murderous

adjective

mur·​der·​ous ˈmər-d(ə-)rəs 

1

a

: having the purpose or capability of murder

b

: characterized by or causing murder or bloodshed

2

: having the ability or power to overwhelm : devastating

murderous heat

murderously adverb

murderousness noun

Synonyms

• bitter
• brutal
• burdensome
• cruel
• excruciating
• grievous
• grim
• hard
• hardhanded
• harsh
• heavy
• inhuman
• onerous
• oppressive
• rough
• rugged
• searing
• severe
• stiff
• tough
• trying

Examples of murderous in a Sentence

I can't stand this murderous heat.

The lead runner set a murderous pace.

Recent Examples on the Web

That teaser largely focused on Joel's guilt over his murderous actions as his past begins to catch up with him. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 7 Jan. 2025

With season three almost upon us, this time whisking our jet-setters to Thailand, now's the perfect time to get reacquainted with all of the murderous mayhem. —Griff Griffin, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025

Days later, investigators were still trying to trace exactly how Mr. Jabbar had managed to descend into such a murderous state without detection. —Edgar Sandoval, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2025

The hearing swung from thoughtless to scandalous when one representative suggested that the murderous hawk was a better mascot for Planned Parenthood than for New Hampshire. —Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 28 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

murderous

adjective

mur·​der·​ous ˈmərd-(ə-)rəs 

1

: intending or capable of causing murder or bloodshed : deadly

murderous machine-gun fire

2

: very difficult to bear or withstand

a murderous glance

murderous heat

murderously adverb