sanguinary

American  

[sang-gwuh-ner-ee] / ˈsæŋ gwəˌnɛr i /

adjective

1. full of or characterized by bloodshed; bloody.

   a sanguinary struggle.

2. ready or eager to shed blood; bloodthirsty.

   Synonyms:

   savage, cruel, murderous

   Antonyms:

   kind

3. composed of or marked with blood.

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sanguinary British  

/ ˈsæŋɡwɪnərɪ /

adjective

1. accompanied by much bloodshed

2. bloodthirsty

3. consisting of, flowing, or stained with blood

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Other Word Forms

• sanguinarily adverb
• sanguinariness noun
• unsanguinarily adverb
• unsanguinariness noun
• unsanguinary adjective

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?

Example Sentences

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

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

The sanguinary stream in the tapestry may refer to the strife that drove Moufarrege’s family from both Alexandria and Beirut, as the papyrus and the tile pattern would suggest.

From New York Times • Feb. 6, 2020

The purpose of clemency is not to open the prison gates and let people out, but ensure, as Alexander Hamilton put it back in 1788, that justice doesn’t “wear a countenance too sanguinary and cruel”.

From The Guardian • Aug. 21, 2018

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