bloody

1 of 3

adjective

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
4
5
6
British, informal + sometimes offensive : damned
often used as an intensive
acting like a bloody fool
bloodily adverb
bloodiness noun

bloody

2 of 3

verb

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 3

adverb

British, informal + sometimes offensive
used as an intensive
a bloody awful mistake
had a bloody good time
Choose the Right Synonym for bloody

bloody, sanguinary, gory 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

sanguinary applies especially to something attended by, or someone inclined to, bloodshed.

the Civil War was America's most sanguinary conflict

gory suggests a profusion of blood and slaughter.

exceptionally gory, even for a horror movie

Examples of bloody in a Sentence

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Verb
Knell, 25, was found naked and bloodied in her bed by her boyfriend in June 1987, while Pierce, 20, was discovered dead in her underwear in a flooded drain. Sean Neumann, People.com, 20 Oct. 2024 The Fallout: In 2019, Kathy Griffin posed with a replica of former President Donald Trump‘s bloodied, decapitated head in her hand. Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bloody 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of bloody was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bloody

Cite this Entry

“Bloody.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bloody. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

bloody

adjective
ˈbləd-ē
bloodier; bloodiest
1
a
: containing, smeared, or stained with blood
a bloody handkerchief
b
: dripping blood
a bloody nose
2
: causing or accompanied by bloodshed
a bloody battle
3
: bloodthirsty, murderous
a bloody deed
bloodily
ˈbləd-ᵊl-ē
adverb
bloodiness
ˈbləd-ē-nəs
noun
bloody verb

Medical Definition

bloody

adjective
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
bloodily adverb
bloodiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on bloody

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!