Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

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.
bad blood British  

noun

  1. a feeling of intense hatred or hostility; enmity

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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.

Etymology

Origin of bad blood

First recorded in 1815–25

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.

“The bad blood from this will stain the institution forever,” he said.

From Salon

He added: "I'm positive they're never going to run each other off the track, and that's where you get into bad blood."

From BBC

The tension between England and India has not quite tipped over into bad blood - yet - but there is no doubt the needle between the two teams has sparked a Lord's classic.

From BBC

How much that bad blood carried over wasn’t immediately clear.

From Los Angeles Times

The crosstown rivalry has grown into the most passionate in MLS but most of that bad blood is felt in the stands.

From Los Angeles Times

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.