sang-froid

American  

[sahn-frwa] / sɑ̃ˈfrwa /

noun

1. coolness of mind; calmness; composure.

   They committed the robbery with complete sang-froid.

   Synonyms:

   steadiness, courage, nerve, self-control, equanimity, poise, self-possession

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sang-froid British  

/ sɑ̃frwa /

noun

1. composure; self-possession; calmness

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Etymology

Origin of sang-froid

1740–50; < French: literally, cold blood

Explanation

If you have sang-froid, you can keep your cool, even under stress. Your feathers aren't easily ruffled. This foreign-sounding word is another way of saying "poise under pressure." We borrowed it from French, where it literally means "cold blood." Great athletes who do well in the last two minutes of a game have sang-froid. James Bond definitely has sang-froid. You better have sang-froid when you're taking the SATs. If you're worried, nervous and starting to crack, you've pretty much lost your sang-froid.

Example Sentences

Although Piastri is by nature a down-to-earth personality, who lets nothing apparently ruffle his sang-froid, he may have been thinking of this when he summed up his feelings on his third place.

From BBC • May 18, 2025

Much of the humor relies on their inane observations and absurd sang-froid in a succession of increasingly awkward social situations.

From New York Times • Jun. 23, 2022

Macron then visits Kyiv and praises the "sang-froid" of Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian people.

From Reuters • Feb. 21, 2022

Hunsecker, played with slithery sang-froid by Burt Lancaster.

From Washington Post • Aug. 18, 2021

Grave-robbing became an industry, albeit a small one requiring an exceptional degree of sang-froid.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson