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Synonyms

icy

American  
[ahy-see] / ˈaɪ si /

adjective

icier, iciest

  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 British  
/ 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

"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 icy

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

Explanation

Something that's icy is frozen like ice or covered in ice. A winter road could be icy; and, if you give someone an icy stare, they are going to feel like hitting the road. Use the adjective icy to describe your town's slippery sidewalks in the winter or the frosty peas you just removed from the freezer. You can also describe very cold conditions as icy: "I'm putting my long underwear on — it's icy out there!" When a person is icy, they are aloof and unemotional, as opposed to warm and friendly. This figurative meaning has been around since the late 1500s.

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Vocabulary lists containing icy

Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -y

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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.

Icy snow battered Chicago on Sunday night, swirling so hard it felt like the wind had teeth.

From Slate • Nov. 10, 2025

Icy wanderers such as 3I/ATLAS offer a rare, tangible connection to the broader galaxy.

From Science Daily • Oct. 12, 2025

Icy cold plunges reset my nervous system — like a computer reboot — reminding me to release with every breath.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2025

Scrolling through Twitter for information about the band's solo projects, she saw a reply that said "Listen to Icy by Itzy".

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2025

“I come from land of frozen desert beyond Icy Waste,” he said.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.