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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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bloody
Adjective
In the end, McGovern included clips from early morning airport chaos, rain on the Hawaiian beaches, the aftermath of a bloody lip and plenty of screaming and crying. Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025 Amid the untold death and destruction that has ravaged the Gaza Strip for the past two years and continues to strike with little notice, one group is tasked with delivering Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners—alive and dead—across one of the bloodiest front lines on Earth. Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
Photos of the man shared with IndyStar show him on a hospital bed, bloodied, with a neck brace and a large gash on the left side of his face. IndyStar, 6 Oct. 2025 Physics took care of the rest, and while knees and elbows were bloodied and egos were bruised, the ensuing spill may have worked in the league’s favor. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bloody
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bloody
Adjective
  • Consuelos suited up in Kelce's Kansas City Chiefs uniform, while Ripa nailed Swift's game-day style with a red-and-white windbreaker, denim cutoffs and a backstage pass.
    Diana Pearl, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
  • The bracelets were sold in green, red, pink, orange, yellow and blue.
    Greta Cross, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • In Vincent Must Die, random strangers have suddenly started attacking Vincent with murderous intent.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2025
  • And its pigtailed protagonist — to many, as recognizable and beloved a horror villain as Freddie Krueger or Jason Voorhees — is little Rhoda, whose mother (Nancy Kelly) discovers over the course of the film is actually a murderous sociopath.
    Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Just under two million Palestinians—virtually the entire population of Gaza—have been displaced since October 2023, many repeatedly, and Israeli forces have damaged or destroyed more than 90 percent of homes in the Strip.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
  • This protection also works to protect plants that are marginally hardy in your area, such as hydrangeas blooming on old wood that may not bloom if their flower buds are damaged by cold.
    Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The bodies and the reddish stains are only visible in the satellite images taken on Monday and Tuesday, after the RSF takeover.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Melted over the mixture are two perfect squares of American cheese, a shower of sesame seeds, and the aforementioned reddish-pink burger sauce.
    Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Even now, plans are underway to determine how best to retire and deorbit the aging laboratory – which has been marred by air leaks and other issues – likely around 2030.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
  • International rights groups have criticized the electoral process which has been marred by low voter turnout, a night curfew and internet shutdown as protesters have taken to the streets of major cities for the third day since election day.
    Martin K.N Siele, semafor.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • What unfolds is a gory nightmare revisiting past traumas.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Satanic Rites approaches the genre in an inspired way that more films should — as a gory political thriller with vampires.
    Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Here's everything to know about the late female killer and her brutal crimes.
    Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
  • The grisly events in El Fasher come over two and a half years into a brutal civil war that has claimed the lives of more than 150,000 people.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The next day, however, a football-style tussle left him injured.
    Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
  • The 2023 edition opened a month later as Israel intensified its bombing campaign on Gaza, which has since killed more than 67,000 people, injured another 170,000 and razed the Palestinian territory to the ground, prompting accusations of genocide, which Israel has strongly rejected.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Bloody.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bloody. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.

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