ˈmərd(ə)rəs, ˈmə̄d-, ˈməid- adjective
1. : having the purpose or capability of murder : characterized by or causing murder or bloodshed
the charge … was covered at a disciplined trot under murderous fire — Al Newman
the murderous inadequacy of lifeboats and rafts — F.L.Paxson
some uncontrollable impulse … may have driven the defendant to the commission of the murderous act — B.N.Cardozo
the anger … crystallized in his demented brain into a cold, murderous fury — J.C.Powys
2. : having the ability or power to overwhelm : devastating
the murderous heat that attended the opening — Wolcott Gibbs
a hard-hitting and exhilarating book … full of quietly murderous thrusts — C.J.Rolo
3. : characterized by extreme difficulty
the exams … are murderous — E.O.Hauser
those unmanageable verbs, those murderous moods and tenses — Times Literary Supplement