bloodthirsty
Americanadjective
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murderous; cruel
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taking pleasure in bloodshed or violence
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describing or depicting killing and violence; gruesome
a bloodthirsty film
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bloodthirsty
Explanation
Someone who's bloodthirsty is savage and murderous, or is very quick to resort to violence. A bloodthirsty general might launch one attack after another, eager to kill as many enemy soldiers as possible. A bloodthirsty government is one that enthusiastically wages war with other countries and might even be casual about violently suppressing its own citizens. You can also describe a book or a movie this way, if it's full of gratuitous, gory scenes: "What a bloodthirsty zombie film that was last night." The word has been around since the 16th century, possibly influenced by a word with similar imagery in Greek, haimodipsos.
Vocabulary lists containing bloodthirsty
"The Witches" by Roald Dahl, Chapters 1–5
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Charlotte's Web
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Ralph S. Mouse
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ironically, Brooks was sometimes mocked as too moderate by his more bloodthirsty constituents because he opposed premature secession, although he foresaw and supported the eventual breakup of the Union.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
Taylor ferrets out the secret with her bloodthirsty relentlessness and immediately raises pandemonium.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2025
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 ● Jul. 4, 2025
Immortal, bloodthirsty creatures that feed on humans - they have sharp fangs and a hatred for sunlight and garlic.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2024
Over the centuries, he tells Marie-Laure, the city ramparts have kept out bloodthirsty marauders, Romans, Celts, Norsemen.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
