sanguine
adjective
san·guine
| \ ˈsaŋ-gwən
\
\
Definition of sanguine
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: marked by eager hopefulness : confidently optimistic
In the month of August 1994, Democrats remained sanguine about their chances at the polls …— John B. Judis A lot of attention also is being devoted to the development of vaccines to prevent genital herpes, although not everyone is sanguine about the outcome. — The Journal of the American Medical Association
2
: bloodred
… the radiant heat from the cedar logs, whose sanguine colour made the silvered locks of his hair into a fantastic wreath of flames.— Elinor Wylie
3a
: consisting of or relating to blood
… some sanguine vessels are obstructed, and distended …— Theophilus Lobb
b
: bloodthirsty, sanguinary
… attacked by the sanguine … warriors of neighboring islands …— Ana Y. Ramos-Zayas
c
: accompanied by, involving, or relating to bloodshed : bloody
… from the numerous graves, including those by the barn, which our shells had destroyed; we realized what a sanguine battle it had been …— Frederick W. Wild
d
of the complexion
: ruddy
She was all unnerved; her naturally sanguine complexion was pale …— Charlotte Brontë
4
: having blood as the predominating bodily humor — see humor entry 1 sense 2a
An abundance of red blood was marked by a warm and sanguine temperament; whereas, an excess of yellow bile produced the choleric temperament …— Samuel Lytler Metcalfe
also
: having the bodily conformation and temperament held characteristic of such predominance and marked by sturdiness, healthy red complexion, and cheerfulness
He conceived himself rather as a sanguine and strenuous man, a great fighter. — G. K. Chesterton
sanguine
noun
san·guine
| \ ˈsaŋ-gwən
\
\
Definition of sanguine (Entry 2 of 2)
: a moderate to strong red
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Other Words from sanguine
Adjective
sanguinely
adverb
sanguineness
\ ˈsaŋ-gwən-nəs
\
noun
\
noun
sanguinity
\ saŋ-ˈgwi-nə-tē
, san- \
noun
, san- \
noun
Synonyms for sanguine
Synonyms: Adjective
bloodthirsty, bloody, bloody-minded, homicidal, murdering, murderous, sanguinary, sanguineous
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Examples of sanguine in a Sentence
Adjective
He has been strangely sanguine about this, blandly ignoring the mounting evidence that dissident elements in the police are stirring trouble … — Allister Sparks, Washington Post, 9–15 Mar. 1992 How could a man of his caliber be this sanguine about a war we had barely begun to fight? He gave me the McNamara look, eyes focusing boldly through rimless glasses. "Every quantitative measurement we have shows that we're winning this war," he said. — Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 1988 Yet if there were sanguine expectations of war profits and unlimited booty from the Spanish empire, … those hopes were dramatically confounded … — Simon Schama, The Embarrassment of Riches, 1988 He does not pretend to be sanguine about our prospects. History itself, he reminds us, provides few examples of cultures as debilitated as ours which were not destroyed by the very forces they set in motion. — Gertrude Himmelfarb, The New History and the Old, 1987 She has a sanguine disposition. He is sanguine about the company's future.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Tim Mayopoulos, the former chief executive of Fannie Mae, the mortgage giant that finances roughly a third of American homes, is sanguine about the situation. — Robert Hackett, Fortune, "Ex-Fannie Mae CEO: Housing Will Be Fine in the Next Recession," 26 Aug. 2019 But not everyone is so sanguine about the business of birthing on camera. — Los Angeles Times, "One more big push, then just say cheese!: High-end photographers enter delivery rooms," 16 Aug. 2019 Still, businesses may feel more sanguine in the third quarter because of apparent progress in trade talks between the U.S. and China, Birch added. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, "U.S. economy grows at 2.1%, cooling off from first quarter," 26 July 2019 The mood was sanguine in New Orleans, where locals and tourists wandered through mostly empty streets under a light rain or stayed indoors. — Author: Kevin Mcgill, Janet Mcconnaughey, Anchorage Daily News, "Barry crawls ashore in Louisiana, weakens to tropical storm," 13 July 2019 The word implied Powell was somewhat sanguine about U.S.-China trade talks, which in turn helped explain his reluctance to commit to the additional interest-rate cuts that Trump so desperately wants. — Los Angeles Times, "Stock traders face a brutal 72 hours, caught in a Trump-Powell squeeze," 2 Aug. 2019 Folks in dry regions may be more sanguine, but for those of us in hot, temperate areas, there is nothing more distressing than seeing plants wilted and stunted or dealing with soil that is rock-hard. — Washington Post, "Heavy rains can damage a vegetable garden — but the gardener can protect it," 24 July 2019 Stock analysts overall are sanguine, predicting earnings will grow 6.7% in the fourth quarter and in double digits early next year, according to FactSet. — Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, "Stocks on pace to post best first half in two decades. Trade deal needed for more gains," 28 June 2019 American, World, scientific, take your pick – was never as sanguine about him. — Jamie Turner, cleveland.com, "How Neil Armstrong earned the moon landing’s lead role: Apollo 11 at 50," 16 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Yet on Wall Street, the scene is the other kind of sanguine: The stock has slipped into the red for the year. — Hannah Levitt, Los Angeles Times, "As Wells Fargo seeks a new CEO, it loses $24 billion in market value," 20 Aug. 2019 But not all involved with the legal defense are sanguine that Giuliani can succeed where others have failed. — Gloria Borger, CNN, "Trump legal team brings fresh firepower to reset with Mueller," 20 Apr. 2018 Here, there are more than 90 options ranging from yuzu to orange sanguine, speculoos to fig. — Kristen Bateman, Vogue, "Choux, Confitures, and Caviar: The Best Specialty Food Shops in Paris," 7 July 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sanguine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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