Synonyms

bloodletting

American

[bluhd-let-ing] / ˈblʌdˌlɛt ɪŋ /

noun

the act or practice of letting blood by opening a vein; phlebotomy.
bloodshed or slaughter.
bloodbath.
Informal. severe cutbacks or reduction in personnel, appropriations, etc..

The company went through a period of bloodletting in the 1970s.

Other Word Forms

bloodletter noun

Etymology

Origin of bloodletting

First recorded in 1175–1225, bloodletting is from Middle English blod letunge. See blood, let ¹, -ing ¹

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.

For weeks, it looked like nothing would stop Wall Street’s bloodletting of software companies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

A 2020 Royal Commission found Gobbo's double life during a period of intense gang bloodletting in Australia's second-biggest city were "fundamental and appalling breaches" of her obligations as counsel to her clients.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

Apple even pushed through a rare round of cuts — though the bloodletting slowed by the end of the year.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2026

At some point over the weekend, Cummins looks likely to once again become an Ashes-winning captain and the bloodletting of this England regime will begin.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

Dr. William Currie completely rejected Rush’s bloodletting and the use of mercury, saying such methods “cannot fail of being certain death.”

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023