sangfroid
noun
ˈsäⁿ-ˈf(r)wä 
Did you know?
If you're a lizard, "cold-blooded" means your body temperature is strongly influenced by your environment. If you're an English-speaking human, it means you are callous and unfeeling. If you're a French speaker, it means that you're calm, cool, and collected in stressful situations. By the mid-1700s, English speakers had already been using "cold-blooded" for more than a century, but they must have liked the more positive spin the French put on having "cold blood" because they borrowed the French sang-froid (literally, "cold blood") for someone who is imperturbable under strain. The French term, by the way, developed from the Latin words sanguis ("blood") and "frigidus" ("cold").
Synonyms
- aplomb
- calmness
- collectedness
- composedness
- composure
- cool
- coolness
- countenance
- equanimity
- equilibrium
- imperturbability
- placidity
- repose
- self-composedness
- self-possession
- serenity
- tranquillity
- tranquility
- tranquilness
Example Sentences
Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2022 Much like her mastery of language, Harini puts plenty of work into her onstage sangfroid. Ben Nuckols, ajc, 2 June 2022 Born in Philadelphia and educated at Bennington College, Taylor has excelled at playing characters with a certain sandpapery sangfroid. Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2022 For those of us who have been following United States v. Ghislaine Maxwell, the defendant’s sangfroid didn’t come as much of a surprise. Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2021 Swayman may do so eventually, but so far, he’s been all sangfroid. BostonGlobe.com, 16 Oct. 2021 Who has the sangfroid to perfectly frame an assault on armed enemies who are near enough to throw things at? Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 26 July 2021 The sangfroid that served him then also amassed him hundreds of thousands of subscribers, millions of views, and enough money to quit his police job. Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2020 But the traders’ sangfroid may quickly disappear if oil prices rise significantly. Jack Farchy, Bloomberg.com, 22 Aug. 2020 See More Word History
French sang-froid, literally, cold blood
1750, in the meaning defined above
sangfroid
noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- composure
- imperturbability
- equanimity
- aplomb
- calmness
- collectedness
- coolness
- placidity
- serenity
- equilibrium
- self-possession
- poise
- countenance
- confidence
- tranquillity
- tranquility
- cool
- tranquilness
- impassivity
- composedness
- assurance
- repose
- indifference
- self-composedness
- self-assuredness
- self-assurance
- unconcern
- detachment
- easygoingness
- self-confidence
- apathy
- numbness
- phlegm
- insensibility
- self-trust
- laid-backness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- perturbation
- agitation
- discomposure
- concern
- anxiety
- uneasiness
- apprehension
- solicitude
- disquiet
- care
- nervousness
- alarm
- worry
- apprehensiveness
- anxiousness
- excitability
- alarum
- disturbance
- excitableness
Synonym Chooser
The words composure and equanimity are common synonyms of sangfroid. While all three words mean "evenness of mind under stress," sangfroid implies great coolness and steadiness under strain.
While in some cases nearly identical to sangfroid, composure implies the controlling of emotional or mental agitation by an effort of will or as a matter of habit.
The words equanimity and sangfroid can be used in similar contexts, but equanimity suggests a habit of mind that is only rarely disturbed under great strain.