Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective sanguinary contrast with its synonyms?

The words bloody and gory are common synonyms of sanguinary. While all three words mean "affected by or involving the shedding of blood," sanguinary applies especially to something attended by, or someone inclined to, bloodshed.

the Civil War was America's most sanguinary conflict

When is bloody a more appropriate choice than sanguinary?

The synonyms bloody and sanguinary are sometimes interchangeable, but bloody is applied especially to things that are actually covered with blood or are made up of blood.

bloody hands

When is it sensible to use gory instead of sanguinary?

The words gory and sanguinary can be used in similar contexts, but gory suggests a profusion of blood and slaughter.

exceptionally gory, even for a horror movie

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 sanguinary That battle would send Bonaparte on a dizzying journey up — and down and up and down — the greasy pole of French politics and military promotions, and it’s staged by Scott with sanguinary detail: Blood will spurt, spray and splatter throughout the battles that made him and undid him. Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023 Of course, things don’t always go to plan, and apart from serving up varying portions of Reddick, Ian McShane and main course Keanu Reeves, the films are a sanguinary festival of fisticuffs, karate chops, spinning kicks, gunfire, stabbings, chases and exploding heads. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2023 But most of the works in this show of 28 artists come from some place closer to the end, where violent outcomes are expressed in sanguinary hues. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 26 May 2023 Last month, Uganda finally declared the country free of hemorrhagic fevers after three months of battling these seemingly omnipresent sanguinary viruses. Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 24 Nov. 2012 See All Example Sentences for sanguinary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanguinary
Adjective
  • The rest is a whole lot of creepiness of some seemingly murderous children, some bloodshed, and more.
    Brian Welk, IndieWire, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Joe has to finally face up to his murderous past, and battle for survival as his crimes finally close in.
    Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 1 Apr. 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
  • The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2022
  • As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.
    Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 27 Dec. 2022
Adjective
  • Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway fared better than the S & P 500 in a brutal week as investors embraced the safety of a cash-rich conglomerate while President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariffs wreaked havoc on Wall Street.
    Yun Li, CNBC, 6 Apr. 2025
  • The game's official website promises a variety of Prospectors to play as, with assets showing what looks like a brutal four-armed brawler and an insectoid-looking alien that can turn invisible.
    Alan Bradley, Space.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Two weeks ago, a protest by retirees, joined by soccer fans and members of social and political organizations, ended in a violent clash between police and protesters.
    Manuela Castro, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2025
  • Fast-talking criminals, boxing matches, violent action sequences, car charases, and notable stars (Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren, and Pierce Brosnan) are all present and accounted for.
    Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 29 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sanguinary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanguinary. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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