bloodless

adjective

blood·​less ˈbləd-ləs 

1

: deficient in or free from blood

2

: not accompanied by loss or shedding of blood

a bloodless victory

3

: lacking in spirit or vitality

4

: lacking in human feeling

bloodless statistics

bloodlessly adverb

bloodlessness noun

Examples of bloodless in a Sentence

They took control of the government in a bloodless coup.

Her speeches are dull and bloodless.

a bunch of bloodless numbers and statistics

His face was bloodless with fear.

Recent Examples on the Web

Share this story Though neither of Sony’s previous standalone Venom movies were cinematic gems, their strange blend of Odd Couple humor and bloodless body horror were enough to put them squarely in so-bad-they’re-kinda-fun territory. —Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 24 Oct. 2024

Many gold cloaks, still loyal to Daemon from his time leading the City Watch, helped make this a relatively bloodless conquest. —James Grebey, Vulture, 22 July 2024

Grayson’s prose is as inspiring as her book’s titular call for a bloodless revolution. —Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024

So many bloodless words with two tender ones in the middle, like a still warm corpse in a storm. —Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bloodless

adjective

blood·​less ˈbləd-ləs 

1

: having less blood than normal

2

: done without bloodshed

a bloodless revolution

3

: lacking in spirit or feeling

bloodlessly adverb

bloodlessness noun

Medical Definition

bloodless

adjective

blood·​less ˈbləd-ləs 

: free from or lacking blood

a bloodless surgical field

bloodlessly adverb