bloodletting

noun

blood·​let·​ting ˈbləd-ˌle-tiŋ 

1

: phlebotomy

2

: bloodshed

3

: elimination of personnel or resources

4

: severe criticism

Take the English, the undisputed champions at verbal bloodletting.

—Bill Ott

: a harsh verbal or written attack

But what makes "Cinderella & Company" more than just a book-length bloodletting is Hoelterhoff's unexpected sympathy for most of the singers about whom she writes.

—Terry Teachout

Examples of bloodletting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For those of us who survived this corporate bloodletting, we were offered bland gestures of perseverance and then told to get back to work the next day. —Steve Denning, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025

Nationwide, research grants doled out by the National Institutes of Health were hit with an ax this month, but the bloodletting is very much a local problem. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2025

Unlike the original 1985 Vampire Hunter D — a low-budget, direct-to-video effort — 2000’s Bloodlust is opulently produced, a postapocalyptic action epic stuffed with black leather, red lips, and supernatural bloodletting. —Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2024

The bloodletting reached its peak in the final days of Trump’s presidency. —Dan Wang, Foreign Affairs, 29 July 2021

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for bloodletting

• abetting
• begetting
• besetting
• briquetting
• forgetting
• offsetting
• pipetting
• regretting
• resetting
• subletting
• typesetting
• upsetting

Kids Definition

bloodletting

noun

blood·​let·​ting ˈbləd-ˌlet-iŋ 

1

: the opening of a vein for the purpose of drawing blood

2

: bloodshed sense 2

Medical Definition

bloodletting

noun

blood·​let·​ting -ˌlet-iŋ 

: phlebotomy