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

The latter refers to the sectarian bloodletting that followed Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein’s removal. —Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024

Colonists abandoned once promising agricultural settlements, and, in an act of cruel, retaliatory bloodletting, Périer ordered the massacre of the Chaouacha, an innocent tribe uninvolved in the revolt. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Nov. 2024

Kyle Dubas, the Penguins’ president of hockey operations, might not be planning the same kind of bloodletting. —Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024

But that doesn’t mean the bloodletting is over, at least at Sony. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

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

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