bloodthirsty

American  

[bluhd-thur-stee] / ˈblʌdˌθɜr sti /

adjective

1. eager to shed blood; murderous.

   to capture a bloodthirsty criminal.

   Synonyms:

   pitiless, merciless, bloody, brutal, savage, homicidal

2. enjoying or encouraging bloodshed or violence, especially as a spectator or clamorous partisan.

   the bloodthirsty urgings of the fight fans.

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bloodthirsty British  

/ ˈblʌdˌθɜːstɪ /

adjective

1. murderous; cruel

2. taking pleasure in bloodshed or violence

3. describing or depicting killing and violence; gruesome

   a bloodthirsty film

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Other Word Forms

• bloodthirstily adverb
• bloodthirstiness noun

Etymology

Origin of bloodthirsty

First recorded in 1525–35; blood + thirsty

Example Sentences

However, the Minotaur was a bloodthirsty monster that was half man, half bull, not a mild-mannered Hereford cow with droopy ears and a bell tied ’round its neck.

From Literature

Children ages 5-8 will need to look elsewhere to read about bloodthirsty old favorites such as the T. rex.

From The Wall Street Journal

Taylor ferrets out the secret with her bloodthirsty relentlessness and immediately raises pandemonium.

From Los Angeles Times

That adds extra freight to his reminder that Katrina’s tragedy was entirely manmade — a whirlpool of failed levees, systems and common bloodthirsty inhumanity.

From Salon

Justifying why this pile of helplessness would be placed in competition with a group of bloodthirsty adult men might mean we’re focusing on the wrong thing.

From Salon

Related Words

• homicidal
• ruthless