Dictionary.com

bloodcurdling

[ bluhd-kurd-ling, -kur-dl-ing ]
/ ˈblʌdˌkɜrd lɪŋ, -ˌkɜr dl ɪŋ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR bloodcurdling ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

arousing terror; horrifying: a bloodcurdling scream.

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
The Sunflower State
The Evergreen State
The Magnolia State
The Mockingbird State
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of bloodcurdling

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

OTHER WORDS FROM bloodcurdling

blood·cur·dling·ly, adverb

Words nearby bloodcurdling

blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier, blood clot, blood count, blood crystal, bloodcurdler, bloodcurdling, blood cyst, blood disk, blood donor, blood doping, blood-drop emlets
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to bloodcurdling

alarming, atrocious, chilling, frightening, hair-raising, horrid, horrific, nightmarish, scary, terrifying, horrifying

Example sentences from the Web for bloodcurdling

British Dictionary definitions for bloodcurdling

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