bad blood

noun

1. unfriendly or hostile relations; enmity; hostility; animosity.

   When the territory was being settled there was bad blood between the farmers and the ranchers.

bad blood

noun

1. a feeling of intense hatred or hostility; enmity

Word History and Origins

Origin of bad blood¹

First recorded in 1815–25

Idioms and Phrases

Anger or hostility between persons or groups, as in There's been bad blood between the two families for years. This term is based on the old association with blood and emotion, particularly anger. Versions such as ill blood preceded it; Charles Lamb was among the first to use the idiom in its current form in an 1823 essay.

Related Words

• acrimony 
• animosity 
• animus 
• antagonism 
• bitterness 
• distrust 
• enmity 
• hatred 
• hostility 
• ill will 
• nastiness www.thesaurus.com
• rancor 
• resentment