Bloodthirstier

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. exhibiting an intense craving for bloodshed and aggression while demonstrating a voracious desire for violence and brutality
2. Showing a greater appetite for harming others or engaging in violent acts
3. Displaying more eagerness or enthusiasm for bloodshed than usual

Etymology: "Bloodthirstier" is simply the comparative of "bloodthirsty," so it is best understood through that base word: a compound of "blood" and "thirsty," with the comparative ending "-ier" added to show a higher degree of the quality. Its meaning is therefore "more eager for bloodshed" than someone or something else. The base word is a transparent English compound. "Thirsty" has long carried a figurative sense of strong desire, so "bloodthirsty" applies that craving to violence, picturing a person who wants blood the way a parched traveller wants water. The same image appears across the Germanic languages: Dutch "bloeddorstig," German "blutdürstig," and Swedish "blodtörstig" all combine blood with a word for thirst in the same way.

Synonyms: sanguinary, bloodthirsty

Antonyms: merciful