sanguinary

American  

[sang-gwuh-ner-ee] / ˈsæŋ gwəˌnɛr i /

adjective

1. full of or characterized by bloodshed; bloody.

   a sanguinary struggle.

2. ready or eager to shed blood; bloodthirsty.

   Synonyms:

   savage, cruel, murderous

   Antonyms:

   kind

3. composed of or marked with blood.

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sanguinary British  

/ ˈsæŋɡwɪnərɪ /

adjective

1. accompanied by much bloodshed

2. bloodthirsty

3. consisting of, flowing, or stained with blood

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Other Word Forms

• sanguinarily adverb
• sanguinariness noun
• unsanguinarily adverb
• unsanguinariness noun
• unsanguinary adjective

Etymology

Origin of sanguinary

First recorded in 1540–50, sanguinary is from the Latin word sanguinārius bloody. See sanguine, -ary

Example Sentences

His Anglican church was the product of sanguinary religious wars of the 16th and 17th centuries, and he witnessed anti-colonial uprisings throughout Africa.

From Washington Post • Dec. 28, 2021

The framers added it to the Constitution to ensure that justice would not “wear a countenance too sanguinary and cruel.”

From Slate • Jan. 19, 2021

But such occasional resonances feel more accidental and inconsistent, or at least beside the sanguinary point.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 4, 2018

He more closely resembled the Spanish colonial governor-generals, many of whom were benign autocrats, than the sanguinary military leaders of the 20th century.

From The Guardian • Nov. 26, 2016

I could explain it by arguing that profiting from a pitiful flying fish’s navigational mistake made me shy and sorrowful, while the excitement of actively capturing a great do­rado made me sanguinary and self-assured.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel