bloodcurdling

[ bluhd-kurd-ling, -kur-dl-ing ]
/ ˈblʌdˌkɜrd lɪŋ, -ˌkɜr dl ɪŋ /

adjective

arousing terror; horrifying: a bloodcurdling scream.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of bloodcurdling

First recorded in 1930–35; blood + curdle + -ing2

OTHER WORDS FROM bloodcurdling

blood·cur·dling·ly, adverb

Words nearby bloodcurdling

blood-drop emlets, blood-letting, blood-red, bloodbath, bloodcurdler, bloodcurdling, blooded, bloodfin, bloodflower, bloodguilty, bloodhound
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for blood-curdling

British Dictionary definitions for blood-curdling

bloodcurdling
/ (ˈblʌdˌkɜːdlɪŋ) /

adjective

terrifying; horrifying

Derived forms of bloodcurdling

bloodcurdlingly, adverb
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