bloody-minded

American  

[bluhd-ee-mahyn-did] / ˈblʌd iˈmaɪn dɪd /

adjective

1. disposed to violence or bloodshed; bloodthirsty; sanguinary.

   bloody-minded anarchists.

2. Chiefly British. unreasonably stubborn or cantankerous.

---

bloody-minded British  

adjective

1. informal deliberately obstructive and unhelpful

---

Other Word Forms

• bloody-mindedly adverb
• bloody-mindedness noun

Etymology

Origin of bloody-minded

First recorded in 1575–85

Example Sentences

The concern is that DHS will oppose Mr. Guan’s claim in a bloody-minded attempt to punish his illegal entry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

He says it had, in his eyes, "come to represent a particular type of bloody-minded person - usually with a degree of what we might call aggressive patriotism".

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2024

In her hands, it’s not hard to imagine these songs as the creation of an especially gifted — if occasionally bloody-minded — indie singer-songwriter.

From New York Times • Sep. 15, 2022

The bloody-minded Sawtelle council refused to recognize the vote and stubbornly held pointless meetings, until Sawtelle took another vote, in 1922, to confirm the first.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2021

Francia will go down to history as a bloody-minded, implacable despot, whose influence and purposes were wholly evil.

From The South American Republics Part I of II by Dawson, Thomas C.