bloodcurdling
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bloodcurdling
Explanation
Anything bloodcurdling is extremely alarming or horrifying, like a sudden, piercing, bloodcurdling scream. This is a fanciful term for shocking things that feel like they're curdling your blood. Most often, you'll read or hear about a bloodcurdling scream, like an ear-piercing shriek. However, anything that fills you with horror can be described as bloodcurdling, like a terrible, bloodcurdling sight. Only terrible things are described as bloodcurdling, which means something similar to hair-raising and nightmarish. If something is only a little gross or disturbing, it's not quite bloodcurdling: this is a strong, visceral word.
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.
After six seasons, Peaky Blinders reached its bloodcurdling finish on TV in 2022 and had used the West Midlands backdrop for many locations, such as the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2024
I love the way Bridgers’s lilting vocals slowly corrode into bloodcurdling heavy-metal screams during the song’s crescendo.
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
“I have done a couple bad things,” Alex sings in a pleasant voice, and then repeats the line several times, his voice becoming increasingly anguished until it turns into a bloodcurdling scream.
From New York Times ● Sep. 9, 2022
The general bafflement was increased by the exceptions to her silence — those unforgettable jam sessions when Ono, accompanied by the band, emitted a stream of bloodcurdling screams into the microphone.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 23, 2022
Ignatius lis-tened to the bloodcurdling little trebles and giggles and gloated in his dark lair.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
