1
as in oppressive
difficult to endure
the murderous heat of the desert
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
those exams were murderous
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lethal
likely to cause or capable of causing death
braved murderous machine-gun fire to capture the hill from the enemy
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4
as in murdering
eager for or marked by the shedding of blood, extreme violence, or killing
Viking warriors became legendary for the murderous fury they displayed in battle
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of murderous
Orwell loathed Communism, especially the decades-long rule of Russia’s murderous dictator Joseph Stalin.
—
Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
Nor should Iran earn gold stars for supporting its murderous network of allies that includes Hamas and Hezbollah.
—Tom Jurkowsky, Baltimore Sun, 25 Apr. 2026
Two weeks later, police say, those same hands pulled the trigger that took all of their lives and that of along with one of their cousins in a murderous spree that shocked Shreveport.
—Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, Rosie is piecing together Sam’s true identity herself and learns of his murderous past.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for murderous
Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
Nor should Iran earn gold stars for supporting its murderous network of allies that includes Hamas and Hezbollah.
—Tom Jurkowsky, Baltimore Sun, 25 Apr. 2026
Two weeks later, police say, those same hands pulled the trigger that took all of their lives and that of along with one of their cousins in a murderous spree that shocked Shreveport.
—Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, Rosie is piecing together Sam’s true identity herself and learns of his murderous past.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for murderous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for murderous
Adjective
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Another indigenous leader says another Gran Tierra practice is the most oppressive issue — gas flaring.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
People were craving the culture and art that had been suppressed during his oppressive reign.—
Althea Legaspi,
Rolling Stone,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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Building the program had proved difficult.—
Andrew Carter,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
-
Sindcom 14-Piece Food Storage Containers Set The pantry is one of the most difficult places to organize thanks to boxes of cereal, pasta, baking ingredients, and more scattered about.—
Kelsey Fredricks,
PEOPLE,
24 May 2026
Adjective
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Many who lived through the pandemic—and witnessed this inability to combat the lethal pestilence—developed scornful opinions of the medical profession.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
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The lethal nature of mosquitoes is ancient knowledge, encoded in some of our most sacred texts.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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The table tells a harsher story.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
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The girls’ mother, who traveled to appear in court Thursday with Doe 8, called for a harsh punishment and described how O’Connor, once in Idaho, helped sneak out Doe 8 to see her son, at one point provided them a hotel room.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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During a particularly challenging episode with her mental health, Halverson said, his mother went to stay with her sister in Wisconsin.—
Jourdan Rodrigue,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
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Perhaps my teen years and college (particularly the latter) would have not been so challenging emotionally, academically and socially.—
Sahaj Kaur Kohli,
Washington Post,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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The catastrophic blast at the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan County, located in China’s northern Shanxi province, marked the country’s deadliest mining disaster in recent years.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
25 May 2026
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Aurora officials also failed to properly train officers on threat assessments, de-escalation, warnings and the constitutional limits on deadly force, the lawsuit alleges.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
25 May 2026
Adjective
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Nature can be a lot of things—beautiful, bloody, sweet, savage.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
25 May 2026
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Those who are infected can suffer symptoms that include diarrhea that is often bloody, vomiting and abdominal cramps, according to health authorities.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
25 May 2026
Adjective
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Some 1,000 people participated at the state Capitol’s annual candlelight vigil to remember the missing, support families and recommit to ending the violence causing such searing pain in California Indian Country.—
James C Ramos,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 May 2026
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The searing conditions have turned deadly, with multiple drownings in British lakes, French surf and Spanish beaches as people seek relief before lifeguard patrols and summer safety measures are fully in place.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Murderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/murderous. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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