sanguinary
/'sæɳgwinəri/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Characterized by or involving bloodshed and violence: Describes actions, events, or people that are exceptionally bloody, violent, and cruel.
- Eager for or marked by bloodshed: Describes a bloodthirsty, murderous, or savage disposition.
Usage and Examples
- Adjective:
- The battle was one of the most sanguinary conflicts in the nation's history. (This describes a battle that involved massive bloodshed.)
- The dictator was known for his sanguinary rule, suppressing all opposition with brutal force. (This describes a ruler whose methods are characterized by violence and killing.)
- The novel depicts the sanguinary details of the ancient gladiatorial games. (This describes details that are gory and bloody.)
Advanced Usage
- Literary/Formal Context: "Sanguinary" is primarily used in formal, historical, or literary contexts to emphasize extreme violence and bloodshed. It is stronger and more specific than simply "violent."
- The chronicles recorded the sanguinary feuds between the two noble houses.
- Attributive Use: It is often used directly before a noun to modify it.
- a sanguinary struggle, a sanguinary tyrant, sanguinary vengeance
Variants and Related Words
- Sanguine (adj): While historically related to blood, in modern English this primarily means "optimistic" or "cheerful." It is a false friend; do not confuse it with "sanguinary."
- Sanguineness (n): The quality of being sanguine (optimistic).
Synonyms
- Bloodthirsty: Having or showing a desire to kill and cause violence.
- Gory: Involving or showing violence and bloodshed.
- Murderous: Capable of or intending to murder; violently destructive.
- Bloody: Involving or characterized by bloodshed. (Note: "Bloody" is more common and general; "sanguinary" is more intense and formal.)
- Butcherly: Resembling or characteristic of a butcher; savage and bloody.
Antonyms
- Peaceful: Free from disturbance; tranquil.
- Pacifistic: Opposed to war or violence.
- Humane: Having or showing compassion or benevolence.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- Sanguinary struggle/war: A standard collocation describing an exceptionally bloody conflict.
- The century was marked by a series of sanguinary wars over territory.
- Sanguinary disposition/temper: A phrase describing a person's naturally bloodthirsty character.
- The pirate captain was feared for his sanguinary disposition.
Adjective
- 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
- accompanied by bloodshed
- this bitter and sanguinary war