bloodthirsty
Americanadjective
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murderous; cruel
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taking pleasure in bloodshed or violence
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describing or depicting killing and violence; gruesome
a bloodthirsty film
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bloodthirsty
Explanation
Someone who's bloodthirsty is savage and murderous, or is very quick to resort to violence. A bloodthirsty general might launch one attack after another, eager to kill as many enemy soldiers as possible. A bloodthirsty government is one that enthusiastically wages war with other countries and might even be casual about violently suppressing its own citizens. You can also describe a book or a movie this way, if it's full of gratuitous, gory scenes: "What a bloodthirsty zombie film that was last night." The word has been around since the 16th century, possibly influenced by a word with similar imagery in Greek, haimodipsos.
Vocabulary lists containing bloodthirsty
"The Witches" by Roald Dahl, Chapters 1–5
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Charlotte's Web
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Ralph S. Mouse
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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.
Wiseman says the show has yet to specifically talk about Bram Stoker’s bloodthirsty Count Dracula, but Port says the Halloween episode will discuss the coven’s distaste for vampire stereotypes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Saturday’s must-see spectacle is LSU’s trip to Ole Miss. Lane Kiffin, the most hated coach in college football, will return to the program he jilted last season and try to silence 64,000 bloodthirsty fans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
"Everybody thinks we are bloodthirsty and we are going out and killing hundreds of foxes, that is not the case," she added.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
Justifying why this pile of helplessness would be placed in competition with a group of bloodthirsty adult men might mean we’re focusing on the wrong thing.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2025
The show was not over—their favorite, the old bear, hadn’t appeared yet—but some even of the tough-minded, bloodthirsty Romans had had enough.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
