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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Pure white cloth, born in the murderous toil of slavery, formed in debilitating factory conditions, and finished through the agony of Sicilian children, was bleached in more ways than one.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
15 June 2026
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Being on house arrest in the most recent installment, the murderous mom of two takes a break from putting on this metaphorical mask, allowing her vulnerability to show.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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Season three is cashing in on all the teasing and finally giving us the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war that brings Westeros to its knees, in all its bloody and fiery glory.—
Nic Juarez,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
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Men grappling and kicking, throwing elbows and punching, giving each other bloody noses, black eyes, and—surely, occasionally—concussions.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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Harron slyly transforms it into a savage social satire, using the narrator’s unreliable point of view to borderline absurdist effect.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 June 2026
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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
Adjective
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Higher-level inmates gorge themselves; those below face starvation, suicide or cannibalism – a brutal metaphor for the world’s food chain.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
12 June 2026
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The president’s instinct to go for the jugular was on display in his first campaign, when he was written off early on as an entertainer but found success with brutal takedowns.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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The scenes echoed earlier playoff celebrations, including a massive watch-party gathering of roughly 7,000 people in Bryant Park during Game 2 that turned violent and destructive, according to a law enforcement official.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
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Maclean’s work traffics in deep fakes and glitch aesthetics, rainbow cuteness and the tropes of pulp—but these are set against violent dystopias and a world of cruelties borne, especially, by women (see her 2018 video Make Me Up as an example).—
Eugenie Brinkema,
ARTnews.com,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sanguinary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanguinary. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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