murderous

IPA/ˈmɜːdərəs/
KK[mˈɚdɚəs]IPA/ˈmɜːrdərəs/

murderous — adjective

  • murderouspositive
  • more murderouscomparative
  • most murderoussuperlative

1. showing a strong intention or tendency to kill someone; extremely violent and da

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

showing a strong intention or tendency to kill someone; extremely violent and dangerous, as if ready to commit murder.

Example

The detective found a murderous weapon hidden inside the old wardrobe.

collocation: murderous weapon

Quinn's murderous glare made everyone in the room fall silent.

collocation: murderous glare / murderous look

Common collocations
  • murderous intent
  • murderous weapon
  • murderous rage
  • murderous glare
  • murderous attack
  • murderous look
Synonyms
  • deadly

    focuses on the ability to cause death rather than the intent to kill

  • savage

    emphasises wild, brutal violence and lack of control

  • bloodthirsty

    suggests enjoyment or eagerness to kill

  • ferocious

    stresses extreme fierceness and aggression

Antonyms
  • gentle

    the opposite of violent or aggressive

  • harmless

    the opposite of dangerous or threatening

Usage Note

Common in crime reporting, thriller narratives, and descriptions of hostile facial expressions or crowd behaviour. Frequently used to describe a person's look (glare, stare, eyes), intent, or violent actions rather than inanimate objects, though 'murderous weapon' appears as a legal or journalistic term.

Common Mistakes

He picked up a murderous knife.
He had a murderous look in his eyes.
murderous describes human intention or behaviour, not tools themselves (except the set phrase 'murderous weapon').

2. extremely difficult, unpleasant, or severe — used in an exaggerated way to descr

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

extremely difficult, unpleasant, or severe — used in an exaggerated way to describe a bad situation, difficult task, or uncomfortable physical condition such as heat or pain.

Example

The hikers struggled through the murderous heat of the desert afternoon.

collocation: murderous heat

Christopher faced a murderous workload just days before the deadline.

collocation: murderous workload

Common collocations
  • murderous heat
  • murderous workload
  • murderous schedule
  • murderous pain
  • murderous pace
  • murderous humidity
Synonyms
  • dreadful

    less intense, more general; suitable for any unpleasant situation

  • hellish

    stronger and similarly informal; suggests unbearable suffering

  • atrocious

    more formal; suggests very poor quality as well as unpleasantness

Antonyms
  • mild

    opposite of severe, used for weather and pain

  • pleasant

    general opposite of unpleasant

Usage Note

Used informally and hyperbolically — the speaker does not literally mean murder is involved. Common with weather (heat, humidity, cold), physical pain, workloads, schedules, and difficult exams or tasks. Less common with food, people, or abstract concepts.

Common Mistakes

The soup was murderous.
The humidity was murderous today.
murderous typically describes physical conditions or difficult tasks, not food flavours or textures.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe extreme violence or danger, but they differ in what they emphasise. 'Murderous' focuses on the clear intention to kill — a murderous glare means the person wants you dead. 'Deadly' is broader: a deadly poison or a deadly weapon can kill, but there is no human intent involved. 'Savage' emphasises wild, uncontrolled brutality, often associated with physical attacks or animal-like behaviour. 'Bloodthirsty' adds a psychological dimension — enjoyment or eagerness to see bloodshed, common in descriptions of vengeful crowds or fictional villains. 'Ferocious' highlights fierce, intense aggression (a ferocious dog, a ferocious battle) without necessarily implying a goal of killing. In everyday usage, 'murderous' and 'bloodthirsty' are the most dramatic and often appear in emotional descriptions of a person's expression or mood, while 'deadly' is more factual and 'ferocious' more about raw intensity.

deadly ↗savage ↗bloodthirsty ↗ferocious ↗

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'murderous' was formed in English around the early 1500s by adding the suffix '-ous' (meaning 'full of' or 'characterised by') to the noun 'murder'. The noun itself comes from Old English 'morþor' (secret killing), which traces back through Proto-Germanic to an Indo-European root meaning 'to die'. Over time, the meaning expanded from the literal sense of 'inclined to commit murder' to a hyperbolic use describing anything extremely unpleasant by the 19th century.