bloodless

adjective blood·less \ ˈbləd-ləs \

Updated on: 25 Apr 2018

Definition of bloodless

1 : deficient in or free from blood

2 : not accompanied by loss or shedding of blood

a bloodless victory

3 : lacking in spirit or vitality

4 : lacking in human feeling

bloodless statistics

—

bloodlessly

adverb

—

bloodlessness

noun

See bloodless defined for English-language learners

See bloodless defined for kids

Examples of bloodless in a Sentence

He fought his bloodless battles in the courtroom.
They took control of the government in a bloodless coup.
Her speeches are dull and bloodless.
a bunch of bloodless numbers and statistics
His face was bloodless with fear.

Recent Examples of bloodless from the Web

Malkovich’s bloodless narration fell wide of the mark.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Review: John Malkovich's wan narration disappoints in CSO reading of 'Lincoln Portrait'," 13 Apr. 2018
Given the popular demand for politicians to sweat passion, this has elevated the profile of a man who, having become a state congressman at 25, might have been viewed as a bloodless careerist.

— The Economist, "Senator Chris Murphy has become a leader on gun-control," 5 Apr. 2018
His bloodless three tied the score with one second left.

— lee jenkins, SI.com, "How Damian Lillard Redefined the Meaning of 'Dame Time'," 5 Apr. 2018
While Houston has long produced rappers with slow, syrupy drawls, Biosah clips his words with almost bloodless precision.

— andrew dansby, Houston Chronicle, "Rapper Maxo Kream opens up on "Punken"," 21 Mar. 2018
The enmity is palpable between FBI Special Agent John O’Neill (Jeff Daniels) and Martin Schmidt (Peter Sarsgaard), a bloodless, arrogant CIA analyst.

— david wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle, "Hulu’s ‘Tower’ probes walk-up to 9/11," 26 Feb. 2018
That changed on January 31st, when Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan’s reforming president, pushed the puppeteer aside in a bloodless coup.

— The Economist, "Uzbekistan’s reforming president sacks his hated spymaster," 1 Feb. 2018
Bull Run, the first land battle of the Civil War, was fought at a time when many Americans believed the conflict would be short and relatively bloodless, writes the Senate Historical Office.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "Was the First Battle of Bull Run Really ‘The Picnic Battle’?," 21 July 2017
Yet as the bloodless coup against him unfolded, Beijing offered no words of support or sympathy.

— brook larmer, New York Times, "Beijing Bids Goodbye to Robert Mugabe," 19 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bloodless.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of bloodless

before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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BLOODLESS Defined for English Language Learners

bloodless

adjective

Definition of bloodless for English Language Learners

: done without killing people
: lacking feeling or emotion
: pale in color

Medical Dictionary

bloodless

adjective blood·less \ ˈbləd-ləs \

medical Definition of bloodless

: free from or lacking blood

a bloodless surgical field

—

bloodlessly

adverb

Learn More about bloodless

Spanish Central: Translation of bloodless Nglish: Translation of bloodless for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of bloodless for Arabic speakers

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bloodless

Definition of bloodless

bloodlessly

bloodlessness

Examples of bloodless in a Sentence

Recent Examples of bloodless from the Web

First Known Use of bloodless

BLOODLESS Defined for English Language Learners

bloodless

Definition of bloodless for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

bloodless

medical Definition of bloodless

bloodlessly

Learn More about bloodless

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bloodless

Definition of bloodless

bloodlessly

bloodlessness

Examples of bloodless in a Sentence

Recent Examples of bloodless from the Web

First Known Use of bloodless

BLOODLESS Defined for English Language Learners

bloodless

Definition of bloodless for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

bloodless

medical Definition of bloodless

bloodlessly

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