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.
Still, Scott plays him as such an anemic, cold-blooded creep that it’s impressive “Hokum” gets us rooting for his survival when the people he’s offended would just as soon see him burned at the stake.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
"Insects are cold-blooded, so they are at the mercy of external temperatures," said Northwestern's Marco Gallio, who led the study.
From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026
Stalin “possessed both an uncontrollable temper and extraordinary willpower. He was capable of bewildering recklessness and cold-blooded displays of control.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
While many see Yamagami as a cold-blooded murderer, some sympathise with his troubled upbringing.
From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026
I’d never forget the cold-blooded look in Luno’s eyes when he saw us standing in Dusty’s ticket shack.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
