cold-blooded

adjective

1. 1

   Having an unregulated body temperature; ectothermic.

   “Dead animals radiate heat,” he said. “When you take one down, you can feel it pouring from the wounds. But not this thing.” / “What does that mean?” she asked. / “Cold-blooded maybe, or colder-blooded than we’re used to.” / “Might explain why the heat sensors have trouble picking them up,” Danielle said.

2. 2

   figurativeLacking emotion or compunction.

   Here were aſſembled that great philoſopher Mr. Subtile, the coldeſt-blooded metaphyſician of the age.

   No Spaniard is ever put out, although he maddens in a moment at the slightest personal affront, for blood boils without fire, “la sangre hierve sin fuego.” He takes these things coolly, which more phlegmatic, colder-blooded foreigners seldom do.

   “And as for those foolish people,” said Quicksilver, with his mischievous smile, “they are all transformed to fishes. There needed but little change, for they were already a scaly set of rascals, and the coldest-blooded beings in existence.[…]”

   Sir Wilton regarded Lady Ann as the coldest-blooded and most selfish woman in creation, and certainly she was not less selfish and was colder-blooded than he.

3. 3

   Of a type of horse: tall and muscular, usually good-natured and suitable for heavy work.

4. 4

   Of an engine or vehicle: difficult to start; runs poorly until warmed up.

Forms

comparative

more cold-blooded, colder-blooded

superlative

most cold-blooded, coldest-blooded