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.
He had clearly been to the same “Beware Bloodthirsty Actors” seminar as the intelligence officers at Luton.
From The Guardian • Sep. 15, 2016
He found a mighty feudal empire under Ismail the Bloodthirsty.
From Time Magazine Archive
In 1690 the Sultan Moulay Ismail, "The Bloodthirsty," fell to grieving over the moral and physical disintegration of his Arab soldiers.
From Time Magazine Archive
Nor did she intend to tell them how he wanted to take possession of the Incorrigibles themselves and make them world famous as the Bloodthirsty Wolf Children of Ashton Place.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
The Moors would have preferred another Ism��l the Bloodthirsty, who could compel his will, and awe all other rascals in his dominions, to the mild and well-intentioned youth now at the helm.
From Life in Morocco and Glimpses Beyond by Meakin, Budgett
Definitions 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.
