1
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
a cold-blooded criminal who never once showed an ounce of mercy to his victims
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in icy
lacking in friendliness or warmth of feeling
the cold-blooded selfishness shown by the miser when confronted by people in need
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stoic
not feeling or showing emotion
a cold-blooded assessment of the situation showed that the company needed either to lay off workers or go bankrupt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in hybrid
or coldblood
being offspring produced by parents of different races, breeds, species, or genera
he may not be as fancy as the other horses they own, but that cold-blooded gelding is safe and gentle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cold-blooded
Although most fish species are cold-blooded, one especially contrarian species, the opah (Lampris guttatus), is warm-blooded.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Are these the actions of a grieving husband or a cold-blooded killer?
—Lauren A. White, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
The suburban father, who had been living a double-life as a cold-blooded hitman for years, is beginning to question his life and actions as his past catches up with him and his memory fails to serve him due to the early onset of dementia.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 22 Mar. 2026
The Crash takes a deep dive into the volatile relationship at the center, examining the shifting narratives of that fateful night to explore where a fatal mistake ends and cold-blooded murder begins, per Netflix’s logline.
—Peter White, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cold-blooded
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Are these the actions of a grieving husband or a cold-blooded killer?
—Lauren A. White, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
The suburban father, who had been living a double-life as a cold-blooded hitman for years, is beginning to question his life and actions as his past catches up with him and his memory fails to serve him due to the early onset of dementia.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 22 Mar. 2026
The Crash takes a deep dive into the volatile relationship at the center, examining the shifting narratives of that fateful night to explore where a fatal mistake ends and cold-blooded murder begins, per Netflix’s logline.
—Peter White, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cold-blooded
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold-blooded
Adjective
-
Sure, he’s driven by vengeance and ruthless in his pursuit, but — without spoiling anything — his motivation is clouded at best, misplaced at worst.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Michael’s brother Sonny (James Caan) becomes the de facto crime boss as the Corleones prosecute a turf war against their rivals, and Michael eventually emerges as the new, and much more ruthless boss, much to the horror of his wife, Kay (Diane Keaton).—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There could be as many as ~1017 icy, round objects in hydrostatic equilibrium in the Milky Way galaxy alone, most of which are likely not bound to a parent star at all.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Apr. 2026
-
What Happens in Your Brain During Ice Bath The instant icy water hits your skin, your brain’s stress system flips on.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
However, when a stoic drifter named Herald Loomis (Joshua Boone) and his young daughter, Zonia (Savannah Commodore) arrive on their doorstep, the Holly’s world turns on its axis.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2026
-
No manuscript of American history is complete without footnotes to its bookstores, and many of them have been much more than stoic spectators to the country’s evolution.—
Kat Chen,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
So teams like Red Bull have turned to Neural Concept, a startup helping at least four F1 teams use machine learning to model aerodynamics and challenges like how to cool the cells in the hybrid power unit’s battery pack.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The formula is a hybrid lip oil-lip gloss that has a pH-changing element, so each shade looks slightly different on everyone.—
Gina Vaynshteyn,
StyleCaster,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Fleeing into the desert with her father, she is hunted by a merciless army and forced to trust a legendary bandit (Mackie) with secrets of his own.—
Mark Meszoros,
Twin Cities,
25 Apr. 2026
-
This commentary was not from a wonkish TikToker nor a network pundit but from TMZ, the merciless purveyor of celebrity dirt, which published the images of Graham after a citizen vacationer noticed the senator flitting through the theme park and sent pictures.—
Paula Mejía,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Amanda Lee Myers is a senior crime reporter who covers the death penalty, cold case investigations and breaking news for USA TODAY.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
In Milan, Pietrantoni had just worked with a design studio on an installation with cold lighting, which was drawing interested crowds.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The post-debate reaction from this week has been quite mixed, but there is an overall feeling that nobody really delivered a solid punch.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Stock futures were little changed, while Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The findings indicate that 3I/ATLAS, just the third interstellar object discovered passing through the solar system, formed in a much more frigid region of space compared to our planetary backyard.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The water is frigid during the spring, but visitors can still relax on the shoreline and play in the sand at Napatree Point, Watch Hill Beach and East Beach, which boasts views of the easternmost end of New York’s Long Island.—
Catherine Garcia,
TheWeek,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cold-blooded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold-blooded. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
