murderous

[mur-der-uhs]

adjective

1. of the nature of or involving murder.

   a murderous deed.

2. guilty of, bent on, or capable of murder.

3. extremely difficult, dangerous, or unpleasant.

   murderous heat.

murderous

/ ˈmɜːdərəs /

adjective

1. intending, capable of, or guilty of murder

2. informal,  very dangerous, difficult, or unpleasant

   a murderous road

Other Word Forms

• murderously adverb
• murderousness noun
• nonmurderous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of murderous¹

First recorded in 1525–35; murder + -ous

Example Sentences

So if “Peacemaker” viewers were puzzled as to how a backwards, murderous bigot like Earth Prime Auggie could manifest as a doting father and an affluent man in a nearly identical world, now we know.

From Salon

What I learned as the grandchild of those who had fled not one but two murderous ideologies was that free speech was about listening as much as talking.

From BBC

Disasters are real — also, these days, frighteningly common, be they epic confluences of nature and negligence or the murderous and preventable kind.

From Los Angeles Times

The Night Stalker’s murderous 1985 incursion into Mission Viejo sent crime soaring to the top of Orange County’s list of worries, along with drugs and traffic.

From Los Angeles Times

But when a seemingly straightforward rip-off goes sideways, old wounds reopen, placing the law and a band of murderous thugs on their trail.

From Salon

Related Words

• brutal 
• cruel 
• dangerous 
• deadly 
• destructive 
• devastating 
• ferocious 
• lethal 
• ruinous 
• savage