murderous

adjective

mur·​der·​ous ˈmər-d(ə-)rəs How to pronounce murderous (audio)
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

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 Hunter told the story of Harry Powell, a murderous ex-con who takes up the identity of a preacher in order to do his misdeeds. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Mar. 2024 Gentrification has largely wiped away the open-air drug markets that proliferated during the murderous crack epidemic of the 1980s and early 1990s. Emily Davies, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024 Governor Brown had previously signed into law a major narrowing of murderous acts which qualify one for the death penalty here, and ordered the dismantling of Oregon’s execution chamber. Matt Thompson, SPIN, 12 Mar. 2024 One of the great questions in criminology is why European societies have become less murderous through time. Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2024 The murderous shoot-out at Club Polina that grievously injured yakuza boss Hitoshi Ishida (Shun Sagata) and killed suave customer Masahiro Ohno (Takayuki Suzuki) still has unanswered questions. Christian Holub, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2024 But a shortage of funds forced some units into brigandage, which deepened Ahmed’s cynicism: the government was murderous and the rebels were corrupt. Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Still, many Ukrainians are unconvinced and while President Volodymyr Zelensky was quick to condemn Navalny’s death as the latest evidence of Putin’s murderous regime, there was no outpouring of condolences. Serhiy Morgunov, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Under his rule, criminal gangs have gone largely unchecked, and in the past week, their murderous and disruptive activity has produced an unignorable security crisis. Amy Wilentz, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'murderous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of murderous was in 1535

Dictionary Entries Near murderous

Cite this Entry

“Murderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/murderous. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

murderous

adjective
mur·​der·​ous ˈmərd-(ə-)rəs How to pronounce murderous (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on murderous

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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