Standard Lemma guide

bloodshed

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.

  • /ˈblʌdˌʃɛd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: B L AH1 D SH EH2 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The shedding or spilling of blood.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: literally, uncountable, usually

Examples

  • avoid bloodshed
  • The revolution resulted in heavy bloodshed.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A slaughter; destruction of life, notably on a large scale.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Examples

  • political bloodshed
  • widespread bloodshed

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The shedding of one's own blood; specifically, the death of Christ.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A bloodshot condition or appearance; an effusion of blood in the eye.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

the shedding of blood resulting in murder

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he avenged the bloodshed of his kinsmen

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gore

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: murder, slaying, execution

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: bloodbath, bloodletting, battue

Antonyms: none provided

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

History

Etymology

From attested early forms of such phrases as "there was much blood shed"; equivalent to blood + shed, past participle of shed.

Across languages

Translations

140 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: سَفْك الدَّم (safk ad-dam) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Arabic: إِرَاقَةُ الدَّم (ʔirāqatu d-dam) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Armenian: արյունահեղություն (aryunaheġutʻyun) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Azerbaijani: qantökmə — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Belarusian: кровапралі́цце (krovapralíccje) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Belarusian: кровапралі́цьце (krovapralícʹcje) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Bulgarian: кръвопроли́тие (krǎvoprolítie) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Bulgarian: кръвопроли́ване (krǎvoprolívane) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Chinese Mandarin: 流血 (liúxuè, liúxuě, liúxiě) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Czech: krveprolití — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Czech: krveprolévání — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Danish: blodsudgydelse — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Dutch: bloedbad — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Dutch: bloedvergieten — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Estonian: verevalamine — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Finnish: verenvuodatus — shedding or spilling of blood
  • French: effusion de sang — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Galician: derramamento de sangue — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Georgian: სისხლისღვრა (sisxlisɣvra) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • German: Blutvergießen — shedding or spilling of blood
  • German: Blutbad — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Greek: αιματοχυσία (aimatochysía) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Ancient Greek: αἱματεκχυσία (haimatekkhusía) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Hebrew: שְפִיכוּת דָמִים (shfikhut damim) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Hindi: रक्तपात (raktapāt) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Hindi: खूनखराबा (khūnakhrābā) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Hindi: खुनखराबा (khunakhrābā) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Hindi: सफ्क (saphk) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Hindi: हिंसन (hinsan) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Hindi: हिंसा (hinsā) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Hindi: मारकाट (mārkāṭ) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Hungarian: vérontás — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Irish: doirteadh fola — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Italian: spargimento di sangue — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Japanese: 流血 (ryūketsu) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Kazakh: қантөгіс (qantögıs) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Kazakh: қан төгу (qan tögu) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Korean: 유혈 (yuhyeol) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Korean: 류혈 (ryuhyeol) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Kyrgyz: кан төгүү (kan tögüü) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Lithuanian: kraujo praliejimas — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Macedonian: крвопролевање (krvoprolevanje) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Malay: pertumpahan darah — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Norwegian Bokmål: blodsutgytelse — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Old English: blōdgyte — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Dari: خُونْریزِی (xūnrēzī) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Iranian Persian: خونْریزی (xunrizi) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Polish: rozlew krwi — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Polish: przelew krwi — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Portuguese: derramamento de sangue — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Russian: кровопроли́тие (krovoprolítije) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Scottish Gaelic: dòrtadh-fala — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Serbo-Croatian: крвопролиће — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Serbo-Croatian: krvoproliće — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Slovak: krvipreliatie — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Slovak: krviprelievanie — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Slovene: prelivanje krvi — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Lower Sorbian: kšejpśelaśe — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Spanish: derramamiento de sangre — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Spanish: derrame de sangre — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Spanish: hechos de sangre — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Swahili: umwagaji damu — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Swedish: blodsutgjutelse — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Swedish: blodspillan — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Tajik: хунрезӣ (xunrezi) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Turkish: kan dökme — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Ukrainian: кровопроли́ття (krovoprolýttja) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Urdu: خُوں ریزی (xū̃ rezī) — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Uzbek: xunrezlik — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Vietnamese: sự đổ máu — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Welsh: tywallt gwaed — shedding or spilling of blood
  • Arabic: سَفَكَ الدَّمَ (safaka d-dama) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Armenian: արյունահեղություն (aryunaheġutʻyun) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Azerbaijani: qantökmə — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Azerbaijani: qırğın — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Belarusian: кровапралі́цце (krovapralíccje) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Belarusian: кровапралі́цьце (krovapralícʹcje) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Belarusian: разня́ (raznjá) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Belarusian: разьня́ (razʹnjá) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Belarusian: разні́ца (razníca) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Belarusian: разьні́ца (razʹníca) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Bulgarian: клане́ (klané) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Czech: krveprolití — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Danish: blodbad — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Dutch: bloedbad — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Dutch: bloedvergieten — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Dutch: slachting — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Estonian: veresaun — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Estonian: verevalamine — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Finnish: verenvuodatus — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Finnish: verilöyly — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • French: carnage — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Georgian: სისხლისღვრა (sisxlisɣvra) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • German: Blutvergießen — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • German: Blutbad — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Greek: αιματοκύλισμα (aimatokýlisma) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Ancient Greek: αἱματεκχυσία (haimatekkhusía) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Hindi: रक्तपात (raktapāt) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Hindi: खूनखराबा (khūnakhrābā) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Hindi: खुनखराबा (khunakhrābā) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Hindi: सफ्क (saphk) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Hindi: हिंसन (hinsan) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Hindi: हिंसा (hinsā) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Hindi: मारकाट (mārkāṭ) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Hungarian: vérontás — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Italian: ecatombe — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Italian: carneficina — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Māori: tārukenga — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Middle English: larder — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Norwegian Bokmål: blodbad — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Polish: rozlew krwi — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Polish: przelew krwi — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Portuguese: carnificina — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Portuguese: massacre — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Russian: кровопроли́тие (krovoprolítije) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Russian: резня́ (reznjá) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Scottish Gaelic: dòrtadh-fala — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Spanish: matanza — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Spanish: carnicería — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Spanish: derramamiento sanguíneo — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Spanish: derrame hemático — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Spanish: vertimiento sanguino — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Spanish: vertido sanguinario — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Spanish: desparramamiento sanguinolento — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Swahili: umwagaji damu — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Swedish: blodsutgjutelse — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Swedish: blodspillan — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Turkish: katliam — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Ottoman Turkish: قان (kan) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Ukrainian: кровопроли́ття (krovoprolýttja) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Ukrainian: різня́ (riznjá) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Ukrainian: різани́на (rizanýna) — carnage, destruction of life, slaughter
  • Dutch: bloedoffer — shedding of one's own blood; specifically, the death of Christ
  • Finnish: verenvuodatus — shedding of one's own blood; specifically, the death of Christ
  • Finnish: veriuhri — shedding of one's own blood; specifically, the death of Christ
  • Polish: przelew krwi — shedding of one's own blood; specifically, the death of Christ
  • Bulgarian: кървясване (kǎrvjasvane) — bloodshot condition or appearance; an effusion of blood in the eye
  • Finnish: verestys — bloodshot condition or appearance; an effusion of blood in the eye
  • Irish: sreangshúil — bloodshot condition or appearance; an effusion of blood in the eye
  • Polish: przekrwienie — bloodshot condition or appearance; an effusion of blood in the eye
Real reading context

bloodshed in complete knowledge articles