What does homicidal mean?
Homicidal is an adjective meaning connected with murder or characterized by a tendency to kill. It is used to describe intentions, thoughts, tendencies, actions, and broader patterns of violence: for example, a person may be described as having homicidal tendencies, while investigators may look for homicidal intent. The word is more specific and more alarming than simply describing something as dangerous, because it identifies murder or the intention to commit it as the central concern. In legal and psychological writing, it carries a grave, clinical or forensic tone, whereas in ordinary conversation it can emphasize the extreme seriousness or moral horror of a situation. Its principal related forms are the noun homicide, meaning the killing of one person by another, and the adverb homicidally.
adjectiveCharacterized by or relating to murder; having a tendency or propensity to commit homicide.
- Characterized by or relating to murder or homicide
- Having a tendency or propensity to commit murder
"The investigation found no evidence of homicidal intent."
"The report described his homicidal ideation during the interrogation."
"The novel portrays a chilling homicidal obsession that gradually becomes a search for revenge."
Homicidal describes not merely a murder, but a murderer's intent or a threatening propensity to kill.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does homicidal come from?
The adjective was formed from homicide with the suffix -al. Homicide comes through Old French homicide from Latin homicidium, a compound of homo, meaning “man,” and caedere, meaning “to kill.” The development reflects the long-established Latin vocabulary of intentional killing that entered English during the Middle English period.
Related word forms
How homicidal is actually used
The term is strongly negative and serious in tone. It may describe a person, motive, thought, or behavior, and is often used in legal, psychological, and news contexts.