bloodcurdling

[ bluhd-kurd-ling, -kur-dl-ing ]

adjective

1. arousing terror; horrifying:

   a bloodcurdling scream.

bloodcurdling

/ ˈblʌdˌkɜːdlɪŋ /

adjective

1. terrifying; horrifying

Derived Forms

• ˈbloodˌcurdlingly, adverb

Other Words From

• bloodcurdling·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of bloodcurdling¹

First recorded in 1930–35; blood + curdle + -ing ²

Example Sentences

After six seasons, Peaky Blinders reached its bloodcurdling finish on TV in 2022 and had used the West Midlands backdrop for many locations, such as the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley.

From BBC

One woman let out a “bloodcurdling” scream, which Runyan said would “stick with him forever.”

From Los Angeles Times

Yet I was also transfixed: Chris Nash’s direction is so persuasively bold — brazen, really — and bloodcurdlingly coolheaded that his unusual shocker is impossible to dismiss.

From New York Times

From deep within the cave came what was probably supposed to be a bloodcurdling roar.

From Literature

It was just after their third break that they turned a darkened corner and Brooklyn let out a bloodcurdling scream.

From Literature