adjective

• 1Capable of or intending to murder; dangerously violent.

  ‘a brutal and murderous despot’

  More example sentences

  • ‘her estranged husband was seized with murderous jealousy’
  • ‘Still, the doctor is not convinced, but he does offer his story of a murderous ventriloquist whose dummy seemed more alive, and violent, than he was.’
  • ‘He was capable of murderous cruelty when angered.’
  • ‘As a high-ranking servant of a murderous despot, he lied often.’
  • ‘A murderous dictator may not be anyone's idea of a great business partner.’
  • ‘Selling guns to murderous dictators holds few real qualms for our 'hero'.’
  • ‘Il Tabarro was a subtitled drama about forbidden love and murderous jealousy.’
  • ‘He didn't seem to be anyone dangerous or murderous, to tell the truth.’
  • ‘The country's military dictatorship is a repressive, democracy-crushing, bloodthirsty, murderous bunch of thugs.’
  • ‘The longer his thoughts dwelt on the matter, the more murderous they grew.’
  • ‘This is a murderous organisation which seeks impossible objectives by the most violent of means.’
  • ‘There are despotic and murderous regimes all over the world and cultures whose affinity for evil and hatred defies comprehension.’
  • ‘As an advocate for hard times and the impending global apocalypse, I'm disappointed whenever a potential murderous despot loses his insane grip on the world.’
  • ‘I can see why that might work in, say, a song about murderous jealousy, but that doesn't seem to be what this song is about.’
  • ‘History is littered with despots and psychopaths, murderous dullards, evil geniuses, deadly incompetents, calamitous brutes of all descriptions.’
  • ‘An ex-con takes a job as a ballast driver and encounters a world of dangerous conditions, murderous rivalry and corruption.’
  • ‘Set in medieval Japan, Across the Nightingale Floor follows the captivating tale of Takeo, whose village is brutally destroyed by the murderous warlord, Iida Sadamu.’
  • ‘He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime.’
  • ‘This man is as smoothly eloquent as he is violent, murderous and sexually rampant.’
  • ‘He is not some murderous criminal to be brutally dealt with, Uncle Charles.’
  • ‘This new book usefully reminds us why that was, and just how vicious, corrupt and murderous the pre-1949 regime was.’

  Synonyms

  homicidal, brutal, violent, savage, ferocious, fierce, vicious, bloodthirsty, barbarous, barbaric, cruel, inhuman

  View synonyms

  1. 1.1(of an action, event, or plan) involving murder or extreme violence.
     ‘the most vicious and murderous acts of human aggression’
     More example sentences

     • ‘Determined to avenge her, Marv pursues a violent, murderous course that takes him to the heart of the city's power structure, and seals his fate.’
     • ‘The boy and his accomplices failed in their murderous conspiracy.’
     • ‘If I ever snap and go on a murderous killing spree, it'll be because of this guy.’
     • ‘She's afraid I'm going to crack and go on a murderous rampage.’
     • ‘He attributed these tendencies and his cruel, murderous history to his abusive childhood.’
     • ‘But this bombing felt different: more vicious, hateful, crude, and murderous.’
     • ‘His support for the most murderous policies of the ruling elite is nothing new.’
     • ‘In fact, if humanity's past record is a reasonable guide, globalism may represent the single deadliest threat to mankind in our long, murderous history.’
     • ‘Science and technology were applied to the most murderous ends known to humankind.’
     • ‘Things actually become worse when Emily befriends an imaginary friend whose erratic behavior eventually turns murderous.’
     • ‘Well, we certainly will be mentioning the war - with its deceit, greed and murderous barbarity.’
     • ‘They suffer discrimination, racist abuse, violent assaults and murderous attacks.’
     • ‘He supports his friend in a tit for tat exchange that turns murderous.’
     • ‘He was also, of course, heavily implicated in the brutally murderous system of forced labour without which the entire German war economy would have collapsed.’
     • ‘In principle one might expect to find that war was a matter of continuous, violent, and mutually murderous activity.’
     • ‘It's only when he's confronted with his past that he emerges from the shell and takes action - murderous bloody action.’
     • ‘Only Bart knows that he has a far more murderous motive in mind.’
     • ‘To this day he remains chained, madness close to his mind and murderous intentions deep within the recess of his soul.’
     • ‘Frank Horrigan pursues every clue, every scrap of evidence as he fights to pin down Leary and foil his murderous plan.’
     • ‘Not surprisingly, a series of brutal and murderous events left islanders deeply distrustful of outsiders.’
  2. 1.2informal Extremely arduous or unpleasant.
     More example sentences

     • ‘the team had a murderous schedule of four games in ten days’
     • ‘After that the schedule turns murderous starting with back-to-back home games with New England and Philadelphia to complete the first half.’
     • ‘Expect the Sonics and Clippers to take a step back amid murderous January schedules.’
     • ‘The sun's rays were murderous; of course no one around me noticed, they were all so wrapped up in the game.’
     • ‘‘It was a choking, murderous job,’ says one worker.’
     • ‘He had jumped out to a quick lead in the first game against Puertas, who was dealing with a minor leg muscle pull sustained in his murderous semi-final against Walker.’
     Synonyms

     arduous, gruelling, strenuous, punishing, onerous, back-breaking, crushing, exhausting, taxing, difficult, hard, laborious, rigorous, stressful, formidable, intolerable, unbearable, harrowing

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