cool

[ kool ]

adjective

, cool·er, cool·est.

1. moderately cold; neither warm nor cold:

   a rather cool evening.

   Antonyms: warm

2. feeling comfortably or moderately cold:

   I'm perfectly cool, but open the window if you feel hot.

3. imparting a sensation of moderate coldness or comfortable freedom from heat:

   a cool breeze.

   Antonyms: warm

4. permitting such a sensation:

   a cool dress.

   Antonyms: warm

5. not excited; calm; composed; under control:

   to remain cool in the face of disaster.

   Synonyms: quiet, placid, unruffled, self-possessed, collected

6. not hasty; deliberate:

   a cool and calculated action.

7. lacking in interest or enthusiasm:

   a cool reply to an invitation.

   Synonyms: lukewarm, remote, reserved, apathetic, distant

   Antonyms: warm

8. lacking in warmth or cordiality:

   a cool reception.

   Synonyms: lukewarm, remote, reserved, apathetic, distant

   Antonyms: warm

9. calmly audacious or impudent:

   a cool lie.

10. aloof or unresponsive; indifferent:

    He was cool to her passionate advances.

11. unaffected by emotions; disinterested; dispassionate:

    She made a cool appraisal of all the issues in the dispute.

12. Informal. (of a number or sum) without exaggeration or qualification:

    a cool million dollars.

13. (of colors) with green, blue, or violet predominating.
14. Slang.
    1. great; fine; excellent:

       a real cool comic.

    2. characterized by great facility; highly skilled or clever:

       cool maneuvers on the parallel bars.

    3. socially adept:

       It's not cool to arrive at a party too early.

    4. acceptable; satisfactory; okay:

       If you want to stay late, that's cool.

adverb

1. Informal. coolly.

interjection

1. Slang.
   1. (used to express acceptance):

      Okay, cool! I'll be there at 10:00.

   2. (used to express approval, admiration, etc.):

      He got the job? Cool!

noun

1. something that is cool; a cool part, place, time, etc.:

   in the cool of the evening.

2. coolness.
3. calmness; composure; poise:

   an executive noted for maintaining her cool under pressure.

verb (used without object)

1. to become cool (sometimes followed by down or off ):

   The soup cooled in five minutes. We cooled off in the mountain stream.

2. to become less ardent, cordial, etc.; become moderate.

verb (used with object)

1. to make cool; impart a sensation of coolness to.
2. to lessen the ardor or intensity of; allay; calm; moderate:

   Disappointment cooled his early zealousness.

   Synonyms: abate, temper

verb phrase

1. Informal. to become calmer or more reasonable:

   Wait until he cools off before you talk to him again.

2. cooldown ( def ).
3. Slang. to calm or settle down; relax:

   cooling out at the beach.

cool

/ kuːl /

adjective

1. moderately cold

   a cool day

2. comfortably free of heat

   a cool room

3. producing a pleasant feeling of coldness

   a cool shirt

4. able to conceal emotion; calm

   a cool head

5. lacking in enthusiasm, affection, cordiality, etc

   a cool welcome

6. calmly audacious or impudent
7. informal.
   (esp of numbers, sums of money, etc) without exaggeration; actual

   a cool ten thousand

8. (of a colour) having violet, blue, or green predominating; cold
9. (of jazz) characteristic of the late 1940s and early 1950s, economical and rhythmically relaxed
10. informal.
    sophisticated or elegant, esp in an unruffled way
11. informal.
    excellent; marvellous

adverb

1. not_standard.
   in a cool manner; coolly

noun

1. coolness

   the cool of the evening

2. slang.
   calmness; composure (esp in the phrases keep or lose one's cool )
3. slang.
   unruffled elegance or sophistication

verb

1. usually foll bydown or off to make or become cooler
2. usually foll bydown or off to lessen the intensity of (anger or excitement) or (of anger or excitement) to become less intense; calm down
3. cool it slang.
   cool it usually imperative to calm down; take it easy
4. cool one's heels
   cool one's heels to wait or be kept waiting

Derived Forms

• ˈcoolingly, adverb
• ˈcoolness, noun
• ˈcoolish, adjective
• ˈcoolly, adverb
• ˈcoolingness, noun

Other Words From

• cool·ing·ly adverb
• cool·ish adjective
• cool·ly adverb
• cool·ness noun
• o·ver·cool adjective
• o·ver·cool·ly adverb
• o·ver·cool·ness noun
• re·cool verb
• sub·cool verb (used with object)
• ul·tra·cool adjective
• un·cooled adjective
• well-cooled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cool¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English col, coul, Old English cōl; cognate with Middle Low German kōl, Old High German kuoli, German kühl; cold, chill

Word History and Origins

Origin of cool¹

Old English cōl; related to Old Norse kōlna, Old High German kuoli; see cold , chill

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. cool it, Slang. calm down; take it easy.
2. blow one's cool. blow ²( def 48 ).
3. cool one's heels. heel ¹( def 29 ).

More idioms and phrases containing cool

• keep cool
• keep one's cool
• play it cool

Synonym Study

See cold. See calm.

Example Sentences

So, the water cooled in the salt slush was definitely colder than the water cooled in simple ice.

From Science News For Students

According to a Monday blog post from Microsoft, the consistently cool underwater temperatures made it possible to use similar heat-exchange plumbing to the kind found on submarines.

From Fortune

We handled some of the work, so you can get your cool java sooner.

From Popular-Science

While it seems everyone wants to keep pace with the cool kids, everyone can’t keep pace with the cool kids.

From Ozy

We look at the trends, and it’s a reason we started a delivery service before it was cool.

From Fortune

It’s cool because Trenchmouth opened for Green Day in the early ‘90s in Wisconsin.

From The Daily Beast

She came to sound check, that was the first time we ever performed it, and it was really cool.

From The Daily Beast

Triton prices the 1000/3 LP at a cool $3.15 million—inclusive of pilot training.

From The Daily Beast

Allow beans to cool completely then remove to a paper towel-lined plate to dry.

From The Daily Beast

The Ismael brothers even make an effort to look cool, if not fashionable, by local standards.

From The Daily Beast

Things looked anxious for a bit, but by this morning's dawn all are dug in, cool, confident.

From Project Gutenberg

It mounted straight as a plume for a little way, until it met the cool air of evening which was beginning to fall.

From Project Gutenberg

He has told me that their society produced on him the effect of the cool hands of saints against his cheek.

From Project Gutenberg

I laved his pain-twisted face with the cool water and let a few drops trickle into his open mouth.

From Project Gutenberg

As for him, he much preferred the darkness of his cool, damp galleries under the ground.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• placid
• quiet
• relaxed
• serene
• tranquil