Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Eager for violence and bloodshed; characterized by a desire to kill or see bloodshed: The word "bloodthirsty" describes a person, creature, or action that shows a strong and often cruel desire for violence involving bloodshed and killing.

Usage

• The adjective "bloodthirsty" is used to describe a nature, desire, or behavior. It is a strong, negative term.
• It can modify nouns directly (e.g., a bloodthirsty warrior) or be used as a predicate adjective (e.g., The dictator was bloodthirsty).

Examples

• The ancient gladiatorial games were a spectacle for a bloodthirsty crowd.
• Legends often describe the monster as a bloodthirsty beast that terrorized the village.
• The general was accused of being bloodthirsty and ruthless in his campaigns.

Advanced Usage

• Figurative/Descriptive Use: Sometimes used in a less literal, more hyperbolic way to describe intense competitiveness or aggression.
  • The bloodthirsty rivalry between the two companies led to a series of hostile takeovers.

Variants and Related Words

• Bloodthirstiness (noun): The quality or state of being bloodthirsty.
  • The bloodthirstiness of the regime shocked the world.

Synonyms

• Murderous: Having an intent or likelihood to kill.
• Sanguinary: Involving or liking bloodshed and violence (formal/literary).
• Homicidal: Capable of or tending toward murder.
• Violent: Using or involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill.

Antonyms

• Peaceful: Free from disturbance; tranquil.
• Gentle: Mild in temperament or behavior; kind or tender.
• Humane: Having or showing compassion or benevolence.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Thirst for blood: An idiom meaning a strong desire to kill or see violence, closely related in meaning to "bloodthirsty."
  • The mob's thirst for blood was uncontrollable.

Adjective

1. marked by eagerness to resort to violence and bloodshed
   • bloody-minded tyrants
   • bloodthirsty yells
   • went after the collaborators with a sanguinary fury that drenched the land with blood-G.W.Johnson