icy

[ ahy-see ]

adjective

, i·ci·er, i·ci·est.

1. made of, full of, or covered with ice:

   icy roads.

2. resembling ice.
3. cold:

   icy winds.

4. without warmth of feeling; coldly unfriendly; frigid:

   an icy stare.

   Synonyms: chilly, cool, distant, cold

icy

/ ˈaɪsɪ /

adjective

1. made of, covered with, or containing ice
2. resembling ice
3. freezing or very cold
4. cold or reserved in manner; aloof

Word History and Origins

Origin of icy¹

before 900; Middle English isy, Old English īsig. See ice, -y ¹

Example Sentences

“One of the things that NASA is really interested in knowing is whether or not there could be life in the subsurface oceans of the icy moons, like Europa and Enceladus,” says Batalha, of UC Santa Cruz.

From Science News

This is why you can spread salt on an icy sidewalk and the ice will melt.

From Science News For Students

Even in its thinnest spots, the icy crust is probably at least a mile thick, meaning that anything alive must be swimming around in inky darkness.

From Nautilus

Now he’s devoting some of his attention and expertise to other icy bodies in the solar system where, someday, history may repeat itself.

From Quanta Magazine

Afterward, they put the icy mix into a chamber where the air pressure was very low.

From Science News For Students

These brave souls took an icy dip in the ocean to ring in 2015 and raise money for charity.

From The Daily Beast

But below the surfaces of many of his films, rude, angry sex simmered; cool, icy blondes were tied up, handcuffed, humiliated.

From The Daily Beast

Tall, dark, and handsome Ben Affleck against icy blonde Rosamund Pike.

From The Daily Beast

His vibe was icy as he bluntly remarked, “What are you doing here?”

From The Daily Beast

But many others will be happy just to get a hot shower before bundling up in their icy apartments.

From The Daily Beast

The third line runs thus: “How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle in the icy air of night.”

From Project Gutenberg

But the sun was getting warmer and the icy street would soon be slushy and the skates would cut through.

From Project Gutenberg

As the icy waters closed over him, he struck out boldly for the spot where he had last beheld the struggling youth.

From Project Gutenberg

Slowly but surely Reff Ritter came up out of the icy water, his teeth chattering loudly.

From Project Gutenberg

Their queen alone beheld his approach without a tremor; she turned on him the icy glance of her green eyes.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cold
• distant
• forbidding
• frigid
• frosty
• glacial
• steely
• stony