Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Capable of, guilty of, or intending murder.
  • adjective Characteristic of or giving rise to murder or bloodshed.
  • adjective Informal Capable of devastating or overwhelming.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of the nature of murder; pertaining to or involved in murder: as, a murderous act.
  • Guilty of murder; delighting in murder.
  • Characterized by murder or bloody cruelty.
  • Very brutal, cruel, or destructive.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to murder; characterized by, or causing, murder or bloodshed; having the purpose or quality of murder; bloody; sanguinary

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Intending, or likely to commit murder; bloodthirsty or homicidal.
  • adjective Very difficult.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective characteristic of or capable of or having a tendency toward killing another human being

Etymologies

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Examples

  • He pushed away from the curricle, his expression murderous.

    How to Woo a Reluctant Lady Deborah Gonzales 2011

  • He pushed away from the curricle, his expression murderous.

    How to Woo a Reluctant Lady Deborah Gonzales 2011

  • In April the BDK's spiritual leader Ne Muanda Nsemi said followers were being hunted down in what he called a murderous crackdown by the authorities.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 2008

  • Readers responding to our Dec. 12 cover story expressed outrage at what they called the murderous acts of female suicide bombers.

    Al Qaeda's New Face of Terror 2007

  • And today, the U.S. national security adviser said much of it is due to what he calls murderous death squads and armed gangs.

    CNN Transcript Jul 26, 2006 2006

  • But what will be an interesting reaction is to see whether people in the Middle East, particularly in the Islamic world, have taken comfort from President Bush's strong appeal to mainstream Muslims, saying that the United States respects the Islamic faith, make a clear distinction between proper religious observation and what he called murderous fanaticism.

    CNN Transcript Sep 20, 2001 2001

  • He accused the National Party of promoting racial hatred in its campaign to retain power and of using state funds to finance what he called the murderous activities of the Zulu-based Inkatha Freedom Party, which is boycotting the polls.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 1994

  • Any resistance by what he called the "murderous Indian tribes in the West" would not be tolerated.

    The Seattle Times 2011

  • But let's pause for a moment and consider who else might bring a certain murderous dignity to the part.

    Abraham Lincoln: Which actor should play him, in vampire-hunter form? Jen Chaney 2010

  • I guess selfish rather than murderous is the way to go.

    Think Progress » REPORT: A Closer Look At Consumer Protections In Dodd’s Financial Reform Bill 2010

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