bloody-minded

American  

[bluhd-ee-mahyn-did] / ˈblʌd iˈmaɪn dɪd /

adjective

1. disposed to violence or bloodshed; bloodthirsty; sanguinary.

   bloody-minded anarchists.

2. Chiefly British. unreasonably stubborn or cantankerous.

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bloody-minded British  

adjective

1. informal deliberately obstructive and unhelpful

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Other Word Forms

• bloody-mindedly adverb
• bloody-mindedness noun

Etymology

Origin of bloody-minded

First recorded in 1575–85

Example Sentences

The concern is that DHS will oppose Mr. Guan’s claim in a bloody-minded attempt to punish his illegal entry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

"She is valiant, flawed and haughty, as bloody-minded as she is brilliant, scarred by the horrors of war," she said.

From BBC • Aug. 31, 2022

The bloody-minded Sawtelle council refused to recognize the vote and stubbornly held pointless meetings, until Sawtelle took another vote, in 1922, to confirm the first.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2021

The Brits used to balance this sycophancy with some pro-European blather and a bloody-minded sense of cultural superiority.

From The Guardian • Jul. 9, 2019

Now, H——, as to what you say of fishing, if you are bloody-minded enough to desire to kill creatures for sport, in Heaven's name why don't you do it?

From Records of a Girlhood by Kemble, Fanny