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bloody

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective bloody contrast with its synonyms?

The words gory and sanguinary are common synonyms of bloody. While all three words mean "affected by or involving the shedding of blood," bloody is applied especially to things that are actually covered with blood or are made up of blood.

bloody hands

Where would gory be a reasonable alternative to bloody?

In some situations, the words gory and bloody are roughly equivalent. However, gory suggests a profusion of blood and slaughter.

exceptionally gory, even for a horror movie

When could sanguinary be used to replace bloody?

The meanings of sanguinary and bloody largely overlap; however, sanguinary applies especially to something attended by, or someone inclined to, bloodshed.

the Civil War was America's most sanguinary conflict

Examples of bloody in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
For example, at Chester’s Roman Amphitheatre, centurion Marcus Aurelius Nepos tells about England’s bloody combat history at the spot. Jennifer Billock, Smithsonian, 30 June 2017 Collapsing the roof isn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing, either—our experience involved about three minutes, two swearing fits, and at least one bloody knuckle. Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 30 June 2017
Verb
Last Saturday, that tranquility was shattered leaving people on the road bloodied, scared and afraid, as recently-obtained 911 calls show. Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 11 Sep. 2024 Trump was seen bloodied on his right ear as he was being evacuated from the stage, according to social media footage. Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 13 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for bloody 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bloody.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near bloody

Cite this Entry

“Bloody.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bloody. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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