bloodless
- 01 C1 Advanced
describing someone or something that has no passion, feeling, or excitement.
lacking in vitality, emotion, or human feeling; often used to describe academic or artistic works that feel cold.
Simple“The critic complained that the actor gave a bloodless performance.”
In context“The report was technically accurate but ultimately bloodless, failing to capture the human suffering caused by the economic crisis.”
- 02 C2 Proficiency
looking very pale, as if there is no blood in the skin.
physically lacking blood or appearing anaemic and ashen.
Simple“His face went bloodless when he heard the shocking news.”
In context“The patient's lips were thin and bloodless, a clear sign of the severe exhaustion he had been enduring for weeks.”
From Middle English blodles, from Old English blōdlēas (“bloodless”). Cognate with Dutch bloedeloos (“bloodless”), German blutlos (“bloodless”), Danish blodløs (“bloodless”), Swedish blodlös (“bloodless”), Icelandic blóðlaus (“bloodless”). By surface analysis, blood + -less.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.