cold light

American  

noun

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

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cold light British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of cold light

First recorded in 1890–95

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cold light

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

It only intensified as people took stock of his behaviour in the cold light of day.

From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2022

A movie of cold light and hard surfaces, “Voyagers” owes its antiseptic glamour to the cinematographer Enrique Chediak, whose talents far outclass Burger’s underdeveloped script.

From New York Times ● Apr. 8, 2021

I can't look at him; I squint at the cold light on the distant field.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

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