bloodless
Americanadjective
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without blood.
bloodless surgery.
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very pale.
a bloodless face.
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free from bloodshed; accomplished without bloodshed.
a bloodless victory; a bloodless coup.
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spiritless; without vigor, zest, or energy.
a dull, insipid, bloodless young man.
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without emotion or feeling; cold-hearted.
bloodless data.
adjective
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without blood
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conducted without violence (esp in the phrase bloodless revolution )
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anaemic-looking; pale
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lacking vitality; lifeless
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lacking in emotion; cold; unfeeling
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bloodless
1175–1225; Middle English blodles, Old English blōdlēas. See blood, -less
Explanation
When something is bloodless, it's free of violence. During a bloodless revolution, a regime is overthrown without anyone being killed. A coup or a revolution is sometimes described as bloodless — in these instances, political and revolutionary goals are achieved without any blood being shed or lives being lost. A different meaning of bloodless is "drained of blood" or "pale and white," as your face might look if you saw a ghost. The Old English word was blodleas — figuratively, it meant "powerless."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
William had been urged to seize the throne by politically influential English Protestants, and James chose to flee rather than fight, making the eventual coup bloodless.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Barre seized power in a bloodless coup in 1969.
From BBC ● Jan. 8, 2026
There isn’t a shiver of surprise about who gets the chomp, only disappointment that the fatalities are so bloodless — they’re mild even for PG-13.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2025
These patrons continue to misunderstand the corporeal appeal of someone like Joe Rogan, an allure that can’t be articulated within the bloodless context of a boardroom meeting.
From Slate ● May 21, 2025
That bloodless lip quivered to a temporary spasm.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
