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cold light

American

noun

light emitted by a source that is not incandescent, as from a firefly.

cold light British

noun

light emitted at low temperatures from a source that is not incandescent, such as fluorescence, phosphorescence, bioluminescence, or triboluminescence

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cold light

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That’s the way it looks in the cold light of Wednesday after President Trump’s announcement late Tuesday of a two-week cease-fire.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

But in the cold light of 2022, those stocks suddenly looked the most expensive and the most vulnerable as the Fed hiked interest rates to their highest level in 15 years.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 21, 2022

The cold light of the day was too much for me.

From Washington Post • Nov. 14, 2022

So while principles exist that would allow the Queen to refuse an early election request, they've never been tested in the cold light of day, says Catherine Haddon from the Institute for Government think tank.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2022

The cold light in Raheem’s eyes matched the tone of his whispered promise: this wasn’t over yet.

From "The Rock and the River" by Kekla Magoon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023