bad blood

American  

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.

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bad blood British  

noun

1. a feeling of intense hatred or hostility; enmity

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bad blood Idioms  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of bad blood

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

Saddled with a heavy debt load from the AT&T deal, Zaslav oversaw numerous cost-cutting efforts that often led to bad blood at the company, and across Hollywood.

From The Wall Street Journal

The game ended in a 1-1 draw but the incident just added to the bad blood between the sides going into the next three games.

From BBC

"There's a lot of bad blood," he said.

From BBC

Both singers have said there’s no bad blood.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s also a family feud — minus the bad blood.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• acrimony
• animosity
• animus
• antagonism
• bitterness
• distrust
• enmity
• hatred
• hostility
• ill will
• nastiness
• rancor
• resentment