as in murderous
eager for or marked by the shedding of blood, extreme violence, or killing
a movie so sanguinary that I covered my eyes during at least half of it
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Recent Examples of sanguinary
That battle would send Bonaparte on a dizzying journey up — and down and up and down — the greasy pole of French politics and military promotions, and it’s staged by Scott with sanguinary detail: Blood will spurt, spray and splatter throughout the battles that made him and undid him.
—
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023
Of course, things don’t always go to plan, and apart from serving up varying portions of Reddick, Ian McShane and main course Keanu Reeves, the films are a sanguinary festival of fisticuffs, karate chops, spinning kicks, gunfire, stabbings, chases and exploding heads.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2023
But most of the works in this show of 28 artists come from some place closer to the end, where violent outcomes are expressed in sanguinary hues.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 26 May 2023
Last month, Uganda finally declared the country free of hemorrhagic fevers after three months of battling these seemingly omnipresent sanguinary viruses.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 24 Nov. 2012
See All Example Sentences for sanguinary
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023
Of course, things don’t always go to plan, and apart from serving up varying portions of Reddick, Ian McShane and main course Keanu Reeves, the films are a sanguinary festival of fisticuffs, karate chops, spinning kicks, gunfire, stabbings, chases and exploding heads.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2023
But most of the works in this show of 28 artists come from some place closer to the end, where violent outcomes are expressed in sanguinary hues.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 26 May 2023
Last month, Uganda finally declared the country free of hemorrhagic fevers after three months of battling these seemingly omnipresent sanguinary viruses.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 24 Nov. 2012
See All Example Sentences for sanguinary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanguinary
Adjective
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Still, there are at least a few memorable set-pieces, most notably a funeral interrupted by the deceased’s rejuvenated, murderous mom who subsequently climbs into the coffin for one combustible family reunion.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
10 June 2025
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The hotly anticipated and buzzy continuation of the preeminently popular dystopian YA series follows 2023’s entry The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, led by Rachel Zegler in a prequel that told the story of the 10th edition of the murderous arena.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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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
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Photos of the man in a hospital bed with a bloody mouth were also posted.—
Jonece Starr Dunigan,
AL.com,
14 July 2017
Adjective
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As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.—
Tom Yulsman,
Discover Magazine,
27 Dec. 2022
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The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2022
Adjective
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As the state on Thursday summed up the brutal details that made up the prosecution’s case, a relative walked out of the courtroom with a loud scream, causing Petrone to tell the jury to ignore the outburst.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2025
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Here lies the brutal dilemma of change: Leaders see systems; people feel emotions.—
Sahar Andrade,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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Noni finds herself up against Lion’s violent henchmen and women in series of fight-to-the-death encounters aboard the tyrant’s grandiose sailing ship, which lies at the heart of a vast naval fleet.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
9 June 2025
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The protests had been largely peaceful throughout Friday and Saturday, with isolated instances of violent activity.—
Michael Wilner,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sanguinary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanguinary. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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