1
as in oppressive
difficult to endure
the murderous heat of the desert
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
those exams were murderous
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 murderous
Rather than a group of murderous gays with a mysterious connection to Greg Hunt, the initiator of the debauchery this time is Chloe — a hot party girl with an ambiguous past and a slightly less mysterious connection to Greg Hunt (now going by Gary).
—
Zoe Papelis, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2025
Nor is Nancy, who takes to wearing a baseball cap hiding out in Dave’s car to stalk her husband and discover he’s possibly been up to something murderous.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 12 Mar. 2025
More than anything else, what distinguishes the show is the genuine warmth of the relationships within this murderous crime family.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 6 Mar. 2025
If convicted, Mangione will have solidified a fateful decision to give in to murderous impulses and thrown away a promising future, totally ruining his own life.
—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for murderous
Zoe Papelis, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2025
Nor is Nancy, who takes to wearing a baseball cap hiding out in Dave’s car to stalk her husband and discover he’s possibly been up to something murderous.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 12 Mar. 2025
More than anything else, what distinguishes the show is the genuine warmth of the relationships within this murderous crime family.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 6 Mar. 2025
If convicted, Mangione will have solidified a fateful decision to give in to murderous impulses and thrown away a promising future, totally ruining his own life.
—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for murderous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for murderous
Adjective
-
The triangle was turned right-side-up to show that gay people were standing up to oppressive forces.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
-
My parents came here from Syria, carrying their stories of the oppressive regime there that made life unlivable.—
Armando Garcia,
ABC News,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
As college sports continues its rapid professionalization, the ACC is in a difficult spot.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Most of the files are scans of documents, and some are blurred or have become faint or difficult to read in the decades since Kennedy's assassination.—
Joel Shannon,
USA TODAY,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In 2023, Idaho authorized the firing squad as a method of execution if lethal injection drugs were not available.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
10 Mar. 2025
-
After a 13-year pause while South Carolina struggled to obtain the drugs for lethal injections, the state has resumed executions.—
Jeffrey Collins,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Each of our pieces is a symbol of resilience, proving that creativity can thrive even under the harshest circumstances.—
Gemma A. Williams,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
-
The Patriots are paying for potential more than immediate production, so the F grade feels harsh.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Global hiring can offer a fresh solution in these challenging times.—
James Peters,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Probably the most significant factor is the company's ever-present pressure to accelerate, even while taking on more and more challenging tasks.—
Ryan Whitwam,
Ars Technica,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The deadly weapon, prosecutors say, was Diaz's own bodily fluids.—
Chris Spargo,
People.com,
20 Mar. 2025
-
The mothers connect to participate in public awareness campaigns, sharing their stories to warn young people and their families about fentanyl, the deadly drug often sold illicitly by dealers as prescription pills on social media accounts.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacramento Bee,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
After watching in terror as a man violently attacked a police officer in an El Cajon fast-food restaurant, Iesha Booker checked for a pulse on the bloody, unconscious officer and yelled into the radio on his belt.—
Karen Kucher,
sandiegouniontribune.com,
19 July 2017
-
Photos of the man in a hospital bed with a bloody mouth were also posted.—
Jonece Starr Dunigan,
AL.com,
14 July 2017
Adjective
-
Last year, Love penned a searing op-ed in The Guardian about the lack of female artists in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
5 Mar. 2025
-
If Demi Moore wasn’t going to win for her career-reviving performance in the horror satire The Substance, then surely British voters would reward Marianne Jean-Baptiste for her searing depiction of depression in Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths.—
Sarah Crompton,
Vogue,
17 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Murderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/murderous. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share