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

Other Word Forms

• bloodthirstily adverb
• bloodthirstiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bloodthirsty¹

First recorded in 1525–35; blood + thirsty

Example Sentences

Tano raises the ice sword just in time to block the bloodthirsty blade.

Read more on Literature

It was an impostor, like Quinzy; a labyrinth where a bloodthirsty minotaur might leap out from every shadow.

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However, the Minotaur was a bloodthirsty monster that was half man, half bull, not a mild-mannered Hereford cow with droopy ears and a bell tied ’round its neck.

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“The true evil in the world comes from people,” says Carpenter, who has long used cinematic allegories to skewer capitalist pigs and bloodthirsty governments.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

These, too, are performances, and the more they embellish their fictional tales of war-torn Portland and bloodthirsty antifa marauders, the more comically visible the protesters grow.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• homicidal 
• ruthless