cool, calm, and collected

Idioms

Calm and composed, self-possessed. For example, No matter what the board decides, you have to appear cool, calm, and collected in front of the stockholders. This alliterative synonym for cool as a cucumber dates from the late 1800s.

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.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has proven that whatever the circumstance, he remains cool, calm and collected.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026

“The only people who might be more cool, calm and collected than him in that moment are his teammates — because we have the utmost belief in him,” Jackson said.

From Seattle Times • May 3, 2024

Appearing cool, calm and collected, McCarthy cast the funding plan as just a proposal and left time for rank-and-file members to debate, according to Republicans familiar with the meeting.

From Washington Times • Sep. 19, 2023

Sian said, despite their predicament, the guests were "very cool calm and collected".

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2023

I thought about mentioning this to Regan, but she was the picture of cool, calm, and collected, and I decided against it.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

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