Bloodshed
/ˈblʌdʃɛd/
nounIntermediate📊CommonGeneral
1 meaning1 question
Definitions
1
The killing or injury of many people; carnage.
/ˈblʌdʃɛd/
nounnegativeIntermediate
General
The killing of people, typically in a violent way.
The revolution was marked by intense bloodshed.
💡 Simply: Lots of people killed or hurt.
More Examples
2
They tried to prevent further bloodshed.
How It's Used
War
"The war resulted in terrible bloodshed."
Politics
"The political turmoil led to widespread bloodshed."
From Middle English *blodshed, from Old English *blōdscæd, from blōd "blood" + scæd "shedding, damage".
The word has been used since Old English times to describe violent conflict, often in a religious or political context.
Memory tip
Imagine a shed overflowing with blood.
Word Origin
LanguageOld English
Original meaning
"blood + shedding"
avoid bloodshedprevent bloodshedresult in bloodshed
Common misspellings
bloodshedingbloodsheed
Practice
Usage
10%Spoken
90%Written