bloody
adjective · adverb · verb · noun
Simple meaning
Used as an intensifier.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
bluhdeeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈblʌdi
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
(informal, British, Ireland, Commonwealth, Hawaii, mildly vulgar) Used as an intensifier.
Having or covered with or accompanied by blood
Characterised by bloodshed.
adverb
(informal, Australia, British, India, Ireland, Newfoundland, New Zealand, South Africa, mildly vulgar) Used to express anger, annoyance, or shock, or for emphasis.
verb
transitive
To demonstrably harm (the cause of an opponent).
Cover with blood
transitive
To stain with blood.
transitive
To draw blood from (one's opponent) in a fight.
noun
informal
A cocktail made from vodka, tomato juice, and usually other spices or flavorings, such as Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, beef consommé or bouillon, horseradish, celery or celery salt, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (informal, British, Ireland, Commonwealth, Hawaii, mildly vulgar) Used as an intensifier.
Used this way, bloody is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- sanguineous , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use bloody
- “That was a very bloody fight, with injuries on both sides.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A Bloody Mary made without alcohol.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: (informal or British or Ireland or Commonwealth or Hawaii
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.