French word

sanguinaire

Pronunciation

IPA/sɑ̃ginɛʁ/

Meaning

  • adjectivecruel

Example

Le chef de guerre est sanguinaire.

The warlord is cruel.

Illustration for sanguinaire (cruel)

More examples

Ce film est trop sanguinaire pour moi.

This movie is too gory for me.

Core concept

A violent figure or force surrounded by deliberate bloodshed and extreme brutality.

Similar words

cruel: Showing a cold, harsh willingness to hurt others.
sanglant: Involving bloodshed or showing the effects of violence.
atroce: Extremely horrifying and difficult to endure.

Definition in French

Qui se caractérise par une cruauté liée au sang et au carnage, provoquant blessures ou morts par brutalité extrême.

Word origin

Sanguinaire comes from Latin sanguinarius, derived from sanguis, meaning 'blood', and developed in French from a blood-related sense to one denoting bloodthirsty cruelty.

Usage tips

  • Sanguinaire describes a taste for or practice of violence, whereas sanglant usually describes something stained with blood or involving bloodshed.

Other meanings

  • bloodthirstyadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word