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definitions

cold

[kohld]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cold ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, cold·er, cold·est.

noun

adverb

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RELATED WORDS

wintry, crisp, snowy, frozen, brisk, raw, icy, frosty, cool, bitter, intense, bleak, frigid, chilled, lukewarm, distant, inhospitable, arctic, keen, cutting

Idioms

    catch/take cold, to get or suffer from a cold: We all caught cold during that dreadful winter.
    go cold, Slang. (in sports and games) to become unproductive or ineffective; be unable to score.
    in cold blood. blood(def 20).
    in from the cold, out of a position or condition of exile, concealment, isolation, or alienation: Since the new government promised amnesty, fugitive rebels are coming in from the cold.
    left out in the cold, neglected; ignored; forgotten: After the baby came, the young husband felt left out in the cold.Also out in the cold.
    throw cold water on, to disparage; disapprove of; dampen the enthusiasm of: They threw cold water on her hopes to take acting classes.

Origin of cold

before 950; Middle English; Old English cald, ceald; cognate with Gothic kalds, Old Norse kaldr, German kalt, Dutch koud; akin to Latin gel- in gelidus gelid
Related formscold·ish, adjectivecold·ly, adverbcold·ness, nouno·ver·cold, adjectiveo·ver·cold·ly, adverb

Synonyms for cold

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cold ON THESAURUS.COM
1. frigid, gelid, frozen, freezing. 4. indifferent, uninvolved, cool, unconcerned, imperturbable. 5. apathetic, unsympathetic, unfeeling, heartless, polite, formal, reserved, unfriendly, inimical, hostile. 7. uninspiring, dull. 8. calm, deliberate.

Synonym study

1. Cold, chill, chilly, cool refer to various degrees of absence of heat. Cold refers to temperature possibly so low as to cause suffering: cold water. Chill suggests a penetrating cold which causes shivering and numbness: There was a chill wind blowing. Chilly is a weaker word, though it also connotes shivering and discomfort: a chilly room. Cool means merely somewhat cold, not warm: cool and comfortable. All have figurative uses.

Antonyms for cold

1. hot. 4. warm, emotional. 13. warm.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for coldest

Contemporary Examples of coldest

Historical Examples of coldest

  • Because generally there is a periodical frost in the month of May, and it is coldest from the 11th to the 13th.

    The Field of Ice

    Jules Verne

  • That night, it appears, was one of the coldest that had been experienced for many years past.

    My Double Life

    Sarah Bernhardt

  • It was, I think, one of the coldest and most miserable mornings I ever experienced.

    Adventures and Recollections

    Bill o'th' Hoylus End

  • And this, chanted again and again, would have made the coldest care.

    Things as They Are

    Amy Wilson-Carmichael

  • “If you wish,” replied Leopold at his haughtiest and coldest.

    The Princess Virginia

    C. N. Williamson

British Dictionary definitions for coldest

cold

adjective

having relatively little warmth; of a rather low temperaturecold weather; cold hands
without sufficient or proper warmththis meal is cold
lacking in affection, enthusiasm, or warmth of feelinga cold manner
not affected by emotion; objectivecold logic
dead
sexually unresponsive or frigid
lacking in freshnessa cold scent; cold news
chilling to the spirit; depressing
(of a colour) having violet, blue, or green predominating; giving no sensation of warmth
metallurgy denoting or relating to a process in which work-hardening occurs as a result of the plastic deformation of a metal at too low a temperature for annealing to take place
(of a process) not involving heat, in contrast with traditional methodscold typesetting; cold technology
informal (of a seeker) far from the object of a search
denoting the contacting of potential customers, voters, etc, without previously approaching them in order to establish their interestcold mailing
cold comfort little or no comfort
cold steel the use of bayonets, knives, etc, in combat
from cold without advance notice; without giving preparatory information
in cold blood showing no passion; deliberately; ruthlessly
leave someone cold informal to fail to excite someonethe performance left me cold
throw cold water on or pour cold water on informal to be unenthusiastic about or discourage

noun

the absence of heat regarded as a positive forcethe cold took away our breath
the sensation caused by loss or lack of heat
in the cold or out in the cold informal neglected; ignored
an acute viral infection of the upper respiratory passages characterized by discharge of watery mucus from the nose, sneezing, etc
catch a cold slang to make a loss; lose one's investment

adverb

informal without preparationhe played his part cold
informal, mainly US and Canadian thoroughly; absolutelyshe turned him down cold
Derived Formscoldish, adjectivecoldly, adverbcoldness, noun

Word Origin for cold

Old English ceald; related to Old Norse kaldr, Gothic kalds, Old High German kalt; see cool
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
Word Origin and History for coldest

cold

adj.

Old English cald (Anglian), ceald (West Saxon) "cold, cool" (adj.), "coldness," from Proto-Germanic *kaldaz (cf. Old Frisian and Old Saxon kald, Old High German and German kalt, Old Norse kaldr, Gothic kalds "cold"), possibly a past participle adjective of *kal-/*kol-, from PIE root *gel-/*gol- "cold" (cf. Latin gelare "to freeze," gelu "frost," glacies "ice").

Meaning "not strong" (in reference to scent) is 1590s, from hunting. Cold front in weather is from 1921. Cold-call in the sales pitch sense first recorded 1972. Japanese has two words for "cold:" samui for coldness in the atmosphere or environment; tsumetai for things which are cold to touch, and also in the figurative sense, with reference to personalities, behaviors, etc.

cold

n.

c.1300, "coldness," from cold (adj.). Sense in common cold is 1530s, from symptoms resembling those of exposure to cold; cf. earlier senses "indisposition caused by exposure to cold" (early 14c.); "discomfort caused by cold" (c.1300).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for coldest

cold

[kōld]

n.

A viral infection characterized by inflammation of the mucous membranes lining the upper respiratory passages and usually accompanied by malaise, fever, chills, coughing, and sneezing.coryza acute rhinitis common cold coryza
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Idioms and Phrases with coldest

cold

In addition to the idioms beginning with cold

  • cold cash
  • cold comfort
  • cold feet, get
  • cold fish
  • cold hands, warm heart
  • cold shoulder
  • cold shower
  • cold snap
  • cold storage
  • cold sweat
  • cold turkey

also see:

  • blow hot and cold
  • catch cold
  • come in from the cold
  • in a cold sweat
  • in cold blood
  • in cold storage
  • in the cold light of day
  • knock out (cold)
  • leave one cold
  • make one's blood run cold
  • out cold
  • out in the cold
  • pour cold water on
  • stone cold
  • stop cold
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.