1
: marked by eager hopefulness : confidently optimistic
In the month of August 1994, Democrats remained sanguine about their chances at the polls …—
John B. Judis
John B. JudisA lot of attention also is being devoted to the development of vaccines to prevent genital herpes, although not everyone is sanguine about the outcome.—The Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association2
: bloodred
… the radiant heat from the cedar logs, whose sanguine colour made the silvered locks of his hair into a fantastic wreath of flames.—Elinor Wylie
Elinor Wylie3
a
: consisting of or relating to blood
… some sanguine vessels are obstructed, and distended …—Theophilus Lobb
Theophilus Lobb
b
: bloodthirsty, sanguinary
… attacked by the sanguine … warriors of neighboring islands …—Ana Y. Ramos-Zayas
Ana Y. Ramos-Zayas
c
: accompanied by, involving, or relating to bloodshed : bloody
… from the numerous graves, including those by the barn, which our shells had destroyed; we realized what a sanguine battle it had been …—Frederick W. Wild
Frederick W. Wild
d
of the complexion
: ruddy
She was all unnerved; her naturally sanguine complexion was pale …—Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë4
: having blood as the predominating bodily humor see humor entry 1 sense 2c
An abundance of red blood was marked by a warm and sanguine temperament; whereas, an excess of yellow bile produced the choleric temperament …—Samuel Lytler Metcalfe
Samuel Lytler Metcalfe
also
: having the bodily conformation and temperament held characteristic of such predominance and marked by sturdiness, healthy red complexion, and cheerfulness
He conceived himself rather as a sanguine and strenuous man, a great fighter. —G. K. Chesterton
G. K. Chesterton
: a moderate to strong red
Did you know?
If you're the sort of cheery soul who always looks on the bright side no matter what happens, you have a sanguine personality. Sanguine is the name of one of the temperaments that ancient and medieval scholars believed was caused by an abundance of one of the four humors. It comes from sanguineus—Latin for "of or relating to blood" or "bloody"—and over centuries has had meanings ranging from "bloodthirsty" and "bloodred" to "confidently optimistic."
Synonyms
Examples of sanguine in a Sentence
Adjective
He has been strangely sanguine about this, blandly ignoring the mounting evidence that dissident elements in the police are stirring trouble …
—Allister Sparks, Washington Post, 9–15 Mar. 1992
How could a man of his caliber be this sanguine about a war we had barely begun to fight? He gave me the McNamara look, eyes focusing boldly through rimless glasses. "Every quantitative measurement we have shows that we're winning this war," he said.
—Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 1988
Yet if there were sanguine expectations of war profits and unlimited booty from the Spanish empire, … those hopes were dramatically confounded …
—Simon Schama, The Embarrassment of Riches, 1988
He does not pretend to be sanguine about our prospects. History itself, he reminds us, provides few examples of cultures as debilitated as ours which were not destroyed by the very forces they set in motion.
—Gertrude Himmelfarb, The New History and the Old, 1987
She has a sanguine disposition.
He is sanguine about the company's future.
Allister Sparks, Washington Post, 9–15 Mar. 1992
How could a man of his caliber be this sanguine about a war we had barely begun to fight? He gave me the McNamara look, eyes focusing boldly through rimless glasses. "Every quantitative measurement we have shows that we're winning this war," he said.
—Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 1988
Yet if there were sanguine expectations of war profits and unlimited booty from the Spanish empire, … those hopes were dramatically confounded …
—Simon Schama, The Embarrassment of Riches, 1988
He does not pretend to be sanguine about our prospects. History itself, he reminds us, provides few examples of cultures as debilitated as ours which were not destroyed by the very forces they set in motion.
—Gertrude Himmelfarb, The New History and the Old, 1987
She has a sanguine disposition.
He is sanguine about the company's future.
Recent Examples on the Web
Tim Ellis, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
On Russian social media, the mood was less sanguine.
—Peter Pomerantsev, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2024
Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2022
Also called the travel, dying grass, sanguine or blood moon, the term hunter's moon was first identified in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1710.
—Julia Musto, Fox News, 7 Oct. 2022
See all Example Sentences for sanguine 
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Adjective
The dual coach was more sanguine than his kinetic soulmate Stokes.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
On Russian social media, the mood was less sanguine.
—Peter Pomerantsev, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2024
Noun
Unfortunately, the angling tournament on Lake Erie that made international news the other day doesn’t bode well for the sanguine.
—Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2022
Also called the travel, dying grass, sanguine or blood moon, the term hunter's moon was first identified in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1710.
—Julia Musto, Fox News, 7 Oct. 2022
See all Example Sentences for sanguine
Dictionary Entries Near sanguine
Cite this Entry
“Sanguine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sanguine. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
sanguine
adjective
san·guine
ˈsaŋ-gwən 
1
a
: consisting of or relating to blood
b
of the complexion
: ruddy
2
: having blood as the predominating bodily humor
also
: having the bodily conformation and temperament held characteristic of such predominance and marked by sturdiness, high color, and cheerfulness
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