bloody

[ bluhd-ee ]

adjective

, blood·i·er, blood·i·est.

1. stained or covered with blood:

   a bloody handkerchief.

   Synonyms: gory, sanguinary

2. bleeding:

   a bloody nose.

   Synonyms: gory, sanguinary

3. characterized by bloodshed:

   bloody battle; a bloody rule.

   Synonyms: gory, sanguinary

4. inclined to bloodshed; bloodthirsty:

   a bloody dictator.

   Synonyms: ruthless, inhuman, cruel, ferocious, brutal, savage, homicidal, murderous

5. of, relating to, or resembling blood; containing or composed of blood:

   bloody tissue.

6. Slang. (used as an intensifier):

   a bloody shame; a bloody nuisance.

verb (used with object)

, blood·ied, blood·y·ing.

1. to stain or smear with blood.
2. to cause to bleed, as by a blow or accident:

   to bloody someone's nose.

adverb

1. Slang. (used as an intensifier):

   bloody awful; bloody wonderful.

bloody

/ ˈblʌdɪ /

adjective

1. covered or stained with blood
2. resembling or composed of blood
3. marked by much killing and bloodshed

   a bloody war

4. cruel or murderous

   a bloody tyrant

5. of a deep red colour; blood-red

adverb

1. slang.
   (intensifier)

   a bloody fool

   bloody fine food

verb

1. tr to stain with blood

Derived Forms

• ˈbloodily, adverb
• ˈbloodiness, noun

Other Words From

• bloodi·ly adverb
• bloodi·ness noun
• un·bloodi·ly adverb
• un·bloodi·ness noun
• un·bloody adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bloody¹

before 1000; Middle English blody, Old English blōdig. See blood, -y ¹

Example Sentences

Mrs MacDonald told the court: "He would say I'm going to kill him, I’m going to bloody kill him for ruining my life".

From BBC

The issue at the time, Ms Nash explains, is that because the battle was so bloody, most of the men were either killed or captured, leaving no one to identify them.

From BBC

Other films to be reclassified were 1947's Black Narcissus, which went from U to PG due to "mild threat, violence, brief bloody images and discrimination", and 1995's Higher Learning, which went from 15 to 18 for "sexual violence".

From BBC

For the record, I appreciated his performance and I mostly enjoyed watching “Heretic,” which, though predictable at times, sounds all the requisite creepy notes while still being more thoughtful and less bloody than much of the genre.

From Los Angeles Times

Giving a stark summary of Raymond McDonald, his mother says: "He's got naff all. He's a bloody big liar. I've had two nervous breakdowns because of him."

From BBC

Related Words

• cruel
• ferocious
• fierce
• gory
• grim
• murderous
• savage