bloody
1 of 3adjective
ˈblə-dē 
bloodier; bloodiest
1
a
: containing or made up of blood
b
: of or contained in the blood
2
: smeared or stained with blood
3
a
: accompanied by or involving bloodshed
especially : marked by great slaughter
a bloody battle
b
: marked by fierce conflict
In the end the litigation proved exhaustive and bloody but successful.
David Wild
David Wild4
a
: murderous
b
: merciless, cruel
5
: bloodred
6
British, informal + sometimes offensive : damned —often used as an intensive
acting like a bloody fool
bloodily
ˈblə-də-lē
adverb bloodiness
ˈblə-dē-nəs
noun bloody
2 of 3verb
bloodied; bloodying
transitive verb
1
: to make bloody or bloodred
a punch that bloodied his nose
2
: harm, damage
an administration bloodied by scandal
bloody
3 of 3adverb
British, informal + sometimes offensive
—used as an intensive
a bloody awful mistakehad a bloody good time
Synonyms
Adjective
- bloodstained
- gory
Verb
- blemish
- break
- compromise
- crab
- cripple
- cross (up)
- damage
- deface
- disfigure
- endamage
- flaw
- harm
- hurt
- impair
- injure
- mar
- spoil
- vitiate
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective He hit me and gave me a bloody nose. after the fight, her shirt was all bloody Verb He hit me and bloodied my nose. the politician's reputation was permanently bloodied by the rumors of corruption
Recent Examples on the Web 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 A man found the baby bloody but still breathing and asked security at the building to call 911, prosecutors said at the time. Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, 10 July 2017 His comments came after weeks of saber-rattling in New Delhi and Beijing, as officials from both sides talk up a potential clash even bloodier than their 1962 war that left thousands dead. Bloomberg.com, 6 July 2017 For example, at Chester’s Roman Amphitheatre, centurion Marcus Aurelius Nepos tells about England’s bloody combat history at the spot. Jennifer Billock, Smithsonian, 30 June 2017 Collapsing the roof isn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing, either—our experience involved about three minutes, two swearing fits, and at least one bloody knuckle. Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 30 June 2017 Instead, there’s glee for Trump’s base in watching Trump bring justice to the streets of media Gotham, flinging Batarangs of acerbic nastiness at Mika Brzezinski’s bloody face. Ben Shapiro, National Review, 5 July 2017 His next memory was waking up on the floor with a bloody nose and painful headache. Michael Osipoff, Post-Tribune, 3 July 2017 Seth Harp, Harper's Magazine, 27 Apr. 2020 Videos showed people being beaten on the floor and left bloodied and dazed. James Griffiths, CNN, 24 July 2019 Bruised, bloodied, and reeking of fuel, the three men were handcuffed in the back of a police truck and driven to a hospital in Toluca. Seth Harp, Harper's Magazine, 27 Apr. 2020 Cordon’s face was bloodied during a home invasion in the early hours of July 10. John Wawrow, The Seattle Times, 13 Aug. 2018 The woman was bloodied, and her hair was cut by the blades of the arrow, the sheriff’s office said. oregonlive, 24 Mar. 2020 Meanwhile, Democrats bloodied each other in a debate battle ahead of today’s Nevada caucuses that candidate Michael Bloomberg said Trump won. Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, 22 Feb. 2020 News photos showed rescue workers with lights bringing out people, some bloodied by the collapse. USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2020 Bruised, bloodied, and reeking of fuel, the three men were handcuffed in the back of a police truck and driven to a hospital in Toluca. Seth Harp, Harper's magazine, 2 Mar. 2020 See More
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 A man found the baby bloody but still breathing and asked security at the building to call 911, prosecutors said at the time. Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, 10 July 2017 His comments came after weeks of saber-rattling in New Delhi and Beijing, as officials from both sides talk up a potential clash even bloodier than their 1962 war that left thousands dead. Bloomberg.com, 6 July 2017 For example, at Chester’s Roman Amphitheatre, centurion Marcus Aurelius Nepos tells about England’s bloody combat history at the spot. Jennifer Billock, Smithsonian, 30 June 2017 Collapsing the roof isn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing, either—our experience involved about three minutes, two swearing fits, and at least one bloody knuckle. Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 30 June 2017 Instead, there’s glee for Trump’s base in watching Trump bring justice to the streets of media Gotham, flinging Batarangs of acerbic nastiness at Mika Brzezinski’s bloody face. Ben Shapiro, National Review, 5 July 2017 His next memory was waking up on the floor with a bloody nose and painful headache. Michael Osipoff, Post-Tribune, 3 July 2017 Verb
Bruised, bloodied, and reeking of fuel, the three men were handcuffed in the back of a police truck and driven to a hospital in Toluca. Seth Harp, Harper's Magazine, 27 Apr. 2020 Videos showed people being beaten on the floor and left bloodied and dazed. James Griffiths, CNN, 24 July 2019 Bruised, bloodied, and reeking of fuel, the three men were handcuffed in the back of a police truck and driven to a hospital in Toluca. Seth Harp, Harper's Magazine, 27 Apr. 2020 Cordon’s face was bloodied during a home invasion in the early hours of July 10. John Wawrow, The Seattle Times, 13 Aug. 2018 The woman was bloodied, and her hair was cut by the blades of the arrow, the sheriff’s office said. oregonlive, 24 Mar. 2020 Meanwhile, Democrats bloodied each other in a debate battle ahead of today’s Nevada caucuses that candidate Michael Bloomberg said Trump won. Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, 22 Feb. 2020 News photos showed rescue workers with lights bringing out people, some bloodied by the collapse. USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2020 Bruised, bloodied, and reeking of fuel, the three men were handcuffed in the back of a police truck and driven to a hospital in Toluca. Seth Harp, Harper's magazine, 2 Mar. 2020 See More Word History
First Known Use
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adverb
1681, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing bloody
Kids Definition
bloody
adjective
ˈblə-dē
bloodier; bloodiest
1
: bleeding or covered with blood
a bloody nose
a bloody bandage
2
: causing or accompanied by bloodshed
a bloody fight
Medical Definition
bloody
adjective
ˈbləd-ē
bloodier; bloodiest
1
a
: containing or made up of blood
b
: of or contained in the blood
2
a
: smeared or stained with blood
b
: dripping blood : bleeding
a bloody nose
bloody 1 of 2
adjective
1
as in gory
smeared or stained with blood after the fight, her shirt was all bloody Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- gory
- bloodstained
- red
- reddish
- crimson
- ruby
- sanguinary
- carmine
- sanguineous
- incarnadine
- bloodred
- sanguine
2
as in murderous
eager for or marked by the shedding of blood, extreme violence, or killing a bloody battle a bloody movie that is unsuitable for children Synonyms & Similar Words
- murderous
- murdering
- brutal
- savage
- violent
- sanguinary
- vicious
- ferocious
- bloodthirsty
- fierce
- homicidal
- sanguineous
- contentious
- cruel
- bloody-minded
- sanguine
- ruthless
- barbaric
- merciless
- sadistic
- gory
- barbarous
- bloodstained
- aggressive
- hostile
- heartless
- inhumane
- hateful
- pitiless
- bellicose
- grim
- belligerent
- gladiatorial
- antagonistic
- wanton
- combative
- truculent
- pugnacious
- malicious
- discordant
- quarrelsome
- nasty
- scrappy
- spiteful
- malignant
- fell
- malevolent
- cold-blooded
- assertive
- malign
- mean
- despiteful
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- peaceful
- peaceable
- kind
- conciliatory
- pacific
- placatory
- propitiatory
- sympathetic
- warm
- humane
- disarming
- benign
- placative
- unaggressive
- compassionate
- unassertive
- dovish
- mollifying
- appeasing
- benignant
- merciful
- pacifying
- placating
- tender
- gentle
- lenient
- peacemaking
- amiable
- benevolent
- kindhearted
- tenderhearted
- clement
- warmhearted
- affable
- amicable
- kindly
- yielding
- submissive
- good-hearted
- surrendering
bloody
2 of 2verb
as in to damage
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of the politician's reputation was permanently bloodied by the rumors of corruption Synonyms & Similar Words
- damage
- mar
- injure
- hurt
- cripple
- compromise
- spoil
- break
- weaken
- harm
- disfigure
- impair
- crab
- blemish
- erode
- flaw
- ruin
- wound
- deface
- destroy
- vitiate
- undermine
- endamage
- cross (up)
- shatter
- deteriorate
- batter
- torture
- wreck
- lame
- wash out
- blight
- smash
- queer
- dent
- scour
- botch
- tarnish
- dint
- desolate
- enfeeble
- waste
- torment
- total
- demolish
- ding
- tear down
- scourge
- lacerate
- mutilate
- wipe out
- enervate
- maim
- mangle
- devastate
- crush
- clobber
- decimate
- bash
- hamstring
- bang up
- annihilate
- disable
- wear (away)
- dash
- pulverize
- raze
- gum (up)
- do in
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- patch
- repair
- reconstruct
- fix
- rebuild
- mend
- cure
- revamp
- heal
- help
- remedy
- perfect
- rectify
- renovate
- better
- doctor
- rehabilitate
- improve
- revise
- edit
- recondition
- remodel
- enhance
- ameliorate
- refine
- enrich
- meliorate
Synonym Chooser
The words gory and sanguinary are common synonyms of bloody. While all three words mean "affected by or involving the shedding of blood," bloody is applied especially to things that are actually covered with blood or are made up of blood.
bloody hands
In some situations, the words gory and bloody are roughly equivalent. However, gory suggests a profusion of blood and slaughter.
exceptionally gory, even for a horror movie
The meanings of sanguinary and bloody largely overlap; however, sanguinary applies especially to something attended by, or someone inclined to, bloodshed.
the Civil War was America's most sanguinary conflict