as in gruesome
causing great horror or fear
We heard bloodcurdling stories about the war. bloodcurdling screams
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Recent Examples of bloodcurdling
India’s largest state, Uttar Pradesh, is run by Yogi Adityanath, a Hindu monk who founded an anti-Muslim militia and whose bloodcurdling rhetoric against Muslims once placed him beyond the pale of high office.
—
Sadanand Dhume, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2021
In Act III, the bloodcurdling chorus of the Dutchman’s spectral crew lacked a persuasive visual component.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2020
The sounds of more explosions could be heard deriving from the outside amid more seemingly bloodcurdling screams, yells, sirens and alarms.
—Sean Lester Durham, The Root, 8 Apr. 2018
To me, a noose is merely a noose — not a bloodcurdling symbol of racist violence.
—Kevin Riordan, Philly.com, 1 Nov. 2017
A young girl issued bloodcurdling screams as nurses cleaned cuts running up her leg.
—Azam Ahmed, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2016
Sadanand Dhume, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2021
In Act III, the bloodcurdling chorus of the Dutchman’s spectral crew lacked a persuasive visual component.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2020
The sounds of more explosions could be heard deriving from the outside amid more seemingly bloodcurdling screams, yells, sirens and alarms.
—Sean Lester Durham, The Root, 8 Apr. 2018
To me, a noose is merely a noose — not a bloodcurdling symbol of racist violence.
—Kevin Riordan, Philly.com, 1 Nov. 2017
A young girl issued bloodcurdling screams as nurses cleaned cuts running up her leg.
—Azam Ahmed, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bloodcurdling
Adjective
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Halloween was significantly more graphic than many of its predecessors, and Zombie said the gruesome violence was a deliberate choice and that it wasn’t supposed to be easy viewing.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
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The five-minute mash-up rapidly intercuts scenes of happy domesticity (a loving mother, kids in face paint eating popcorn in front of the tube, teens affectionately goofing around) with gruesome murders committed by a beautiful little boy.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The tragedy in question is no secret — Chris and Jenny are killed together in a horrific car accident, which inspires all sorts of awful questions — and the fallout is mostly predictable.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
22 Oct. 2025
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How the stakeholders juggled those diametrically opposed ideas—liberty and self-governance but also slavery and their horrific treatment of the Native American population—is the part of the human experience that Burns is most interested in exploring.—
Carlo Versano,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The truth can be far more haunting than any scary story.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
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The movie adaptation was terrifying, but the creepy atmospheric tension in the novel is even scarier.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Much of the film rests on a razor's edge between funny and frightening, which makes its twists and turns all the more surprising.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
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In the premiere’s early minutes, a young woman on a mission falls prey to a vampire and his frightening creatures known as revenants, sparking Helen’s decision to bring Guy into the fold.—
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Kim's direction is bold and stylish, and the supernatural scenes are terrifying, embodying the finest that Korean horror has to offer.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
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By the time it was all set up, the whole cold, disintegrating place was threaded with lights and lines, flickering everywhere, black and red, the sheer quantity somehow terrifying and embracing at once.—
Blair Braverman,
Outside,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The result was a 33-yard reception from Legette, who was terrific, that sealed the game.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Oct. 2025
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Eisen added that wide receiver Emeka Egbuka looks terrific and that the team needs running back Bucky Irving back healthy, and the ship could get back on track.—
Tyler Geis,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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However, the final moments of season 5 also saw the shocking death of Cinda Canning (Tina Fey) — or a convincing doppelgänger — outside the Arconia, teasing the mystery Mabel, Charles and Oliver.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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But the real draw here is Cut's elaborate torture device, which uses piano wire in inventive and shocking ways.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The New York Jets’ Sunday began with a horrible loss, as legendary center Nick Mangold passed away after a long battle with kidney disease.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
26 Oct. 2025
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Šilovs did, however, look horrible in the shootout.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bloodcurdling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bloodcurdling. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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