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.

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

They called on God to stop gun violence as they stood in the cold, light rain.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 29, 2023

Although Broad survived until day three, in the cold light of day, the Nighthawk's wings were clipped.

From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2023

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

From Washington Post ● Nov. 14, 2022

There’s an octopus on the screen with giant ears, translucent, flapping through the water in the cold light of a submersible.

From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini

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