossible, Stagg is torn between doing his duty and, well, doing his duty.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, writes about violent weather, the environment, climate change and other news.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
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His drawling, winking charm is front and center, and his attraction to our heroine feels both genuine and even quite protective, but his violent streak is so blasé as to be unnerving.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sanguinary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanguinary. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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