cold-blooded

adjective

cold-blood·​ed ˈkōl(d)-ˈblə-dəd 

1

a

: done or acting without consideration, compunction, or clemency

cold-blooded murder

b

: matter-of-fact, emotionless

a cold-blooded assessment

2

: having cold blood

specifically : having a body temperature not internally regulated but approximating that of the environment

3

or coldblood

ˈkōl(d)-ˈbləd 

: of mixed or inferior breeding

4

: noticeably sensitive to cold

cold-bloodedly adverb

cold-bloodedness noun

Synonyms

• affectless
• callous
• case-hardened
• compassionless
• desensitized
• hard
• hard-boiled
• hard-hearted
• heartless
• indurate
• inhuman
• inhumane
• insensate
• insensitive
• ironhearted
• merciless
• obdurate
• pachydermatous
• pitiless
• remorseless
• ruthless
• slash-and-burn
• soulless
• stony
• stoney
• stonyhearted
• take-no-prisoners
• thick-skinned
• uncharitable
• unfeeling
• unmerciful
• unsparing
• unsympathetic

Examples of cold-blooded in a Sentence

a cold-blooded criminal who never once showed an ounce of mercy to his victims

the cold-blooded selfishness shown by the miser when confronted by people in need

a cold-blooded assessment of the situation showed that the company needed either to lay off workers or go bankrupt

he may not be as fancy as the other horses they own, but that cold-blooded gelding is safe and gentle

Recent Examples on the Web

More: Hundreds of reptiles seized by Australian authorities in 'cold-blooded' trafficking scheme Why are the iguanas in San Diego? —Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025

During the time Vasuki lived, average temperatures hovered around 82°F, making this region a tropical hothouse ideal for cold-blooded predators. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025

Marine reptiles were thought to be cold-blooded, their body temperature determined by the surrounding seawater. —Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025

No criminal record or history that supports any claim of cold-blooded murder. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for cold-blooded

• blooded
• budded
• flooded
• studded
• thudded

Kids Definition

cold-blooded

adjective

cold-blood·​ed

ˈkōl(d)-ˈbləd-əd

1

: lacking or showing a lack of natural human feelings

a cold-blooded criminal

2

: having a body temperature not regulated by the body and close to that of the environment

3

: sensitive to cold

cold-bloodedly adverb

Medical Definition

cold-blooded

adjective

cold-blood·​ed ˈkōl(d)-ˈbləd-əd 

: having a body temperature not internally regulated but approximating that of the environment : poikilothermic

cold-blooded amphibians and reptiles

cold-bloodedness noun