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Suffix · forms adjectives

-blooded

Combines with a temperature word to describe someone's temperament: cold-blooded (unemotional, calculating) and hot-blooded (passionate, impulsive).

In Spanish: de sangre / de temperamentoLiterary

Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated August 2026

What this suffix does

-blooded forms compound adjectives with two related groups of meaning. The biological group describes an organism's relationship to temperature: warm-blooded and cold-blooded describe whether animals regulate their own body temperature. The figurative group — and the most literary — describes temperament and passion: hot-blooded (passionate and impulsive), cold-blooded (calculating and without emotion), full-blooded (complete and vigorous), red-blooded (energetic and virile). These figurative uses are deeply embedded in English idiom and literary tradition.

How it is formed

Temperature/intensity word + blooded.

  • cold + blooded
    cold-blooded (calculating, no emotion)
  • hot + blooded
    hot-blooded (passionate, impulsive)
  • full + blooded
    full-blooded (full energy, holding nothing back)

This is not a productive rule you can apply freely: it is a closed set of fixed expressions. Learn them one by one as set phrases.

How it is pronounced

-blooded

Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.

Examples

Base word
With -blooded
In a phrase
  • coldcold-bloodedIt was a cold-blooded decision. He didn't care who got hurt.
  • hothot-bloodedHe's hot-blooded. He gets angry over the smallest things.
  • warmwarm-bloodedDogs and cats are warm-blooded animals.
  • fullfull-bloodedThe band gave a full-blooded performance that the crowd loved.
  • redred-bloodedEvery red-blooded fan was cheering by the end of the game.

Common mistakes

cold-blooded = having a naturally cold body temperature (biological only)
cold-blooded most commonly means showing no emotion or remorse

"Cold-blooded" in everyday English nearly always means "done or performed without emotion, mercy, or remorse." A "cold-blooded killer" is one who acts deliberately and without feeling. The biological meaning (unable to regulate body temperature internally) still exists, but the figurative use is far more common in general writing.

warm-blooded = kind and emotional
warm-blooded (biological) means maintaining constant body temperature

"Warm-blooded" in biological contexts means an organism regulates its own body temperature (homeothermy). It is NOT a figurative term for emotional warmth — that would be "warmhearted." Do not confuse these: "warm-blooded" is for biology; "warmhearted" is for personality.

A trick to remember it

-blooded compounds map the temperature of the blood onto a spectrum of passion and calculation. Cold-blooded = no passion, pure calculation. Hot-blooded = too much passion, too little calculation. Full-blooded = vigorous, complete, and committed. These terms tap into a deep cultural metaphor in which blood represents life, passion, and identity. When you describe an action as "cold-blooded," you are saying it was done with the clinical efficiency of someone who has suppressed all human feeling.

Practise what you learned

Exercise 1 · Form the word

Fill in: "The investigation concluded that the killing had been ___ — planned days in advance and carried out without hesitation." (done with no emotion or remorse, deliberately)

Hint: Cold + blooded = done without emotion, calculating and deliberate.

Exercise 2 · Pick the right one

"The orchestra delivered a full-blooded performance of Beethoven's Fifth." What does "full-blooded" describe?

Exercise 3 · Form the word

Fill in: "The ___ young soldier threw himself into the fight with complete disregard for the tactical plan." (passionate and impulsive, driven by emotion)

Hint: Hot + blooded = whose blood runs hot with passion and impulse.

Frequently asked questions

What does the suffix -blooded mean in English?

The suffix -blooded combines with a temperature word to describe someone's temperament: cold-blooded (unemotional, calculating) and hot-blooded (passionate, impulsive). In Spanish it usually maps to de sangre / de temperamento.

Can you give an example of a word with -blooded?

"cold" becomes "cold-blooded". It is a typical example of the -blooded suffix.

Other useful suffixes

  • -headed

    having a specified type of mental clarity, character, or state of mind

  • -hearted

    Describes someone's emotional character: warmhearted (kind, affectionate) and coldhearted (unfeeling, unkind).

  • -tempered

    Describes someone's emotional character: even-tempered (calm, steady) versus hot-tempered (quick to anger).

Learn every English suffix

-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.

View all suffixes
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