Synonyms of sanguinary

sanguinary

adjective

ˈsaŋ-gwə-ˌner-ē 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective sanguinary contrast with its synonyms?

The words bloody and gory are common synonyms of sanguinary. While all three words mean "affected by or involving the shedding of blood," sanguinary applies especially to something attended by, or someone inclined to, bloodshed.

the Civil War was America's most sanguinary conflict

When is bloody a more appropriate choice than sanguinary?

The synonyms bloody and sanguinary are sometimes interchangeable, but bloody is applied especially to things that are actually covered with blood or are made up of blood.

bloody hands

When is it sensible to use gory instead of sanguinary?

The words gory and sanguinary can be used in similar contexts, but gory suggests a profusion of blood and slaughter.

exceptionally gory, even for a horror movie

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sanguinary

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

Of course, things don’t always go to plan, and apart from serving up varying portions of Reddick, Ian McShane and main course Keanu Reeves, the films are a sanguinary festival of fisticuffs, karate chops, spinning kicks, gunfire, stabbings, chases and exploding heads. —Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2023

But most of the works in this show of 28 artists come from some place closer to the end, where violent outcomes are expressed in sanguinary hues. —Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 26 May 2023

Last month, Uganda finally declared the country free of hemorrhagic fevers after three months of battling these seemingly omnipresent sanguinary viruses. —Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 24 Nov. 2012