bloody
Americanadjective
-
bloodier,
comparative
-
bloodiest
superlative
-
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)
-
bloodies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bloodied,
past participle, past
-
bloodying
present participle
-
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
bloodysimple
-
bloodiessimple
-
have bloodiedperfect
-
has bloodiedperfect
-
am bloodyingprogressive
-
are bloodyingprogressive
-
is bloodyingprogressive
-
have been bloodyingperfect progressive
-
has been bloodyingperfect progressive
Past
-
bloodiedsimple
-
had bloodiedperfect
-
was bloodyingprogressive
-
were bloodyingprogressive
-
had been bloodyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bloody
before 1000; Middle English blody, Old English blōdig. See blood, -y 1
Explanation
Something that's bloody is stained or covered with blood, like a bloody nose. In British slang, bloody means something like “very.” That’s bloody brilliant! Things that are literally bloody have blood on them or are made of blood. Figuratively bloody things, on the other hand, only imply blood — a bloody coup, for example, is a government overthrow that involves some amount of violence. To bloody something is to cover it in blood: "I will bloody your nose if you say that again!" It comes from the Old English blodig, from blod, or "blood."
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.
See Examples For:
Just when you think you’ve made it through, the exhibition has one last gruesome touch: To escape, you have to push your way through a set of bloody butcher curtains.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Shaun the Sheep returns to the big screen, Netflix recounts Lizzie Borden’s bloody tale, Gustavo Dudamel takes the reins of the New York Philharmonic, and more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
In Marawi, a city long-identified with a bloody showdown between government forces and jihadists, AFP journalists saw long lines of voters peacefully queued outside polling stations with tanks and security personnel standing watch.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Recognizing the bloody result of America’s post-9/11 conflicts, and especially its shambolic war of choice in Iraq, does not take away from the grief and respect owed to those who were killed.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
“No. I’ve got one mixed up in this bloody war already. I’m not going to let the other one go.”
From "My Brother Sam is Dead" by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
Beloved in Italy, it anticipates “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” though its sense of humor is broader and its budget evidently bigger, with bloodier battles and cinematography that approaches the picturesque.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026
The challenge of global order is that, hard as it is to preserve, it is harder and usually bloodier to piece together once lost.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 12, 2024
The bad news is that, now, the battle for best picture will be bloodier than ever.
From New York Times ● Jan. 3, 2024
Their stories are little-known footnotes of Cold War history, but six American GIs provide possible roadmaps for his future — though a COVID-19-era development could be a benchmark for a bloodier outcome.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 19, 2023
He let them think they were more fortunate than he, with manlier, bloodier work to do.
From King of the Khyber Rifles by Talbot Mundy
It was a key chapter in the road to independence in 1963, and the British response was one of the bloodiest episodes in its colonial history.
From Barron's ● Feb. 14, 2026
The unlikely diplomat trying to end Europe’s bloodiest war since 1945 speaks in golfing metaphors and long asides about the nature of capital markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025
This is his Pynchoniad, a zigzagging epic of America and the world through our bloodiest, most shameful hundred years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025
Steven Peters was deployed to Helmand Province in 2009, during a period which became known as the British Army’s bloodiest summer in more than 50 years.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2024
More than seven decades have passed since the bloodiest war in history ended.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
But the outlook for more than one team joining the Wildcats is growing bleaker by the week as the conference bloodies itself.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 12, 2024
And when the pope returns to Rome on Sunday, the country’s woes will remain, both in the violence that bloodies the land and in the treasure buried in the soil.
From New York Times ● Feb. 4, 2023
But in creativity, knocking harder often just bloodies your knuckles.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 22, 2020
The son of a Yorkshire butcher, Bennett may be wishing against wish for a good honest job that bloodies the hands.
From Time Magazine Archive
He never bloodies his sword but in heat of battle, and had rather save one of his own soldiers than kill ten of his enemies.
From Character Writings of the 17th Century by Various
Footage shared by Netanyahu's office showed the premier meeting passengers after their arrival in Tel Aviv and embracing a man in a bloodied shirt.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
The ad featured the iconic photograph of Curran helping a bloodied Trump off the stage in Butler.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
After some 2,300 miles later, the walk ended this week in Washington, D.C., accompanied by images of worn shoes and battered, bloodied feet.
From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2026
Pimblett, 31, was as brave as he was bloodied through five action-packed rounds that had both men swinging at the final bell.
From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2026
“Oh, good grief,” she suddenly groaned, and flung her bloodied arms down to her side.
From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos
You have to applaud Hamrouni, in that moment and others, for literally bloodying the nose of the patriarchy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2023
Then at 5-3, while Raducanu was serving for the match, she slid on the court chasing a ball to her backhand side, bloodying her left knee.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 11, 2021
Descending after the first big drop, it was reported that a 10-pound goose suddenly materialized in front of Fabio's face, bloodying him and then expiring as a result of the midair collision.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2021
When Fleck attended a Northern Illinois camp as a high schooler, Coach Joe Novak watched him grab every catchable ball, even the ones that meant bloodying his knees or elbows on the turf.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 5, 2019
Deciding it would be better to stand the rest of the way than risk bloodying my nose, I rose to my feet and offered him my seat.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
