sangfroid

Cultural

Composure in the face of difficulty or danger: “We would all be dead today if our bus driver hadn't kept his sangfroid when the bus began to skid on the ice.” From French, meaning “cold blood.”

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.

As for Fry, when her Etheline loses her sangfroid, I was ready to bolt.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2025

Ms. Lee is equally off-base, delivering her lines with a mix of sangfroid and sarcasm as if C-suite officers are used to getting chased around by super-killers from another domain.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025

Alcaraz is imbued with boundless enthusiasm and energy, not to mention skill, speed, stamina and sangfroid.

From Washington Times • Sep. 11, 2022

Much like her mastery of language, Harini puts plenty of work into her onstage sangfroid.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 1, 2022

“What I’m doing is absolutely appropriate, and you know it,” I said, trying to keep my voice low but unable to preserve my sangfroid.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023