Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[wangfeel]

In the first place, 'sanguine' is just blood red; 'sanguinary' is blood red-like. I feel happy. But when I see further in dictionary or some language book, I am not happy because 'sanguine' means open-mindedly joyous, and 'sanguinary' means bloody violent. What is the matter with ....? I can't make connection with good and bad!
So seems that I choose to know less, not more. Maybe I misunderstand something, somebody please guide poor me``
_________________
"Watch flower flowering and searing
Stay or leave has no sense
Clouds curling and stretching
Like or dislike is no surprising " from old Chinese saying

[obelix]

Sanguinary is the one with negative connotation. It means - delighting in, or accompanied by, bloodshed. It can mean bloody or bloodthirsty and (referring to laws) it means inflicting death freely.

Sanguine, on the other hand, means optimistic or confident.
It also can mean florid, bright, ruddy (complexion) .
In heraldry it means, blood red.

In olden days it used also to mean, bloodthirsty, but this is not used often today.

[advoca]

Dear Wangfeel,

If you are sanguine about something, you are cheerful and confident that things will happen in the way you want them to.
He's remarkably sanguine about the problems involved.
They have begun to take a more sanguine view.

I strongly advise that you forget any alternative meaning. The use of the word sanguine in any other sense is completely archaic.