cool

[kool]

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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.

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

Related formscool·ing·ly, adverbcool·ish, adjectivecool·ly, adverbcool·ness, nouno·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

Synonyms for cool

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cool ON THESAURUS.COM

5. collected, self-possessed, unruffled, placid, quiet. 7, 8. distant, apathetic, reserved, remote, lukewarm. 23. temper, abate.

Synonym study

1. See cold. 5. See calm.

Antonyms for cool

1, 3, 4, 7, 8. warm.

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

Related Words for cool

chilly, refreshing, frosty, frigid, serene, relaxed, quiet, tranquil, placid, lukewarm, neat, refrigerate, lessen, reduce, freeze, calm, abate, moderate, temper, dampen

Examples from the Web for cool

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of cool

Cool enough to handle and then remove the skin and the roots.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
Cool and then add the sirup to the cider and the juice of the lemons.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 4
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
Remove from the stove, allow them to cool, and serve with cream.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 5
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
He too had been almost angry, only by nature he was cool and even good-tempered.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
When cool, this solidifies and may be served in attractive ways.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 5
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences

British Dictionary definitions for cool

cool

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

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.

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

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