bloodthirsty
/ˈblʌdθəːsti/
bloodthirsty means thirsty for blood: inexorably violent or eager for bloodshed; murderous. It carries an Arena rating of 1520, earned across 4 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, bloodthirsty ranks #2,345 of 15,073 for Most Incisive Words, #2,451 of 14,906 for Most Vivid Words, #7,293 of 15,010 for Most Beautiful Words, #7,369 of 14,917 for Most Elegant Words.
bloodthirsty is pronounced /ˈblʌdθəːsti/.
Why “bloodthirsty” is a great word
Characterized by an eager desire to kill or wound; murderously violent. From the English words *blood* (the red fluid in the body) and *thirsty* (having a need to drink), first recorded in the 1520s–1530s. Unlike “sanguinary,” which coolly emphasizes the fact of bloodshed, or “violent,” a broad category of forceful harm, *bloodthirsty* names the appetite itself—a cruel and specific hunger. It is the glint in the eye of a spectator at the Roman games, the patient sharpening of a blade before a raid, or the slow, savoring grin of a predator that has cornered its prey—not merely the act, but the craving that makes the air taste of iron.
Etymology
From blood + thirsty. Cognate with West Frisian bloeddorstich (“bloodthirsty”), Dutch bloeddorstig (“bloodthirsty”), German blutdürstig (“bloodthirsty”), Danish blodtørstig (“bloodthirsty”), Swedish blodtörstig (“bloodthristy”), Norwegian blodtørstig (“bloodthirsty”).
adj
- Thirsty for blood: inexorably violent or eager for bloodshed; murderous.
- Of a book, film, etc.: depicting much violence; gory, violent.
- Of a mosquito, tenaciously seeking to draw blood.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.