cold-blooded
Americanadjective
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designating or pertaining to animals, as fishes and reptiles, whose blood temperature ranges from the freezing point upward, in accordance with the temperature of the surrounding medium; poikilothermic.
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without emotion or feeling; dispassionate; cruel.
a cold-blooded murder.
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sensitive to cold.
adjective
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having or showing a lack of feeling or pity
a cold-blooded killing
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informal particularly sensitive to cold
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Technical term: poikilothermic. (of all animals except birds and mammals) having a body temperature that varies with that of the surroundings
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cold-blooded
First recorded in 1585–95
Compare meaning
How does cold-blooded compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A cold-blooded animal has a body temperature that varies along with the outdoor temperature, and a cold-blooded person is someone who seems to feel no emotions. Your pet lizard may love you, but she's still cold-blooded. During a hot, sunny day, a cold-blooded animal like a snake experiences a rise in body temperature, which it can only moderate by finding a shady spot to hide. When the sun goes down at night, a snake's body temperature falls. Cold-blooded people, on the other hand, regulate their body temperature even when it's chilly outside, like other warm-blooded animals. They're cruel and unfeeling, though. This meaning comes from the old-fashioned belief that blood temperature rises with emotion.
Vocabulary lists containing cold-blooded
Idioms and Expressions, List 3
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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.
“Right or wrong, the man is cold blooded and will do what he thinks he has to do. Period.”
From Washington Post • Aug. 31, 2021
A primary result is how the inmate typically views society and government upon exit: the world is the enemy, because they know, first-hand how absurd and cold blooded the BOP is to its core.
From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2018
Dinosaurs fit in an intermediate class between warm and cold blooded animals, a study in the journal Science claims.
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2014
The hot question of whether dinosaurs were warm-blooded like birds and mammals or cold blooded like reptiles, fish and amphibians finally has a good answer.
From Reuters • Jun. 12, 2014
I would not have you believe, Fitz Hamilton, that I am so cold blooded as it appeared when I agreed with the Jerseyman that we would make no attempt at getting word to Saul.
From The Minute Boys of York Town by Otis, James
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
