cold comfort

American  

noun

1. slight or negligible comfort; scarce consolation.

---

cold comfort Idioms  

1. Slight or no consolation. For example, He can't lend us his canoe but will tell us where to rent one—that's cold comfort. The adjective cold was being applied to comfort in this sense by the early 1300s, and Shakespeare used the idiom numerous times.

---

Etymology

Origin of cold comfort

First recorded in 1565–75

Example Sentences

Even an apology from Gates and an agreement by Bill and Hillary Clinton to testify on their ties to Epstein are cold comfort, survivors say.

From Salon

“That is cold comfort for a consumer who has been struggling with four years of exorbitant cumulative inflation and is looking for relief,” Moskow said.

From The Wall Street Journal

But it’s cold comfort to a mother whose days are numbered by a dire diagnosis.

From Los Angeles Times

Still, this is cold comfort for those expecting a democratic transition.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s cold comfort, a phrase that could capably describe the entire vibe of “Sorry, Baby.”

From Los Angeles Times