bloodthirsty

[ bluhd-thur-stee ]

adjective

1. eager to shed blood; murderous:

   to capture a bloodthirsty criminal.

   Synonyms: pitiless, merciless, bloody, brutal, savage, homicidal

2. enjoying or encouraging bloodshed or violence, especially as a spectator or clamorous partisan:

   the bloodthirsty urgings of the fight fans.

bloodthirsty

/ ˈblʌdˌθɜːstɪ /

adjective

1. murderous; cruel
2. taking pleasure in bloodshed or violence
3. describing or depicting killing and violence; gruesome

   a bloodthirsty film

Derived Forms

• ˈbloodˌthirstily, adverb
• ˈbloodˌthirstiness, noun

Other Words From

• bloodthirsti·ly adverb
• bloodthirsti·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bloodthirsty¹

First recorded in 1525–35; blood + thirsty

Example Sentences

Vampire bats may be bloodthirsty, but that doesn’t mean they can’t share a drink with friends.

From Science News

Biting a new wound can take 10 to 40 minutes, Carter says, so sharing with a friend could save these bloodthirsty bats time and energy.

From Science News

The mosquito population doesn’t shrink or grow less bloodthirsty, so this approach might not appeal to Floridians anyway.

From Science News

Human beings, it seems, are a peculiarly bloodthirsty species.

From Washington Post

We are never going to give up our love for democracy, nor its vitality, nor are we going to let this country be dominated by the insurrectionists who came to this place to do nothing but act in a bloodthirsty manner.

From Washington Post

Bloodthirsty calls for revenge have filled Facebook and Twitter.

From The Daily Beast

All those bloodthirsty tweets and arcane exhortations and now we find out you were an advertising executive—an ad exec!

From The Daily Beast

The Habsburg army, however, Watson contends, were exceptionally bloodthirsty.

From The Daily Beast

His bloodthirsty fighters might be Baghdad's best hope of stopping the Islamic State.

From The Daily Beast

“ISIS is pure barbarism, it is bloodthirsty,” Marchouch told The Daily Beast in an interview.

From The Daily Beast

Maximian, a Pannonian peasant, betrayed the savageness of his nature by his bloodthirsty cruelty.

From Project Gutenberg

It was some little time before Clarence Tinling gave any opinion upon this bloodthirsty document.

From Project Gutenberg

I always thought,” the latter said, “that pumas were such bloodthirsty animals.

From Project Gutenberg

Sheppy has a standing feud with a neighbour's dog that is amusing rather than bloodthirsty.

From Project Gutenberg

In Scotland the hag of the south-west wind is similarly a bloodthirsty and fearsome demon.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• homicidal
• ruthless