Standard Lemma guide

bloodbath

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈblʌdˌbɑːθ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈblʌdˌbæθ/
  • CMU ARPABET: B L AH1 D B AE2 TH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Indiscriminate killing or slaughter; a massacre.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An aggressive or very violent contest or confrontation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, sports

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An upset (as of a game with unexpected results, or a national presidential convention) or heavy defeat.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A large financial loss or massive layoff brought about by negative economic conditions.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Topics: business

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A bath taken in warm blood used as a restorative or medical treatment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: literally

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

indiscriminate slaughter

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a bloodbath took place when the leaders of the plot surrendered
  • ten days after the bloodletting Hitler gave the action its name
  • the valley is no stranger to bloodshed and murder
  • a huge prison battue was ordered

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bloodletting, bloodshed, battue

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: slaughter, massacre, mass murder, carnage, butchery

History

Etymology

From blood + bath, the latter used referring to a metaphorical deluge. Compare West Frisian bloedbad (“bloodbath”), Dutch bloedbad (“bloodbath”), German Blutbad (“bloodbath”), Danish blodbad (“bloodbath”), Norwegian Bokmål blodbad (“bloodbath”), Swedish blodbad (“bloodbath”), Icelandic blóðbad (“bloodbath”).

Across languages

Translations

65 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: bloedbad — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Afrikaans: moordparty — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Arabic: مَذْبَحَة (maḏbaḥa) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Arabic: حَمَّام دَمّ (ḥammām damm) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Bulgarian: кръвопролитие (krǎvoprolitie) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Bulgarian: клане (klane) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Catalan: bany de sang — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Cebuano: madugoong — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Chinese Mandarin: 血洗 (xuèxǐ) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Chinese Mandarin: 大屠殺 /大屠杀 (dàtúshā) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Danish: blodbad — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Danish: blodbadet — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Dutch: bloedbad — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Esperanto: masakro — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Esperanto: samgoveršado — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Estonian: veresaun — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Faroese: blóðbað — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Finnish: verilöyly — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • French: bain de sang — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Galician: baño de sangue — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Georgian: სისხლისღვრა (sisxlisɣvra) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Georgian: ხოცვა-ჟლეტა (xocva-žleṭa) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • German: Blutbad — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Greek: λουτρό αίματος (loutró aímatos) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Hebrew: מרחץ־דמים (merkhatz-damym) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Hungarian: vérfürdő — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Hungarian: vérfürdőben — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Icelandic: blóðbað — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Indonesian: pembantaian — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Italian: bagno di sangue — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Japanese: 大虐殺 (daigyakusatsu) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Japanese: 刃傷沙汰 (ninjōzata) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Japanese: 刃傷 (ninjō) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Kannada: ರಣಗೊಲೆ (raṇagole) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Kannada: ರಕ್ತಸ್ನಾನ (raktasnāna) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Kazakh: қызыл қырғын (qyzyl qyrğyn) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Kyrgyz: кызыл кыргын (kızıl kırgın) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Maltese: banju tad-demm — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Māori: tārukenga — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Norwegian Bokmål: blodbad — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: blodbad — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Polish: rzeź — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Polish: krwawa łaźnia — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Portuguese: banho de sangue — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Romanian: baie de sânge — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Russian: кро́вавая ба́ня (króvavaja bánja) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Russian: кровопроли́тие (krovoprolítije) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Russian: резня́ (reznjá) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Spanish: baño de sangre — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Spanish: escabechina — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Swahili: umwagaji wa damu — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Swedish: blodbad — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Tamil: இரத்தக்களரியை (irattakkaḷariyai) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Telugu: రక్తపుటేరుల్ని (raktapuṭērulni) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Turkish: kan banyosu — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Turkish: katliam — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Ottoman Turkish: قان (kan) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Ukrainian: крива́ва ба́ня (kryváva bánja) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Vietnamese: tắm máu — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • Yiddish: בלאַדבאַט (bladbat) — indiscriminate killing or slaughter
  • French: massacre — upset
  • French: bain de sang — upset
  • French: boucherie — upset
  • Polish: masakra — upset
  • Polish: rzeź — upset