bloody
Americanadjective
-
stained or covered with blood.
a bloody handkerchief.
- Synonyms:
- gory, sanguinary
-
bleeding.
a bloody nose.
- Synonyms:
- gory, sanguinary
-
characterized by bloodshed.
bloody battle; a bloody rule.
- Synonyms:
- gory, sanguinary
-
inclined to bloodshed; bloodthirsty.
a bloody dictator.
-
of, relating to, or resembling blood; containing or composed of blood.
bloody tissue.
-
Slang. (used as an intensifier).
a bloody shame; a bloody nuisance.
verb (used with object)
-
to stain or smear with blood.
-
to cause to bleed, as by a blow or accident.
to bloody someone's nose.
adverb
adjective
-
covered or stained with blood
-
resembling or composed of blood
-
marked by much killing and bloodshed
a bloody war
-
cruel or murderous
a bloody tyrant
-
of a deep red colour; blood-red
adverb
verb
Other Word Forms
- bloodily adverb
- bloodiness noun
- unbloodily adverb
- unbloodiness noun
- unbloody adjective
Etymology
Origin of bloody
before 1000; Middle English blody, Old English blōdig. See blood, -y 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.
The restaurant also serves a toddler-approved Dutch baby and a parent-approved bloody Mary, she adds.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
"This is the first hurdle but we bloody did it and I truly believe that together we are going to make change."
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026
Kahlo depicts two sides of herself in the masterpiece—one lying bloody on a gurney after a surgery and the other sitting up, triumphant in a red, traditional dress.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
“Forces loyal to the absent Shah of Iran swept iron-willed, weepy old Premier Mohammed Mossadegh out of power today with a bloody nine-hour coup,” the Associated Press wrote Aug. 20, 1953.
From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026
He would later recall the lesson he had learned in that bloody valley: “There is nothing more necessary than good Intelligence to frustrate a designing enemy, & nothing that requires greater pains to obtain.”
From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen
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.
