adjective
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accompanied by much bloodshed
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bloodthirsty
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consisting of, flowing, or stained with blood
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sanguinary
First recorded in 1540–50, sanguinary is from the Latin word sanguinārius bloody. See sanguine, -ary
Explanation
When something is sanguinary it involves a lot of blood or, at least, the pursuit of blood. Vampire movies are sanguinary: Romper Room is not. If you're familiar with French, then you'll recognize the French word for "blood," sang, in sanguinary. And if you do, then you'll have no trouble remembering the meaning, "having a bloodthirsty quality." Movies have become increasingly sanguinary. Why all the blood and gore? What happened to good old-fashioned suspense?
Vocabulary lists containing sanguinary
Frankenstein
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Peter Pan
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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.
On Sunday, Barker shared graphic photos of his blood-stained pants and sanguinary phalanges, which took a beating after Blink-182’s set in Manchester, England.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2023
None of those last few come close to “Dead Ringers,” the sanguinary David Cronenberg re-imagination that was the rare case of a TV adaptation with something original to say.
From New York Times ● Jul. 12, 2023
His Anglican church was the product of sanguinary religious wars of the 16th and 17th centuries, and he witnessed anti-colonial uprisings throughout Africa.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 28, 2021
Photograph: Ronald Grant The Ballad of Cable Hogue, made between The Wild Bunch and the no less sanguinary Straw Dogs, is a surprisingly chaste, thoughtful and antic comedy out west.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 30, 2016
However, I got dressed, darkly wiping my sanguinary face at intervals, and I said, “Can I help you?” and he said “No thankee,” and I said “Good afternoon,” and he said “Same to you.”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
