cool

[ kool ]

/ kul /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cool ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, cool·er, cool·est.

moderately cold; neither warm nor cold: a rather cool evening.

feeling comfortably or moderately cold: I'm perfectly cool, but open the window if you feel hot.

imparting a sensation of moderate coldness or comfortable freedom from heat: a cool breeze.

permitting such a sensation: a cool dress.

not excited; calm; composed; under control: to remain cool in the face of disaster.

not hasty; deliberate: a cool and calculated action.

lacking in interest or enthusiasm: a cool reply to an invitation.

lacking in warmth or cordiality: a cool reception.

calmly audacious or impudent: a cool lie.

aloof or unresponsive; indifferent: He was cool to her passionate advances.

unaffected by emotions; disinterested; dispassionate: She made a cool appraisal of all the issues in the dispute.

Informal. (of a number or sum) without exaggeration or qualification: a cool million dollars.

(of colors) with green, blue, or violet predominating.

Slang.

great; fine; excellent: a real cool comic.
characterized by great facility; highly skilled or clever: cool maneuvers on the parallel bars.
socially adept: It's not cool to arrive at a party too early.
acceptable; satisfactory; okay: If you want to stay late, that's cool.

adverb

Informal. coolly.

interjection

Slang.

(used to express acceptance): Okay, cool! I'll be there at 10:00.
(used to express approval, admiration, etc.): He got the job? Cool!

noun

something that is cool; a cool part, place, time, etc.: in the cool of the evening.

coolness.

calmness; composure; poise: an executive noted for maintaining her cool under pressure.

verb (used without object)

to become cool (sometimes followed by down or off): The soup cooled in five minutes. We cooled off in the mountain stream.

to become less ardent, cordial, etc.; become moderate.

verb (used with object)

to make cool; impart a sensation of coolness to.

to lessen the ardor or intensity of; allay; calm; moderate: Disappointment cooled his early zealousness.

Verb Phrases

cool down, to bring the body back to its normal physiological level after fast, vigorous exercise or activity by gradually slowing the pace of activity or by doing gentle exercises or stretches.

cool off, Informal. to become calmer or more reasonable: Wait until he cools off before you talk to him again.

cool out, Slang. to calm or settle down; relax: cooling out at the beach.

Nearby words

Idioms

blow one's cool. blow²(def 44).

cool it, Slang. calm down; take it easy.

cool one's heels. heel¹(def 26).

Origin of cool

before 1000; Middle English cole, Old English cōl; cognate with Middle Low German kōl, Old High German kuoli (German kuhl). See cold, chill

SYNONYMS FOR cool

5 collected, self-possessed, unruffled, placid, quiet.

7, 8 distant, apathetic, reserved, remote, lukewarm.

23 temper, abate.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cool ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR cool

1, 3, 4, 7, 8 warm.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR cool ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

cool·ing·ly, adverbcool·ish, adjectivecool·ly, adverbcool·ness, noun

o·ver·cool, adjectiveo·ver·cool·ly, adverbo·ver·cool·ness, nounre·cool, verbsub·cool, verb (used with object)ul·tra·cool, adjectiveun·cooled, adjectivewell-cooled, adjective

Synonym study

1. See cold. 5. See calm.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cool

It’s cool because Trenchmouth opened for Green Day in the early ‘90s in Wisconsin.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Triton prices the 1000/3 LP at a cool $3.15 million—inclusive of pilot training.
The Most Exciting New Hotels, Restaurants, and Submarines of 2014|Charlie Gilbert|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Allow beans to cool completely then remove to a paper towel-lined plate to dry.
Make Carla Hall’s Crispy Shallot Green Bean Casserole|Carla Hall|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cool, yes, though not quite as cool as the cyborg cockroaches you can control from your smartphone.
Meet Our Animal Robot Overlords|James Joiner|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

For their trip to New Orleans against Alabama, Ohio State is bringing in a cool $17 million.
Is Any College Football Coach Worth $60 Million? Jim Harbaugh Is|Jesse Lawrence|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now don't be foolish—stay here with Uncle George and the doctor until you cool down.
Kennedy Square|F. Hopkinson Smith
You state here, 'upon cool, deliberate inquiry': what was that cool, deliberate inquiry?
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. XII. (of XII.)|Edmund Burke
When about cool cut with scissors into lengths of an inch or less.
Candy-Making at Home|Mary M. Wright
Cook beans till well done, strain off the water, and set aside to cool.
The Vegetarian Cook Book|E. G. Fulton
My dogs look like they are going to explode, said Chuck as he wiggled his toes in the cool water.
Slim Evans and his Horse Lightning|Graham M. Dean

British Dictionary definitions for cool

cool

/ (kuːl) /

adjective

moderately colda cool day

comfortably free of heata cool room

producing a pleasant feeling of coldnessa cool shirt

able to conceal emotion; calma cool head

lacking in enthusiasm, affection, cordiality, etca cool welcome

calmly audacious or impudent

informal (esp of numbers, sums of money, etc) without exaggeration; actuala cool ten thousand

(of a colour) having violet, blue, or green predominating; cold

(of jazz) characteristic of the late 1940s and early 1950s, economical and rhythmically relaxed

informal sophisticated or elegant, esp in an unruffled way

informal excellent; marvellous

adverb

not standard in a cool manner; coolly

noun

coolnessthe cool of the evening

slang calmness; composure (esp in the phrases keep or lose one's cool)

slang unruffled elegance or sophistication

verb

(usually foll by down or off) to make or become cooler

(usually foll by down or off) to lessen the intensity of (anger or excitement) or (of anger or excitement) to become less intense; calm down

cool it (usually imperative) slang to calm down; take it easy

cool one's heels to wait or be kept waiting

Word Origin for cool

Old English cōl; related to Old Norse kōlna, Old High German kuoli; see cold, chill

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 cool (1 of 3)

cool

adj.

Old English col "not warm" (but usually not as severe as cold), also, of persons, "unperturbed, undemonstrative," from Proto-Germanic *koluz (cf. Middle Dutch coel, Dutch koel, Old High German kuoli, German kühl "cool," Old Norse kala "be cold"), from PIE root *gel- "cold, to freeze" (see cold (adj.)).

Applied since 1728 to large sums of money to give emphasis to amount. Meaning "calmly audacious" is from 1825. Slang use for "fashionable" is 1933, originally Black English; modern use as a general term of approval is from late 1940s, probably from bop talk and originally in reference to a style of jazz; said to have been popularized in jazz circles by tenor saxophonist Lester Young. Related: Coolly.

Word Origin and History for cool (1 of 3)

cool

c.1400, "coldness, coolness," from cool (adj.). Meaning "one's self-control, composure" (the thing you either keep or lose) is from 1966.

Word Origin and History for cool (2 of 3)

cool

Old English colian, "to lose warmth," also figuratively, "to lose ardor," from the root of cool (adj.). Meaning "to cause to lose warmth" is from late 14c. Related: Cooled; cooling.

Idioms and Phrases with cool

cool

In addition to the idioms beginning with cool

cool as a cucumber
cool down
cool it
cool off
cool one's heels
cool out

also see:

keep cool
keep one's cool
play it cool

cool

adjective, cool·er, cool·est.

adverb

interjection

noun

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

Verb Phrases

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of cool

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for cool

British Dictionary definitions for cool

cool

adjective

adverb

noun

verb

Word Origin for cool

Word Origin and History for cool (1 of 3)

cool

Word Origin and History for cool (1 of 3)

cool

Word Origin and History for cool (2 of 3)

cool

Idioms and Phrases with cool

cool