bloodcurdling

Fear that chills

Bloodcurdling describes sounds so terrifying they seem to curdle the blood—an old notion that fear thickens blood in the veins.

The word almost always modifies screams or shrieks: a bloodcurdling scream pierced the night.

It's dramatic and slightly theatrical, common in horror descriptions and retellings of frightening experiences.

horror

scream

Loud sharp cry

  • shriekShrill, piercing cry
  • howlProlonged mournful cry
  • wailProlonged mournful cry

screech · cry · yell · macabre · ghoulish · gruesome · eerie · sinister · creepy · frightful

sound

scream

Loud sharp cry

  • shriekShrill, piercing cry
  • howlProlonged mournful cry
  • wailProlonged mournful cry

screech · cry · yell · roar · bellow · caterwaul · keen · ululation · piercing · shrill

narrative

tale

Spoken or written narrative

thriller · suspense · folklore · slasher · climax · tension · atmosphere · dread

Categories
Opposites
emotional effect

bloodcurdlingcomforting

Giving emotional ease

soothing · reassuring · calming · heartwarming · uplifting

intensity of fear/disturbance

bloodcurdlingunalarming

Not causing fright

innocuous · harmless · benign · unthreatening · mild

Family

bloodcurdlingly

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated PG